SAUSD students and parents, as well as teachers and administrators are in an uproar over an ill-advised cost-cutting measure adapted by the SAUSD, apparently on the sly.
As of this year, SAUSD schools are not stocking extra “class sets” of textbooks in the classrooms. Instead students are now required to carry their textbooks to and from school everyday without the opportunity of leaving them in lockers nor in the classroom. The total weight of carrying some of these textbooks can exceed 25 pounds. These books can contain over 400 pages each and the health issues related to students carrying these textbooks are immense.
“Over 92% of children in the United States carry backpacks that are typically loaded with 10% to 22% of their body weight,” write the researchers. “Thirty-seven percent of children aged 11 to 14 years report back pain, the majority of whom attribute the pain to wearing a school backpack,” according to WebMD.
Moreover, not having class sets takes away from the teacher’s ability to teach in the classroom as many students may forget to bring their textbooks or simply refuse because of the great inconvenience. Many students walk to school and simply carrying this weight is irresponsible, impractical and irrational. Students are going to school to learn not to see who can gain the most strength by the end of the school year from carrying the textbooks.
Aside from the health issues regarding carrying these books back and forth, and taking away from teachers instructional abilities, the wear and tear from carrying these books has been dramatically increased.
I am told that some of the SAUSD Trustees had no idea that this new policy had been put in place. Roman Reyna, in particular, is most upset. There is an SAUSD School Board meeting coming up next week. A group of parents, students and educators plans to address the SAUSD School Board. They have even launched a Facebook page, that you can see by clicking here.
This policy was adopted by the SAUSD Cabinet! School Board members aren’t even aware of the situation!
I urge everyone to support the cause, by joining the Facebook page!
Reason why the books are heavy is because they contain lot of liberal, leftist and homosexual crapola.
Get your kids one of those backpacks with the wheels and extending handel.
Sure cook,
How about walker.
OMG…the over served having to carry ACTUAL books, instead of HO HOS and Mountain DEW!!!!!!!!
Good, the kids are FAT and they need the exercise….Make the parents (especially the mothers) do some heavy lifting too….. lol Sorry, for the first time I feel like I’m being a brat to the Mexican people, but christ do you all need it!
Well maybe you have something there about carrying book to school.
I did when I went to school, and now I am old, so it must be a fact, that carrying books to school makes you old. I also heard another rumor, if you don’t graduate high school, you never age past 18. What a fool I was to fall for the education scam.
I have solved the problem at least for my own students. One of our textbooks was made of such poor quality that they were literally falling apart after one year’s use. When they can no longer be used, they are to be discarded. I took all of the discarded books and use them as a class set. The bindings are broken and some have no cover any longer but my students don’t have to carry at least one textbook to and from school. The district should realize that the existing books can be saved a lot of wear and tear by having class sets for the teachers. In the long run, replacing books that become so damaged from constantly being put in lockers, in and out of backpacks and to and from school everyday is more expensive than having class sets.
I also can’t see what has changed. Teachers have never had class sets to my knowledge. It would be a good thing but at least for my school, it isn’t any different than the last 10 years without class sets.
Why not invest in E-Books like much of the nation?
Because we don’t have the technology or the money. Textbooks in any form still cost money and the added cost of the technology to support e-books isn’t small. The technology also has to be supported and purchased again and again as it wears out. It may be the answer for the future but it is not the answer right now.
Is this Thelma’s idea? I guess it doesn’t matter, she’s just as bad as Obama! Always doing before thinking. Hey Juan Lopez, why don’t you reduce your salary so we can buy books for the classroom. Thelma, here’s an idea, follow the lead of the Superintendent of Fresno and give up your salary for the sake of the students as well. God what’s next?
This policy was implemented prior to the new Superintendent’s start date. If you want to thank someone, it would be Cathy Olsky and Dawn Miller.
Shame on Cathy Olsky and Dawn Miller! Heads on a stick as John and Ken would say on KFI640!