WSFA.com: News Weather and Sports for Montgomery, AL.Editorial: School Data

Editorial: School Data

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By Collin Gaston - bio | email

  • Editorials

  • Friday, May 18 2012 7:20 PM EDT2012-05-18 23:20:53 GMT
    If you text and drive it's a matter of WHEN and not IF you will be involved in an accident. The odds are stacked against you when your eyes and hands are more focused on your cell phone than they are
    If you text and drive it's a matter of WHEN and not IF you will be involved in an accident.  The odds are stacked against you when your eyes and hands are more focused on your cell phone than they are the other motorists on the roadways.

  • Tuesday, May 15 2012 7:20 PM EDT2012-05-15 23:20:31 GMT
    On our editorial suggesting that the governor raise taxes to fund Medicaid, we received these comments: "If the budget is passed at this severely cut rate, the shortage of physicians, hospitals, and clinics
    On our editorial suggesting that the governor raise taxes to fund Medicaid, we received these comments:

  • Tuesday, May 1 2012 7:20 PM EDT2012-05-01 23:20:35 GMT
    If your commute includes I-85 in the mornings I'm sure you've noticed men alongside the roadways picking up trash and road debris and thought to yourself "who would want to do that?"
    If your commute includes I-85 in the mornings I'm sure you've noticed men alongside the roadways picking up trash and road debris and thought to yourself "who would want to do that?"

  • Friday, April 20 2012 7:20 PM EDT2012-04-20 23:20:42 GMT
    For the next sixty seconds I want you to give yourself permission to push pause on whatever you are doing and listen and reflect for a moment. I did this recently after reading an article titled "Top five

  • Wednesday, April 18 2012 7:27 PM EDT2012-04-18 23:27:31 GMT
    Representative Christopher John England (Tuscaloosa) has sponsored a bill in the Alabama legislature that would allow convicted felons of drug crimes to receive food stamps under certain circumstances.
MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) -

The U.S. Justice Department, which is among the groups suing Alabama over its new immigration law, recently sent letters to school superintendents in our state, asking for information about student enrollment.

The department says it's concerned that Alabama's new law "may chill or discourage" young people from taking part in public education. Each school district was asked to submit nine sets of data, including a list of enrolled students and a list of students who have withdrawn from school since the start of the academic year – around the time the immigration law took effect.

Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange does not agree with the U.S. Justice Department's authority to compel this information and has shared his opinion with state education officials.

How unfortunate that our public school system which is currently strained while operating with budget reductions, early teacher retirements and aging facilities is now put in the middle of this constitutional tug of war. 

This issue needs to be debated in the courtroom and not the classroom as our schools have all they can handle right now.

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