Letter: Schools rewarding poor performance

Sunday, Feb. 9, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

This year, at Chaparral High School, because of the decision made last year, no World History Honors class is offered as an early-bird course. Yet, it seems that the School District has been able to scrounge up enough money to offer several after school classes for students who are not going to graduate because they are credit deficient.

For the rest of us: the students who are striving for success; the students who are passing their classes the first time they take them; the straight A students; the Honors students; the AP students; a fee is required to be paid during the summer in order to take classes such as the World History Honors class if we wish to free up more elective space during the course of the regular school year. In the meantime, those students who have either failed a class or had to drop it during the course of the year due to excessive absences (ditching?) have these after school classes readily accessible to them at no cost. Ridiculous.

It is in my opinion that the academically achieving students should have these extra funds set aside for them in order to obtain a more fulfilling education, and that those students who sat in a classroom for 180 days to do nothing more than keep the seat warm for its next occupant should be the ones paying the money during the summer to play catch-up.

Joseph Baker joseph80@ix.netcom.com http://www.geocities.com/Athens/3594/index.html