Page 6 ◆ The Oracle ◆
The Oracle
Wednesday, October 5, 2005
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ORUM◆
Saturday School: effective truancy deterrent?
780 Arastradero Rd Palo Alto, CA 94306 (650) 354-8238 http://charlotte.pausd.org/oracle
Editorial Board
Editor-in-Chief Andrea Wong Managing Lauren Krensky, Tony Liu News Sree Kode, Dan Li Forum Misha Guttentag, Gea Kang, John Greely (associate) Features Janice Kwong, Anthony Wang, Adrienne Nguyen (associate)
Graphics by Stephen Chao
PRO
Fair punishment reinforces good behavior
Centerfold Shiv Kachru, Marianne Kvitko, Emily Wang Entertainment Howard Chen, Stephanie Wu, Maya Tanaka (associate) Sports Amar Ghose, Ana Kostioukova, Alex Shau Photography Jonathan Cheung Graphics Johnny Chang Technical Jonathan Cheung, Dan Li Staff
Business Shoshana Leeder, Darryl Liu Circulation Ellen Holtzman, Natalie Kirkish Reporters Brennan Bird, Moses Lai, Alex Lee, Vivien Tsao Graphic Artists Stephen Chao, Brett Labash, Julius Tarng Photographer Jennifer Lim Adviser Kristy Garcia The Oracle is published by and for the students of Henry M. Gunn Senior High School. The unsigned editorials that appear in this publication represent the majority opinion of the editorial staff and The Oracle's commitment to promoting students' rights. The Oracle strongly encourages and prints signed Letters to the Editor. Please include your name, grade and contact information should you choose to write one. Letters may be edited to meet space requirements and the writer is solely responsible for the accuracy of the content. Letters to the editor and ideas for coverage may be sent to gunnoracle@yahoo.com. These letters and ideas need not be from current students. The Oracle publishes 10 issues annually. Subscriptions are $40/year.
Gea Kang Forum Editor Truancy is a problem at Gunn that definitely needs attention. According to Assistant Principal Anne-Marie Balzano, 52 students each had 31 cuts or more during second semester of the last academic year alone. While not a panacea, Saturday School is a fair and effective way to fight truancy. Some critics argue that forcing truants to attend Saturday School will not reduce cutting, as it will not deter students who cut because of serious emotional problems and who need in-depth counseling rather than outright punishment. Nonetheless, for most students who cut out of laziness or convenience, the unpleasant prospect of going to school for the sixth time that week will serve as an effective deterrent. Still others criticize Saturday School as too harsh a punishment for cutting classes. This argument misses the point that Saturday School kicks in only after a student has four unexcused absences from the same class. In fact, a student taking seven courses can cut up to 21 times—three for each class—and get away without
CON
Extra school time cruel, unusual punishment
weekend detention. If anything, the Saturday School system may be too lenient. Indeed, Saturday School is an improvement over the previous lunchtime trash duty system because, on top of holding students accountable for their behavior, it Marianne Kvitko tries to teach them to study. After all, school should ultimately teach Centerfold Editor students, not only chastise them. Also, Saturday School puts both the student and the parent on notice Though class attendance is a that if the student does not shape up serious problem worth addressing, and cuts the same class one more the new Saturday School policy is time, he or she will be dropped an ineffective solution that is wrong from the in principle. course—one Given, the plan may that may be Four cuts from the needed for cause a few same class now forces graduation. careless cutBased on the ters to think you to go to school on exper ience twice about Saturday from 8 a.m. of numersk ippi ng a to noon for studying subject, but ous schools for many stut hat have and campus beautidents, Saturlong si nc e fication. Is this new day School is implementnot a stronged Saturday form of punishment enough inSchool, such fair and ef fective? c e n t ive t o as the Chico and Oswego attend class. School DisOften, tricts, being hit with weekend students cut not simply to miss detention will catalyze parentsʼ school but to avoid big tests and involvement in their childrenʼs at- deadlines or study for other exams. tendance. For these students, attending class School is a place to learn ac- on Saturday is worth the extra time countability and fair judgment. to study and make the grade, and Although Saturday School may not non-attendance can be worth the be perfect, it will be worthwhile if consequence. it discourages even a few students Further, people worried about from cutting classes. It undoubtedly grades would most likely study over deserves a chance. the weekend anyhow, whether at
Saturday School or at home. Making students do their homework is not a punishment. Saturday School will not only fail as a program but also as a deterrent. High school is a place for fostering maturity, and kids should be taught responsibility for completing homework on their own time, not at Saturday School. In addition, because reasons for cutting vary, there cannot be just one policy. For example, forcing drug abusers to come to Saturday School for missing class will not solve their truancy issues. Also, in cases of extreme stress or depression, nonattendance can be necessary, and compelling students to attend extra class may worsen these problems instead of treating them. Lastly, Saturday School may endanger student integrity. Excusing absences requires a parent note or phone call. To avoid detention, people may decide to forge notes and clear their own cuts. Even if some students decide to attend class rather than Saturday School, they can still not participate, disregard homework and fail the subject. This result is hardly better than not attending class at all. There are many alternatives to stop cutting, such as a stricter policy on excusing absences, better parent communication or work on a counseling service to address the causes of cutting individually, rather than harsher punishments. The current system, dropping students after multiple absences, is punishment enough. Saturday School will neither deter nor curb cutting.
High permit prices do not justify cheating the system
Natalie Kirkish Circulation Manager You can save $50, get a prime parking spot, help save the environment and curb traffic. All you have to do is give someone else a ride to school. Carpool parking
permits are probably one of the best ideas the school has come up with. However, people are abusing this system. Some purchase carpool permits while driving only themselves to school. These students may have no siblings or neighbors to carpool with or are not allowed to drive others due to the sixth month rule. Should they have to pay an outrageous fee of $50 and park in the boonies just because of their misfortune? Yes. Traffic is a huge problem at Gunn. I have to leave my house at 7:20 at the latest if I want to
avoid traffic and get a good parking spot. If all 1800 Gunn students were to drive themselves everyday, Arastradero would be at a dead stop from 7:30 until 8:30 a.m., and Palo Alto would be plagued with smog. Single drivers with carpool passes also make it unfair for those who actually do carpool. They clog the road and fill up the parking spots they do not deserve. The price of parking permits is high but justified. Students now have extra motivation to carpool, a habit that will save time, money and the environment in the future. The extra money we make goes to
a good cause as well—student bus passes. Student bus passes usually cost $45 but the Student Activities Center does a great service and sells them for $25, subsidizing them with the money they make from parking permits. Taking the bus also helps the environment as a whole. If affluent Palo Alto kids think that $150 that oftentimes parents, not students, pay is too expensive for a year of parking, then take the free route to school—walk, ride a bike, skateboard or save someone else $50 and get them to drive you. But do not steal a spot from those who deserve it.