Education letters 10/19

Child’s knife was sharp; his parents were not

A Delaware school board considered suspending a 6-year-old who brought a knife to school. The question I have is what punishment is being imposed on the parents for letting the child take the knife to school?

I listened to news media reports and read Web stories and thought that it was a ridiculous punishment.

Then I saw the knife. This was no “tiny pen knife” attached to a fork and spoon, as I heard on the news. It was no “butter knife.” It was a pretty good sized, sharp-pointed pocket knife, capable of cutting off a 6-year-old’s finger if he was not careful.

It was certainly capable of seriously injuring if not killing a kid who might have stumbled and fallen on it, or, as kids that age will do, if someone grabbed it and play-acted. No, I don’t think that kids that age know better.

But his parents should. Perhaps if the school system imposed a fine on parents for such cases, they would better control what their kids take to school. That knife was inappropriate for elementary school, even before this zero-tolerance madness.

Jim Sutherland, Atlanta

North Cobb news story ignored school’s side

I see why so many Atlanta area residents have decided the AJC is a total failure. You all proved that the journalistic rule of truth in presentation does not apply in your news story on student Jonathan Escobar and North Cobb High School’s response to his desire to wear feminine attire.

You caught wind of something that sounded like it would draw attention and put forth one side, which turned out to be primarily lies. You didn’t even pursue the other side until it was absolutely necessary.

And, when you did have a truthful piece from the administration at North Cobb, you only ran it very briefly.

I’d love to see something front and center that notices the school for its wonderful achievements (of which there are many), for its acceptance of a wide diversity of students and for the tolerance and acceptance that was truly shown to Jonathan.

Laura O’Rourke, Kennesaw

A Georgia Tech grad does the math for UGA

As a Georgia Tech grad, I have to admit that I have found the University of Georgia’s football game-induced trash problem a little amusing. However, I would like to commend UGA for trying to help out by adding more garbage containers, even though a letter writer questioned UGA’s efforts and math.

It seems perfectly reasonable for 97,000 fans to generate 70 tons of trash — frankly, I’m surprised it’s not more. If each attendee had three bottles of beer or soda at about 0.5 pound (empty weight) per bottle, you easily get to 70 tons. And as far as his assumption about 30 pounds per bin — a mere 30-gallon (3,840-ounce) trash can could hold around 80 to 100 pounds of 12-ounce glass bottles, especially if the fans used their seven hours of tailgating to stack them relatively neatly in the container. A new tailgating game perhaps.

Therefore, the 1,500 bins that UGA is putting out would hold 60 to 75 tons. If they used larger 55-gallon drums, which I assume they would, then they can easily contain their entire problem.

Mike Perlmutter, Tucker

Adjusting to college can be bumpy for students

Thanks to Maureen Downey for her helpful and honest article on adjusting to college. (“Get real about college,” Opinion, Oct. 12).

We bombard young people with images of a carefree, fun-filled college experience. When it doesn’t work out, students wonder what’s wrong with them.

I sent the article to my niece, who is finding her first few months at college to be hard.

She, too, felt like all her other friends were doing great and she was the only one struggling.

It is important to remind college freshmen that nothing comes easy and that it takes time to build a new life.

Marilyn Moore, Decatur