Something you don’t hear everyday: Roach and the ACLU agree
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Don Roach
Let’s review.
- A parent admits she used to be addicted to heroin.
- That same parent wants to be actively involved in her child’s education by volunteering at her child’s school.
- The school says “thanks, but no thanks” because the parent is a convicted felon presumably afraid of the parent’s influence on other children and leading them down the road of drug addiction. The horror!
Trust me, I’m not making light of the situation nor am I saying that the school should not at least consider the implications of this parent volunteering at the school. What I am asking is this: what if you were this parent and you weren’t allowed to volunteer at your child’s school because of a past drug conviction? Is it a just punishment for your crime?
Perhaps this is faulty thinking, but drug offenses for the most part affect the individual (unless you’re selling drugs). We all know stories or have relatives who have succumbed to some form of addiction. It generally destroys whatever semblance of a life they have and in many cases intrudes upon the lives of their loved ones. Coming back from such a life takes herculean effort and those who remain “clean” tend to have a greater appreciation of life and are certainly well equipped to teach others about the dangers of the drug life.
So I applaud this woman’s efforts as well as her desire to not only be a positive influence in her daughter’s life but also others. Let’s be honest with ourselves, none of us are perfect. In fact, part of our charm as human beings is in our imperfections. And in this case we have a mom who wants to help her child and other children make different choices than she made. It’s disappointing the school system could not see beyond “felony” and like I said earlier (and you definitely won’t read this a lot) I completely agree with the ACLU supporting this woman and I hope she regains the privilege to volunteer at her daughter’s school.
So, are you with me and the ACLU?
Don Roach,, is a conservative MINDSETTER™ for GoLocalProv.com. He is a businessman, a Cranston resident, and a graduate of Brown University.
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Comments:
RI Taxpayer
7:57am on Thursday, August 26, 2010
Don said: "So, are you with me and the ACLU?"
Um, no.
This whole controversy is about what's best for the children, not what's best for one mother. She made a choice a few years ago and now has to pay the fee. I think if she really cared, she would be able to see where the school board is coming from and accept their decision. And so should you.
Don Roach
8:52am on Thursday, August 26, 2010
So, RI Taxpayer are you saying that because of her crime she should never be allowed to volunteer at any school? That seems a bit excessive, no?
Erich Sturn
10:19am on Thursday, August 26, 2010
Do we know for a fact that she's clean? If so, I can't see most people having a problem with that.
RI Taxpayer
5:44pm on Thursday, August 26, 2010
Don, from what I understand, she's been clean for six years. Is that really long enough? Should the school dept. take on another possible problem like this?
This has nothing to do with the childrens education, it has everything to do with this one mother and her 'want' to volunteer. I think the children should be thought of first and this ex addict last.
I'm not a big fan of 'zero tolerance' but we're talking about a woman who has made bad decisions, real bad decisions, in the past. We don't 'owe her' anything.
If she wants to volunteer, maybe she should be allowed to talk at the high school about her poor choices in the past and how now it's effecting her in a very negative way today.
Don Roach
6:08pm on Thursday, August 26, 2010
RI Taxpayer, what negative can come from her volunteering? I'm just trying to understand where you're coming from. She made choices, we agree on that, do her crimes merit her being banned from volunteering at the school? If you think so, my question is why? What harm does she pose to these children?
RI Taxpayer
6:35pm on Thursday, August 26, 2010
As that great philosopher Patrick Kennedy said, "I fight my demons every day". What happens if one day her demons come back? What then? Is it really necessary to have to explain to little kids about why little Susie's mom can't volunteer today?
Will the older kids say "hey look, Susie's mom did heroin and she's fine today. I guess heroin isn't all that bad after all".
I actually have the same question you do. Is six years long enough? What about five? Or four? Or ten?
You ask, "What harm does she pose to these children?" My answer is, she sets a poor example. The kids deserve better.
Don Roach
8:38pm on Thursday, August 26, 2010
From all accounts it seems like she has turned her life around. To me it's not the length of time but her mindset. That it's been six years and others in her community willing to vouch for her says a lot.
You say she sets a poor example. We'll have to agree to disagree there. Because I think the example she's setting is one of you may make bad choices in life, but those choices don't have to forever define you. Instead you can become an upstanding contributor to society. Again, I think that's a great lesson for kids to learn.
Slim Nova
11:32pm on Thursday, August 26, 2010
According to Yih-Ing Hser, Ph.D. of the University of California, Los Angeles, Drug Abuse Research Center and colleagues after 33 years of researching heroin addicts as many as 25% of patients still experienced relapse even after as many as 15 years of abstinence.
In light of this research you would have to conclude that 6 years is not long enough. Heroin is a powerful drug and often leaves an addict dependent on other drugs such as methadone to fight off the heroin addiction.
The fact still remains that she is a felon. You asked "do her crimes merit her being banned from volunteering at the school?" Yes it does. If she did something that warranted her becoming a felon. She didn't become a felon because she was addicted to heroin, she did something else to receive that title.
Sometimes choices lead to consequences that last a lifetime and effect those we love. That's just something she has to live with.
Slim Nova
11:45pm on Thursday, August 26, 2010
Just to conclude, she is not be denied access because she is a recovering heroin addict, which is what the ACLU is claiming. She is being denied because she is a convicted felon.
Either are still good enough reasons for me to not want her volunteering at my children elementary school.