I really feel sorry for the Ballou High School students who work very hard to graduate on time. Now because of this scandal, all of their hard work and their diplomas are tainted. I’m sure some who graduated didn’t deserve to, but with one broad swipe, all those who attended classes and worked so hard to fulfill their requirements are left to defend the work they did. Who do we blame? I will tell you who to blame: us, the parents. Yes, parents, we have to shoulder most of the blame. Just because we may have had a bad experience in school doesn’t mean our children will experience the same thing. We have to make sure our children are ready to go to school and that they actually go to school. Schools cannot raise our children for us! Next, I blame D.C. government for continuing the so-called union busting tactics of Adrian Fenty and Michelle Rhee of tying teacher evaluation to student achievement. That is definitely a recipe for disaster, the kind of disaster we now see being played out at Ballou High School.
James Holland
Washington, D.C.
Informer Outdoes Itself
Exceptional issue, that’s all I can say about your Nov. 30, 2017, edition of The Washington Informer, exceptional. The kind of coverage you provide to some of the very important issues concerning Blacks, not only in and around the Washington, D.C., area but also around the world, is exceptional. I know you and your staff feel you are only doing your jobs of putting out a newspaper, but for some of us in the community we see The Informer as a very valuable link to what is happening around us, which is presented to us in a very high-quality, thought-provoking manner. Thanks for all you do, and please continue your good service.
Janice Shell
Washington, D.C.