Dive Summary:
- In a post on the Utah State Senate blog Friday, state Sen. Aaron Osmond argued that the state should do away with compulsory education laws because they have resulted in some parents shifting the responsibility to educate and care for their children solely onto schools, which have struggled as a result.
- Osmond wrote that public school teachers no longer receive meaningful support from parents, and parents become frustrated when their children's individual needs aren't met, later telling the Deseret News that the public needs to shift its mindset to viewing learning as an opportunity and not an obligation.
- While Utah School Board member Leslie Castle said she agreed that schools were burdened by additional responsibilities like daily nutrition, basic health screenings and behavioral counseling, a diverse population makes those services necessary and compulsory education often helps teachers and educators uncover evidence of issues like abuse or malnutrition.
From the article:
... "Some parents act as if the responsibility to educate, and even care for their child, is primarily the responsibility of the public school system," Osmond wrote. "As a result, our teachers and schools have been forced to become surrogate parents, expected to do everything from behavioral counseling, to providing adequate nutrition, to teaching sex education, as well as ensuring full college and career readiness." ...
