Letter to the Editor

Owego Apalachin Schools  - S.O.S.

 It is my true intention to reach out to everyone in the community to express my thoughts about  issues relating to the Owego Apalachin Central School District. The problem is the Middle Years Program and the Primary Years Program. The Board of Education is failing to see that  there a broad based external conflict due to the program as well as  internal conflict. What it will take to show our Superintendent, our BOE and our Administrators the division that this has brought to our community and  within the school. I would not expect everyone to agree with my point of view on why this program is wrong and the corruption behind the organizations that back it. I  am impressed with the number of people in the community who are just as outraged as I am. This is too large to go unnoticed and I question everyday why there was no information put out in the open in the very beginning when they were looking into bringing the program in. Was our Superintendent aware of scrutiny the program is under in the United States and felt the need to sneak it in?  Why the rush?  Why not a open forum for everyone and a shared decision making committee to investigate the program thoroughly that involved teachers, parents etc?  Teachers weren't aware of it until it there was a quick rush to throw some teachers into training so they could hurry up and implement the program in the Fall of 2003. I am quite sure if they had let the community look into the program and given all of us adequate amount of time to decide they would have discovered and overwhelming response of  "NO" from the parents, teachers and tax payers. There certainly was no mention of our tax dollars being spent on a controversial philosophical program in last years budget. What about the articles that we are finding such as in the Washington Times that show how many  parents all over the United States  are fighting their schools to get this program out.. I have nothing against our  teachers and staff. I feel that our teachers have done a magnificent job educating our children for decades. By bringing in the additional and unnecessary Middle Years philosophy, Holistic Education, Homo Faber, "Best Practices", Interdisciplinary Units, Bridges, Reflection, Critical Thinking and Self Assessment etc. takes away from the true learning time our children should be utilizing. The Director General of the IB Program is quoted as saying that "Our schools need teachers who undermine traditions and that the development of attitudes and beliefs need to take place."  Based on whose attitudes and beliefs?  This is the IBO's philosophy. UNESCO's (U.N. and UNESCO backs the IBO) plan is to change schools from a traditional institution of learning to one oriented towards the changes of values and attitudes,  (The U.N. and UNESCO's values and attitudes) as a lifelong learning concept using their declaration of rights. My children are raised with my values and attitudes. The public school has no place instilling anything in my child except the ability to understand and perform well in traditional core subjects. (reading, writing, math, history, spelling, science etc.) I am sure there are others schools where you can enroll your child if you want your child to participate in a curriculum that advocates a global government, but there is no place for it here. The public school has now overstepped it's boundaries. I now see more interference rather than traditional teaching. I take comfort in knowing my children will no longer be attending the school and the fact that I have a choice in the matter is truly what makes me proud to be an American. I thank our Constitution for our  freedoms. 
Our Board, Superintendent and administrators will never fess up that sneaking this program in was a mistake. Cut the program!   All the money spent on application fees, expenses for teacher training and travel for this program is money wasted and is a fraud. It's a fraud to our children and to the rest of us who never knew anything about it until it was already served to us. The board meeting on May 27 sent a message loud and clear. One man clearly stated that after all of the complaints that were raised, "If you don't get it now, you're never going to get it."  How many parents need to complain that they want the Middle Years Program out?  How many parents need to be told "you're the first ones to complain?" These incidents can no longer be isolated. This mistake has caused a serious division in the community and in the school to include children. If you are a parent who is outraged with the Middle Years Program and agree that it should be removed along with all of the IB's components, I urge you to e-mail me at fight4thekids@hotmail.com to sign our formal petition. You can also correspond to me at PO Box 382 Apalachin NY 13732. You must educate yourself about the issues. It is our right to be informed, to ask questions and to make it clear that we have a choice.
Sandy Williams - Apalachin NY