LETTER: Op-ed on Clark County School District’s problems was right on

Bill Hanlon’s Sunday column hit the nail on the head regarding what needs to happen at the Clark County School District (“Make learning the priority: School district officials preoccupied with everything but achievement”). While I agree 100 percent with his priorities, I question the reality of the current school board members and Superintendent Jesus Jara working together to immediately change things within the district.

Take the new grading standards. Didn’t Mr. Jara implement with them with board approval? This policy needs to change starting with the next semester.

Unacceptable classroom and school grounds behavior is another area Mr. Jara — with board approval — “dumbed down” giving “more chances” and less suspensions to offenders. Why, you ask? To make the discipline numbers “look” better. Explain to me, Mr. Jara and school board members, why you determined it is acceptable to allow disruptive students back in the classroom over and over rather than placing them in what used to be called reform school? And why do you insist on everyone moving to the next grade level when teachers can clearly identify students needing to repeat a grade? Isn’t this policy a prescription for long-term harm to the student?

Lastly, the one thing that ties these things all together is making students accountable for their actions (behavior, homework completed on time, tests taken once, to name just a few) with resulting consequences. In the current atmosphere, accountability does not exist.

Maybe I’m off base. However, I fail to see how we can expect the same “leaders” who for years and years created the problems to now have the ability and experience to immediately and effectively turn things around at the district.