So Ray Abril Jr. High School won't win any awards for creativity. Is the name really so bad that parents have to blackmail their school to get it changed?
A majority of parents in the Colton Joint Unified School District voted for the school board to name its new high school "Grand Terrace," but when the school board picked the name of a former school trustee (Abril) instead, they decided they'd boycott a state-mandated test to show their displeasure.
Is that really necessary?
The boycott is expected to earn the school district penalties from the state, which requires the Star tests be administered to at least eighty-five percent of the school population in accordance with the No Child Left Untested, er, Behind, act.
Parents say they're trying to send the school district a message - one parent's direct quote in the Contra Costa Times: "If you won't listen to our opinion about the name of the high school, then you don't get the benefit of our test scores."
Because this is going to make or break your kids' future? I'm all for protesting standardized testing. A number of studies have proven the tests may actually hamper learning, encouraging teachers and students to rely on rote memorization. They're also particularly bad for minority students. These parents, however, aren't complaining about the tests themselves. They're just using them to show they have more power than the board. Said one mom, "If you change the name, if you listen to us, then we will let our children take the test."
Um, that's called blackmail where I come from.
This is the name of a school building. A name that, despite the vote, doesn't HAVE TO be put up for vote in most places. Our local district merged in 1999, and I didn't have a say in what they named the new district. Trust me, I sleep just fine at night. I'd probably sleep better knowing my kid wouldn't be entering the building in a year and a half ready to face standardized tests, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
Granted, I don't know much about Ray Abril Jr. He might be a bit of a jerk (although many comments on this news story would note to the contrary). But he's also not Stalin or Hitler. And it's JUST A NAME.
Anyone else think the kids and parents are reversed here?
Image: SB Sun (Colton Unified School)
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