Lower Standards Fail the Students

* While it is often futile to question the proclamations of any district school board, one must surely question the wisdom of the recent Huntington Beach Union High School District Board of Education proposal to partially waive second language arts and computer competency requirements for graduating students.

While the current fiscal environment causes belt-tightening at all levels, we must certainly question how low we are willing to reduce minimal achievement goals.

As our economy becomes more multinational, multilingual, multicultural, and technologically dependent, we must ask ourselves how well our educational system is preparing students for the employment needs of the 21st Century. I suggest that cutting second language and technological competency requirements is not in the best interest of our students.

If this action does becomes finalized the board might consider replacing the lost requirements with a job training program that will meet the needs of the employment opportunities to which students will be suited. A short course demonstrating the proper ways to wear a funny hat and correctly state “Do you want fries with that?” might better equip graduates with the job skills the board’s proposals are preparing them for.

Good luck, Class of 2000.

CHRISTOPHER A. BRADY

Corona del Mar