Correct or Incorrect Ruling In Your Opinion

[wmw999 2,584]

The ruling should be based on the law, and not what the people really meant, really want, or really should have.

Even the RedStates site agreed that the ruling is based on the law. The recourse in that situation is to elect officials who will change the law. In Kansas, the board rewrote the definition of science, so that it is no longer limited to the search for natural explanations of phenomena (from the Guardian)

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[ReBirth 0]

Huh?

[rushmc 23]

Huh?

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[ReBirth 0]

You're missing a bunch of prepositions or something. I can't figure out what your hypothetical is asking.

[Lindsey 0]

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I think that those types of questions for children of this age ARE damaging. There definitely are kindergarten children for whom these questions may have been appropriate, but it's sad that they've been exposed at such a young age to subjects that aren't appropriate for them. That doesn't mean that the rest of the children, whose parents are thoughtful about their upbringing, should have these issues dumped on them. There is no justification, imho

Why? Humans are sexual beings from the moment they are born. Babies get erections, young children play doctor exploring feelings and questions they have...it is a pretty natural process. Unfortunately, it is one adults are generally not comfortbale with.

Why do I think it's harmful? First because this is many children's first discussion about sexuality. It's in the form of a questionnaire that seems to put a pretty negative spin on human sexuality. "Feel Dirty?" "Think about having sex when I don't want to?" "Touch myself too much?" That is not the way to introduce discussions of sexuality to young children. Then....after they introduced sexuality in a pretty negative way to these kiddos, was there anyone trained (a counselor or child psychotherapist) to help children process what they'd just been asked about? OR did they just send them on their way?

Discussions with children about sexuality can be done appropriately. But sexuality in itself can be complex. Addressing sexuality with young children as an issue of sexual abuse muddies the boundaries quite a bit. Young children think in very concrete terms, and the ability to abstract doesn't come until they near adolescence. They are not developmentally prepared for the situations that they have just been thrust into.

I have a problem with educators, who should have a good understanding of children's developmental and psychosocial needs, dropping this on children in what seems to be a very deceptive way. That, also is harmful.

--
A conservative is just a liberal who's been mugged. A liberal is just a conservative who's been to jail

[wmw999 2,584]

I think the problem is that even if chartreuse is a REALLY UGLY color, if someone wears a chartreuse dress to a pants-only night club, you have to eject them because they're wearing a dress, and not because it's that REALLY UGLY chartreuse that no one likes.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[rushmc 23]

Sorry, I am a poor typist My brain and fingers stay together very well.

.....and I am sure some would say they know why!

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[bodypilot90 0]

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Good ruling.

how many kids do you have?

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If a parent doesn't want their child hearing what a public school will teach them, they have the option of private school or homeschool

How could they know based on facts they were given?

School vouchers could solve all this, giving poor kids the chance to go to better privet schools that are more in touch with the parents.

[GTAVercetti 0]

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How could they know based on facts they were given?

You are arguing the wrong thing. They did not sue for being misinformed. They sued because they did not want schools to give ANY sex education information.

Point of fact: The school dropped the survey over complaints from parents. The parents soldiered on with a fight, even when the spurning issue was resolved.

Yes, the misinformation was the catalyst and was, in my opinion, stupid of the board to do, but the parents went and sued not over that but of the general idea of sex education....and got burned when the court upheld the law.

Sucks to be them, but they fought the wrong fight. Hell, they fought the RIGHT fight, won, and then started ANOTHER fight.

Why yes, my license number is a palindrome. Thank you for noticing.

[SudsyFist 0]

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Good ruling.

how many kids do you have?

What does that have to do with whether a court ruling is good or bad? The court does not have a responsbility to protect people from other people's fuckups; they are responsible for interpreting law.

They did so in this case, which happened to be pretty much a no-brainer from the legal perspective.

Why are you still griping? I understand (and concur) with your being upset about the way the survey was conducted (and its content), but I can't for the life of me figure out why you're still pointing your finger at the court of all places.

[Lindsey 0]

I do agree with that.

linz

--
A conservative is just a liberal who's been mugged. A liberal is just a conservative who's been to jail

[SkyDekker 1,465]

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Why do I think it's harmful? First because this is many children's first discussion about sexuality.

Right, it is their first discussion about it...not their first experience with it. Kids experience sexuality from birth. hence, it isn't too early for the kdis to deal with it, it almost seems to early for the parents to deal with it....

[rehmwa 2]

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Point of fact: The school dropped the survey over complaints from parents. The parents soldiered on with a fight, even when the spurning issue was resolved.

This part clarifies it a bit for me. Parents were looking for an excuse to push their particular agenda. No better than that guy with the hard on for the pledge of allegiance.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[bodypilot90 0]

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What does that have to do with whether a court ruling is good or bad?

trying to understand her perspective is all.

[Lindsey 0]

Just because parents don't choose to begin discussions about sexuality at a young age doesn't make this introduction the right first discussion of sexuality. It's a horrible introduction, in my honest opinion.

Sure children are sexual beings, and I didn't say or mean to imply that I thought this was a first experience with sexuality. It's not too early to deal with the issue of sexuality....it's just too early to deal with it in the manner that it's been presented.

linz

--
A conservative is just a liberal who's been mugged. A liberal is just a conservative who's been to jail

[Nightingale 0]

Turn it around and my opinion would be the same. The ruling was good. The parents elect the school board. They have their voice that way.

[Nightingale 0]

Actually, vouchers probably wouldn't do much.

Reasons:

given the proposed amount, vouchers wouldn't cover the entire cost of tuition.

there aren't many private schools within walking distance from very poor areas, and many poor don't have access to personal transportation.

So, even if school vouchers were approved, there would still be the problem of covering the rest of the cost, and actually getting the kid to the school.

If parents don't like what's being taught in schools, vote out the school board, try to make arrangements for a private school, or look into a home-school network. The government has an obligation to offer free education to every child. There is no requirement to accept the offer.

And I don't have kids...yet (however, that doesn't make my opinion about the legal aspects of the case or knowledge of the way schools and the educational system are set up any more or less valid). I was speaking from the perspective of a law student and former educator who has studied private schools, the educational system, and educational theory and methodology.

When I do have kids, I will want the public school to provide sex-ed, because even if I educate my child (and I will), I would want his/her peers to have at least basic knowledge. I will vote for school boards who will require sex-ed. Should the elected school board fail to provide sex-ed, I will, as a parent, make sure my kids get the education in other ways, either by educating them myself or sending them to a private school that I have researched extensively.