None of thier business

[jshuberg]

Gun violence is a public health issue

But gun ownership is not. By asking the question, they are implicitly associating the two, which we should all find highly offensive.

Evidence shows that most terrorists practice a particular religion. Should religion then be considered a public health issue?

[sansooshooter]

A big problem with public education today is to many parents are intimidated into silence.

I disagree. I think that a much bigger problem is that parents are either apathetic to their children's education, or they are overtly antagonistic toward the way their kids are being taught. The number of parents formally complaining about the volume of homework their kids get is particularly distressing.

I rarely had homework in grade school. What do they do all day that math and English have 5 pages of homework every night.
Yes I am openly hostile to a lot of the community group think that passes for education.

[yukonjasper]

Unless you are willing to go to the mat and push your point beyond just checking or not checking a box, I'd anticipate the answer they want to see and answer accordingly. I don't know if there are any legal consequences to falsifying a school questionaire, but I would doubt it. I wouldn't think it worth my time to try to single handedly take on the "establishment" so I can say I took a stand - what difference will it make other than put you on a list somewhere. There are some battles worth fighting and some not.

The time and effort should be spent understanding the institution that thinks they need that information and the social engineering consequences of them having that information. Then penetrate that institution by getting yourself and others who believe how you do on the school board or whatever mechanism they have to form policy and start to question and make change from within. That is how they did it and it worked well. Problem is that your success will be directly proportional to the amount of time and effort you put into your pursuit. One letter will get pretty much nothing - another Right Wing nut job - letter to childs permanent record to show pathalogical non-compliance and Authority "issues".

Unless your willing to organize and fight the root causes, you'll be throwing yourself at the Machine that has already anticipated your view and will dismis it.

[Hmac]

A big problem with public education today is to many parents are intimidated into silence.

I disagree. I think that a much bigger problem is that parents are either apathetic to their children's education, or they are overtly antagonistic toward the way their kids are being taught. The number of parents formally complaining about the volume of homework their kids get is particularly distressing.

I rarely had homework in grade school. What do they do all day that math and English have 5 pages of homework every night.
Yes I am openly hostile to a lot of the community group think that passes for education.

I had LOT'S of homework growing up. And my parents were always there to make sure that I did it and to help me if I needed it. Now, parents often don't do that. Instead, they lodge a complaint against the teachers or administration because they think their children are working too hard. The same group of parents that also complain if their child gets the "C" that they deserve instead of the "A" that the hardworking students are earning.

[Hmac]

Gun violence is a public health issue

But gun ownership is not. By asking the question, they are implicitly associating the two, which we should all find highly offensive.

Evidence shows that most terrorists practice a particular religion. Should religion then be considered a public health issue?

Maybe that's a rhetorical question? I get the impression that you're asking me that question because you expect me to defend that particular school's questionnaire. I could be wrong about that, though.

[sansooshooter]

Hmac are you an education employee?

[bensdad]

I see little, or no, intimidation on the part of the parents by public education.

I was a public school teacher for thirteen years. There is almost no way I could DISAGREE with this statement any more. School districts make a practice of intimidating parents. In fact, I attended a seminar that included a session on how to do it (with regard to special education meetings). If you want to argue the point we might want to start a new thread, but I couldn't let it stand here w/o a challenge.

Answer "no" to the questions. You're right... it's none of their business. Folks who recognize this as the intrusion that it is, should run for schoolboard. I would do that here, but I've been on a schoolboard before, and I get too fired up.

[Glenn_S]

A perfect time to bring this to the ACLU. Let their lawyers fight the battle. We need to use the tools available to us, just like the opposition.

[XDM45]

Gun violence is a public health issue,

A gun is never violent and would never hurt anyone by itself. People are violent, not guns. If someone bashes another person's skull in with a hammer, is that Hammer Violence? I don't mean to nitpick, bug "Gun Violence" is a tool used by the AGers just like "Assault Weapon" and "High Capacity Magazine" are. You need to be vigilant and not let those terms creep into your thoughts and language use. How can "Gun Violence" be a mental health issue? Does a gun have a mental state? Are there guns charged for being criminally insane? Do guns go to counseling? I disagree with "Gun violence is a public health issue", but I will agree with "Violence is a public health issue".

As always, blame the person, not the gun. This is a people issue, not a gun issue.

Now.......as for the schools asking those questions:

1) Not their business.
2) If you write "No" and little Suzy narcs you out, what happens to you? Are you then a "bad mommy or daddy" for lying to the "authorities"? Should/could you lose your child since it's now "unsafe" in the home and you're a liar that can't be trusted?
3) Yet another reason government needs to stay out of our lives.
4) Yet another reason not to have kids.

[Hmac]

Hmac are you an education employee?

No, not even peripherally.

Nor am I in favor of schools in any way getting involved in public health issues. I think that a school district asking such questions is silly and I wouldn't answer them either. As I've already recommended.

[7808]

i wonder what happens if you return that paper after i trip to the range with it, couple cig burns and liquor stains, with all boxes checked no

[Snakeman721]

Don't answer yes or no. Just cross through the questions and write "These questions are an invasion of my privacy protected under the 4th and 5th amendments"....or something to that effect. You could also just write N/A to each question (non-applicable).

[tluchsinger]

my response is none of you business....go back and read the constitution

[tluchsinger]

isn't there some thing in the Constitution about self incrimination

[exarkun]

Send your own questionnaire in response, asking the same types of questions of the teacher that will be spending the majority of the day with your child...