Letter: District fails to tackle problem of transiency

Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2004 | 8:57 a.m.

As a 27-year teacher with the Clark County School District and concerned parent of two children who've attended Clark County schools, I am bewildered why our district leadership and policymakers have not taken measures to address the daily burden caused by student transiency.

Ask any teacher, student or school office personnel what is the biggest interruption to their classroom instruction, or obstacle to efficiently operating our school offices, and chances are they'll say the constant, daily movement of students enrolling and withdrawing.

This out-of-control pattern wreaks havoc amongst our already overburdened schools, staffs and stable student bodies. The paperwork nightmare of constantly withdrawing, transferring and enrolling this daily parade of students has put many office staffs over the edge. Our children and their teachers struggle to rebalance and reorganize classrooms on a daily basis.

Our district policymakers have chosen, for reasons of their own, to not provide measures that would help ensure an uninterrupted education. Yet teachers and schools are held accountable for providing our children with skills needed to test competently on exams.

One idea would be to limit enrollment to one day a week. I believe a survey of those working and attending our local schools would show overwhelming support for such a policy.

This may not be the entire solution, but it would be a good start.

BART BOULTON