Editorial: Eighth grade girl shows system works

Monday, April 15, 2002 | 8:48 a.m.

The determination of a conscientious Boulder City eighth grader, Laurie Wolff, has led to a new Clark County School District policy on dissections in science classes. In sixth grade, the straight-A student received a C on a science assignment because she refused to slice an earthworm. Wolff realized she would have difficulty in the higher grades, where she figured dissection rules would be even more strict. So she gathered signatures, set up an information booth at a local pet store and made presentations to the School Board.

Her efforts paid off. Thursday the School Board ruled that students who have parental support may skip dissections in favor of alternative projects. Wolff has demonstrated an important lesson, both for her fellow students and the public at large. Our governing system, as bureaucratic and frustrating as it sometimes can be, nevertheless works for people with perseverance and a well-stated point of view. If an eighth grader can make a difference, so can the rest of us.

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