Susan Newby, Managing Editor
Letters to the Editor
The Southern Standard
105 College Street
McMinnville, TN 37110

Dear Editor:

Those of us accustomed to Warren County's exceptional
public schools sometimes forget that such optimal
conditions do not always prevail in other areas. As I
noticed the Tennessee Education Association's
advertisement which appeared in a recent Southern
Standard [Wednesday, December 10], I was reminded that
in some large metropolitan public school districts,
less than seven percent of the students (one out of
fourteen) graduate on time and with the required
number of credits. In many of these school systems,
incidents of crime and violence on campus may run as
high as twenty percent. This means that one out of
five students is a victim of crime or violence at some
time during the year in such schools. Eor some
students in these schools, having the choice to choose
which school they will attend can literally mean the
difference between life and death.
In fact, while recognizing the excellence of many
public school systems, statistics compiled and
released by the U.S. Department of Education reveal
that public schools on the average report over twice
as many cases of alcohol abuse and over four times as
many cases of drug abuse as in private schools.
Statistics relating to other problem areas are
similarly disheartening. (Those interested may obtain
this information from the National Center for
Education Statistics, Office of Educational Research
and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, 555 New
Jersey Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20208-5574.)

The recent interview with Superintendent Paz published
in the Southern Standard reveals that, while violence
may be more common in large urban schools, it can and
does occur anywhere. Perhaps the time has come to
admit that there are some serious problems with
America's public school system. Instead of wasting
time and energy in opposing other educational systems,
perhaps we should all work together for the betterment
of all schools and all students.
Yours most sincerely,
Walter J. Clark