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The following is a letter to the editor of Santa Cruz Sentinel in response to "Crossing the line crosses the line"
The Aptos High School faculty and site council break the law, violating the families of 300 Aptos children, and it's OK for them to just say "it was an oversight"? ("Crossing the line crosses the line" Santa Cruz Sentinel April 12, 2002). Even if this and similar violations don't result in law suits, at least the "Sentinel" article gives us the opportunity to ask what the schools are doing to our children behind our backs -- and whether we as parents want to blindly allow it to continue.
The Breaking Down the Walls program seems to be a strong case proving that we are willingly allowing a government-mandated educational system to co-opt authority over our children. This "edgy" (emotionally abusive) program uses powerful behavior control techniques and peer pressure to make your developing child question his or her individual worth and values, then seek for esteem among a collective according to the values of an anonymous organization. In short, your child's will and your parenting are the walls the program seeks to break down.
The mission statement of Aptos High School makes it clear that social and environmental indoctrination are among the school's key objectives; so, we shouldn't be surprised at Breaking Down the Wills, the degree of secrecy under which it continues to operate, and the continuing educational decay on the campus. But, it seems like it's past time for Aptos parents to wake up, pay attention, and help Aptos High School redirect its mission to education and academics.
About the author: Brent Duncan, MaOM, teaches Organizational Behavior and management courses at the University of Phoenix School of Business and Management.
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