by James C. Sherlock
We like to think of ourselves as civilized people.
Virginia and America are at an advanced stage of social and cultural development.
Aren’t we?
For the children of Petersburg, we are not. We continue to let them quite publicly and measurably be cheated of their futures by their public schools.
Queue the excuses for bad schools. Whatever list you can come up with, it’s not good enough. We are not civilized if we, as a state, continue to let it happen to children with no other option.
Virginia is unique in that our state constitution explicitly gives local school divisions control of their schools.
Virginia passed a law in 2013 that created a body to take over schools failing to receive accreditation or what is now accreditation with conditions for three consecutive years. It was found unconstitutional.
I don’t know why the constitution was written without some provision for dealing with failed schools and school divisions after long-term failure.
But it was, and it was a mistake. We need to change the constitution to give the children of Petersburg and in other failing schools a chance in life.
That goal is, and must be, worth the effort it will take to accomplish it. Continue reading →