Where's the fairness in magnet schools?
For years, the Hernando County School Board has let its magnet schools kick kids out if their parents don't meet their volunteer obligations. Just recently, the board softened the rules, giving the students a reprieve if their moms and dads don't come through.
Times columnist Dan DeWitt, whose son suffered the former policy, suggests the change might sound fair, but only within the context of a system that gives the children of parents with time and interest an advantage anyway.
"How can anybody say it's unfair to punish children for the actions of their parents, when the system is set up to reward children based on the action of their parents?
The parents attend the open houses that are a prerequisite to admission. They are the ones who place their children's names in a lottery that selects some students for these schools, or they help their children with the portfolios that determine the other placements."
Check out DeWitt's latest column. Then weigh in. Are magnet schools unfairly weighted to active families?