Not In My City!

In the city where anti-slavery leader Fredrick Douglass lived some of the most productive years of his life blows me away that such insensitivity for your fellow man and such blatant disregard for economic justice could exist in some of the leaders in our school system. I use the example of Mr. Douglass in various writings of mine but his prescience in the history of Lynn is such a powerful example of the fight against slavery whether it be from racial, physical, or in this case economic injustice.

I could not believe my ears listening to LSC member Patricia Capano blasting the economically less fortunate for burdening the Lynn School System. Expressing her frustration that 60 students a week are invading the Parent Information Center a week to sign up as new students for Lynn Public Schools.

First I have to question the validity of that number. I have no doubt there has been an uptake in new enrollment and maybe there was a week where here were 60 but to extrapolate that number over even the summer months would be around 220 new students starting in the fall. From the way she was ranting, I would assume that was apart from the normal exchange of kids entering kindergarten as seniors graduate.

These are undoubtedly tough economic times but to show such callous disregard for one's fellow human beings just sickens my soul. There was talk about the homeless and Ms. Capano claimed Lynn was being used as a "dumping ground" by agencies. he neglected to mention any specific agency, preferring to paint over all our problems with a broad brush.

Perhaps I need to brush up on my civics but I thought Ms. Capano was elected to service the educational needs of all the students of Lynn. In fact, I was witness to her stating that very fact at a debate at the Ford School just prior to her last election.