MAP story gives some students unjustified blame

To the editor:

It seems that your newspaper does not care for the social well-being of students who attend Jackson High School. After all, you made it very clear to point out that students with learning disabilities and those on free or reduced lunches did not meet the standards set by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The way you chose to present this information made it seem that the label of "needing improvement" fell solely on these individuals and not those students who also failed to score at proficient or higher on the 2003 Missouri Assessment Program tests. I find the statistics presented and, more important, the method in which they were presented, most disturbing.

Students from low-income families and students with learning disabilities already have difficult social lives at Jackson High School without the Southeast Missourian adding more fuel to the fire. I know what it is like going through high school as a child of a low-income family, and I also went to Jackson High School with a relative who had a learning disability.

Releasing such information as the reasoning for a label of "needing improvement" just paints a large target on these individuals, making them more prone to teasing, bullying and further embarrassment by their peers. I request that the Southeast Missourian issue a formal apology to these individuals for placing such a burden on their shoulders, insinuating that their scores were the sole reason for their school's lower marks.

JONATHAN O'DELL

Millersville