Dear Bonnie " Since you asked the question, "Who are you to have such strong viewpoints regarding decisions parents make in this community about their own children." I have a response.

First, I have no anger to your decision and you have a right to your opinions. School has always been a time for children to learn new things and have new ideas presented to them. It is this interchange of ideas that is the core to the learning experience. Meeting new people and realizing that people are different from you is critical to developing a well rounded child. I have no problems with my child being exposed to liberals and conservatives. I have no problem with them being exposed to different religions and religious beliefs. This is critical to their understanding of the world and their ability to figure out not only what is right for them, but WHY it is right for them. My job as a parent is to guide them through the process, not to indoctrinate them into my own belief system.

So why is this opt-out discussion so absurd? Simply put, if we allow students to start opting-out of things because their parents don't approve, where does it end? What if someone doesn't want their child to attend class with a child of another race or religion because they are concerned that their child will become Muslim or be influenced by another race? What happens when a parent or child in high school doesn't want to take a class with a gay person for fear of becoming gay? What happens when a parent disagrees with the political bent of a teacher? Should I or any other parent for that matter, have the option to opt-out of their class?

If we allow you to have your way, you can expect your taxes to rise dramatically. Schools will have to hire more teachers, not to better educate their kids or to reduce class size, but to make sure that every child is in the right class according to their parents' religious, moral, and political beliefs. So are you willing to double your property taxes? Heck, if you don't like it, pull your kids out of the public school system and send them wherever you wish. That's the great thing about America. You CAN choose to send your kids to a school that is in line with your political beliefs. But so long as your kids are in a public school, you are going to have to learn to deal with people and beliefs that don't always coincide with your own.

You DO NOT have the final say in what your children are exposed to. You can NEVER control all of the outside influences. Whether it is political opinions, or drugs and alcohol at the high school level, the only thing you can control is teaching your child to make good choices. Your effort to limit their exposure, will do nothing but create another narcissistic child who thinks the world is all about them.

John Martin
2930 Crown Pointe Dr.
Stow, OH 44224
(330) 631-5827