The Issue: The New York State Education Department’s proposal to make Regents exams optional.
Are the people at the State Education Department dumber than stone (“Regents push to make a NY high school dipꦉܫloma worthless,” Editorial, Nov. 14)?
The fact 🌠that they want to do away with th💛e Regents exams is shameful.
We have already lowered graduation requirements, and now we don’t🌳 want any.
These so-called educators are really termi💜nators, killing the minds of the youth rather than nurturing them.
Dan Ricciardi
Brooklyn
When I graduated from New Utrecht HS 🐭in 1969, there was a long-standing diploma system in New York City high schools.
Studen♏ts bound f🌳or college received diplomas requiring numerous Regents exam courses.
Diplomas met the different aspirations and abilities ♚of g෴raduating students.
Noౠw, however, we live in a woke era where academic achievement is looꦑked upon with suspicion.
The response of the state Board of Regents is not to r🃏ecognize the various levels of aptitude or raise academic standards, but rather to institute a leveling proღcess where all students receive the same type of diploma regardless of achievement.
This “everyone’s a winner” dওiploma will come to be viewed as wort🤪hless among many colleges and prospective employers.
Dennis Middlebrooks
Brooklyn
The new report on graduation measures is🍌 an effort to balance excell⛎ence and equity.
While public schools have made progress on equity over the laಌst 30 years, the current social cry is that we still have💟 work to do.
Ulti🗹mately, the exams’ importance is inflated. The Blue Ribbon panel is seeking greater equity by measuring a student’s body of work, and not just a score on exams.
Richard Jones
Albany
When I g𓆉raduated from Thomas Jefferson HS in Brooklyn, the Regents exams were a🍌 serious benchmark in college admissions.
A high grade might mean advanced placement in💧 college.
Today, the old Regents standards barely exist.
Th🐟e process of dumbing down all grades to make “passing” easier fools no one.
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Better to push home🉐 schooling and to destroy the real ill-doe𝔍r: the teacher’s union.
Rich Klitzberg
Boca Raton, Fla.
The Issue: Mayor Adams’ plan to recruit parents to volunteer to keep schools safe.
The mayor, in his infinite wisdom, wants to enlist volunteer parents to keep schools safe (“Mayor Adams says parents might have to volunteer after new school safety agents are cut,” Nov. 14).
The mayor c♌aused this crisis in security, and this is the best idea he came up ✱with?
𓆏Volunteer parents likely do not ha🌱ve training to de-escalate violent situations.
The lawsuits𒅌 that will arise out of this decision will offs🌱et any savings.
Dan Gardner
Staten Island
Mayor Adams wants parents 𒆙to volunteer as safety agents, yet budget cuts did not prevent him from spending thousands of dollars on international travel.
Thousands more could be saved by eliminating the security detaꦫil for City Council members.
Take away their SUVs and give them MetroCa♌𒉰rds. Let them ride the subways.
Mike Lapinga
Staten Island
It seems like every day, Adams propo🔜ses another ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚdumb idea.
His latest is for parents to volunteer as securi🧔ty off꧑icers in public schools.
Why would any parent want to do thisꦗ dangerous work for free?
It’s obvious that Adams has become desperate.
The budget problems onl♐y show that Adams had no plan when he declared New York a sanctuary city.
New York is on the brink of col෴lapse because of his misguided🍎 generosity.
Nicholas Maffei
Yonkers
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