The New York State Board of Regents has adopted a student “bill of rights” that seeks to emphasize the “human side of education,” according to Thomas Sobol, the state superintendent.
The 10-item document was proposed to the board last September and revised after a series of public hearings.
The statement makes clear that it does not establish any new legal entitlements for students, but is intended to reflect the board’s “policy goals.”
The manifesto proclaims that each child has the right to:
A healthy, secure, nurturing infancy and early childhood;
Healthy intellectual, emotional, physical, and moral development;
A free, sound, basic education that is appropriate to individual needs and respects culture, race, socioeconomic background, and language.
Effective schools and educational programs;
Assistance in preparing for jobs, college, family life, and citizenship;
Education without fear;
Resources needed to secure their educational rights; and
An education that involves responsibilities as well as rights.
One item proposed last year was not included in the final document. It would have established students’ right to attend school “in buildings that are clean, safe, and in good repair.”
The Georgia Board of Education has banned spring football practice, on the grounds that students were dropping other sports and slighting their studies in order to participate.
Although some board members said spring practice should be kept, but strictly regulated, a majority agreed with educators’ arguments that the workouts forced many high-school students to quit playing baseball and postpone studying for final exams.
