Putting Parents in Jail  

Shocking?  No.  The story in this issue’s “Flashback Quarterback” should be read first.  This is real.  

There are a number of issues which arise:  

·        why, after many notifications, parents would not immunize their children?  Would this amount to child neglect or endangerment?

·        should parents be threatened with jail for not attending to such a simple activity as an immunization of a child?

·        how important is immunization against chicken pox?  Is immunization important to the child?  Or important to a school district trying to avoid absences, so that it collect its state money for average daily attendance?

·        to which extent should a school district be held accountable for failing to update records and wasting the time of parents whose children have been vaccinated?

·        what does this ongoing incident say about the relationship between parents and pedagogues? About the fitness of parents to parent?

·        what does this ongoing incident say about thinking outside the box?  Might it have cost less to send nurses to homes to give vaccinations?

·        should parents who have immunized their children have a say as to what to do about parents who have not immunized their children?  

The ongoing incident is fascinating—and worrisome—as to what it says about a community and its local government.  

If you answer the multiple-choice questions below and e-mail to lessonanswers@mymontebello.com with “Lesson answers” in the subject field, you will be credited toward a “certificate of recognition in community affairs” to be awarded in 2007 by a local nonprofit organization.  

1. As to a parent’s failure or refusal to vaccinate a child, which should be the first question asked?

(a) Does the school district make it difficult to get a vaccination?

(b) Does the parent have a good reason for not vaccinating the child, a reason which is stronger than any reason to vaccinate the child?  

2. Which question should be asked for which there are no answers in the story in “Flashback Quarterback” below?

(a) Is there not a better way to get compliance without spending money to send out letters threatening jail time?  Do we know that the US Postal Service delivers one hundred percent of the time or that the school district’s list of addresses is up to date?

(b) Is the community defined by the boundaries of the school district too large, too diverse, for any policy to work for everyone?  If so, what should be done?

February 14, 2008