LETTERS: REQUIRING COMMUNITY SERVICE IS TOO MUCH

To the editor:

This is in regard to the recent article about requiring community service hours in public schools. I disagree with the proposal.

I believe most of our children are already loaded with enough required and extracurricular activities that have them going at a hectic and sometimes frantic pace.

I am speaking from experience. My daughter maintains an excellent report card by working hard. She is a member of Beta Club and Girl Scouts, both of which require service hours in school or the community. She has swim team practice three or four days a week. We have, in addition, the various school functions, required projects and fund raisers. She sometimes eats in the car going from one event, meeting or project to the next. I know I am not alone in this regard, as many parents I know maintain the same or more hectic schedule.

For someone to suggest we need to require community service work of the children makes no sense at all. What little free time our children have they need to be able to rest or participate in family activities or just be kids. The last thing they need is another project thrust on them to make someone else feel good about themselves because they think they have a good idea.

Community service work for the average, law-abiding citizen is and should be voluntary, not legislated or required. You will never be able to legislate compassion.

To my knowledge, required community service work is reserved for those sentenced by the courts. If someone is going to legislate community service work to students, then it should be troublemakers who disrupt classes or are habitually truant. These are the ones who have no intention of voluntarily learning or doing anything useful or productive in the school or community.

TERRY CANUPP

Cape Girardeau