Public School

The Public School system in the United States was founded on the principle that no child should be left without an education because his or her parents cannot afford to pay for it. Before the Public School system was set in place, children were educated at home by parents or private tutors. This practice left many children whose parents were uneducated without a chance of becoming educated or acquiring the means of paying for their own education. Although many children became proficient in farming or in their parents’ trades, they often lacked basic skills in reading, writing and arithmetic. One of the burning issues today in public schools is bullying. Teachers and parents need to come together to figure out a plan of bullying prevention to help our children learn.

Every Public school is funded by state taxes from residents, whether they send their children to public school or not. Many parents who send their children to private schools find this unfair, but proponents of the public school system feel that those parents who can afford to take their children out of the public schools can afford to invest some money to support those who have no other option. Because of the constitutional separation of church and state, public schools are not allowed to have religious affiliation. This has made school prayer a hot issue in recent years. One compromise solution, that there should be a moment of silence during the school day, was offered by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn.

The Public school system became the arena where conflict over segregation was played out in the 1950s, and public school continues to be a perennial source of election year controversies. A current public school issue up for debate whether or not to use school vouchers that will enable students to attend any school, even a private school, if he or she chooses. Critics of this policy say that school vouchers will weaken the public school system, and public schools certain areas will become increasingly deprived by the departure of their best students.

---