Is It Educational Micromanagement Or Something Else?

The National School Boards Association has its very own weblog called "BoardBuzz." Friday's (March 25) posting is telling us that the Georgia state school board is giving serious consideration to mandating that all students wishing to join any sort of high school club will need to have a signed parent permission slip.

The 'Buzz doesn't have a problem with the slips per se. What the NSBA doesn't like is the fact that the mandate is coming from the state bureaucracy, thus usurping (once again) a prerogative that had traditionally belonged to locally elected governing boards.

This issue has even drawn the attention of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, whose coverage can be viewed here. The A.J.C.'s take on the matter is that the policy is being implemented as a method of applying pressure on students that wish to join gay-oriented clubs, even though the proposed policy doesn't single-out any specific type of club.

Not surprisingly, teachers and principals are resentful about all the additional record-keeping and potential public-relations difficulties.

The proposal is scheduled for a vote in April. -------------------------An Invitation: All writers and readers of education-related posts are invited to contribute to the eighth edition of The Carnival of Education. Please send your submissions to: owlshome [at] earthlink [dot] net. We should receive your contributions no later than 10:00 PM (Pacific) Tuesday, March 29, 2005. The Carnival midway will open here at the 'Wonks Wednesday morning. Get additional details about The Carnival here.

For the latest edition of The Carnival Of Education, (published 3/23, at Jenny D's) please click here.

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