School spirit: In SISD, a price tag is attached

I find it interesting that Montwood was targeted for this article, when El Dorado and Americas started the practice years before. Unless you've attended a Montwood pep rally, I doubt you can truly appreciate the meaning of "crowd issues". The Fire Marshals routinely attend many Montwood events (even at the SAC) to monitor occupancy limits. We're discussing a $1 that goes back into helping support student activities or to a charity that the student body has chosen to support. Students are learning to use the free market system and decide where they want to use their $1. Montwood is the home of some really dunderhead policies, but this isn't one of them.

How about pursuing a real story like the decline in SAT scores since the implementation of Block Scheduling? Or the high cost of year round schooling, which makes no significant difference in our test scores compared to other school districts with our demographics? But that would require more work than complaining without a solution.

I never saw Montwood's name in the article and never knew they were being "targeted" about until I read your comment.

They should write about how students at Socorro High who are caught for the terrible crime of wearing a hat indoors have it confiscated. To get it back parents must go back at the end of the school day and pay $15 to have it returned. Free market system as well?

Well, when schools cannot sell sodas or candy or chips or any food item that competes with the cafeteria, then they will look for other ways to make money for student activities. The insane federal law on Food of Minimal Nutritional Value have made it extremely difficult for student organizations to fund raise. Leave the schools alone.

Heck, if a dollar is good then why not charge two dollars or maybe five dollars. Think of all the extra money.

Money, money, money, money... Isn't that what school is all about.

Socorroparent wrote:

They should write about how students at Socorro High who are caught for the terrible crime of wearing a hat indoors have it confiscated. To get it back parents must go back at the end of the school day and pay $15 to have it returned. Free market system as well?

I don't think this is the free market system. A more appropriate term would be reinforcement of values. Since wearing a hat indoors is considered as disrespectful, SISD is merely applying its mandate to develop RESPONSIBLE citizens. It is quite unfortunate that they have to issue fines to enforce discipline. As parents, I suggest that we boycott SISD's disciplinary actions by assuming more responsibility in upbringing our children rather than allowing the schools to forcibly take over our parental duties. This will definitely send a message to SISD: " Nobody messes around with MY responsibility as a parent".

Money Money wrote:

Heck, if a dollar is good then why not charge two dollars or maybe five dollars. Think of all the extra money.
Money, money, money, money... Isn't that what school is all about.

LIke it or not, money is important. Money for student activities enables schools to give nice things to students such as graduation ceremonies and celebrations, NHS inductions, proms, travel, etc. If those activities were not offered, you might question why. We're really fortunate in El Paso that schools don't charge an activities fee at the beginning of each year. Go to east Texas and you will find parents paying $250+ per student for an activity fee during registation. Could you imagine the response in El Paso if that happened here? Heck, there's a newspaper article because of a $1 entrance fee to an assembly.(Is this really news?)