Confused values at schools

Military good; community-based self-help projects bad. That was the message our family received recently from Spokane Public Schools.

On May 8, our son spent an entire English class listening to a U.S. Navy recruiter espouse the benefits of a military career; not a single reference to Greek literature, or modern playwrights, or anything to do with the subject at hand.

The next day, I was told by the Spokane school district superintendent’s office that it was unacceptable to send home to student families at Audubon, Holmes and Glover schools fliers announcing a neighborhoodwide event to promote personal and neighborhood self-resiliency, like growing your own food, learning to scratch cook, building a compost bin, weatherizing your home or capturing rainwater (the West Central Convergence).

As a parent and taxpayer, I am confused at our district’s sense of values and mission when lower-income kids are tracked into military service and not afforded the opportunity to learn practical and engaging life skills in an experiential setting.

No wonder 40 percent of our youth are dropping out.

Pat Malone

Spokane