Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor (January 13, 2006)

Stop the senior project

Editor,

We encourage parents of students attending Pleasanton middle schools and elementary schools to make every effort to attend the next school board meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. The agenda includes a presentation about a new mandatory high school graduation requirement that will affect your children, and all those who graduate from Pleasanton schools in the year 2010 (current eighth graders) and thereafter.

The school board passed the new graduation policy in 2003, with plans to implement it with the graduation class of 2007. Last June, the parent community of current high school students learned about the proposed Senior Project requirement, and, after a series of well attended and vocal meetings, the board voted to defer the requirement until 2010.

The school board mandated this new requirement with no input from the Pleasanton parent community, despite Board Policy #1250, which clearly states, "The Board of Trustees recognizes that a pupil's education is a responsibility shared by school and family during the entire period the pupil spends in school. To support our mission to educate all students effectively, schools and parents must work as knowledgeable partners."

This is your opportunity to become a knowledgeable partner in your child's education. Please join many other parents who plan to attend the Jan. 17 meeting to learn more about your child's high school graduation requirements. Debi Allen, Cherie Stueve, Sandy and Rick Briggs, Renee and Drew Roberts, Carolyn and Tom Wagner and others Foothill rocks!

Editor,

We congratulate the Foothill Marching Band on their stellar and gutsy performance at the Rose Bowl Parade Jan. 2. They played and marched wonderfully--despite their position of being the 86th unit of 99--in the pouring rain, to a drenched spectator crowd (by the way, some of the marching units ducked out early on, right after the reviewing TV stand, before the main crowd, and did not complete the parade route).

We know, we were there, soaked to the skin and we were proud of our city's representation by Foothill. Howard and Emilie Seebach Pleasanton

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