Debate - Will standards be the final straw? What services do public schools perform?

They come from everywhere. But they take them all. They take kids from farms and from inner cities. They take kids that live in areas where there are driveby shootings. They take kids that have to grow up near gangs. They take kids who have never traveled outside their neighboorhoods. They take kids that never have been on a vacation. They take kids whose happiest part of their existence is being at school. They take kids of every socio-economic background. They take kids of every race, every nationality, every religion, and kids with no religion at all. They take kids poorly dressed. They take kids that didn't have breakfast, and they give them breakfast. They take kids without a lunch, and they give them lunches. They give them school supplies. They provide transportation to and from school. They read to kids who never had anyone read to them. They take kids with one parent, or no parents. They take kids that live in subsidized housing, and they take kids that live in cars. They take kids that speak little English, and they take kids that speak no English at all. They take kids that have speech problems. They take kids that have learning problems. They take kids that were born with drug addictions. They take kids whose parents are on drugs, are alcoholics, and are in jail. They take kids that were fetal alcohol babies. They take kids with down syndrom. They take kids with autism. They take the cripple. They take kids that have behavior problems. They take kids that have been physically and emotionally abused. They provide services and people trained to meet every kind of need that would adversely affect their learning. They often have a nurse, a policeman, special education teachers, a psychologist, a counselor, a speech therapist, and a physical therapist on duty. They take kids with no hope, and they give them hope. They take kids that need an education, and they give them one free of charge. Some of these kids grow up and become doctors, lawyers, pilots, engineers, teachers, senators, and presidents. They take anyone and everyone. They have no entrance exams. They turn no one away. They have been around since 1635 when the Puritan settlers built the first school. They are America's public schools.

We ought to thank them. We ought to support them. Instead, they are under constant assault, constant criticism, and constant budget cutting. We ALL ought to join the effort to save our public schools from extinction.