Most kids in school would love to have a few days where they could skip out on class with impunity. But who would’ve ever thought that an opportunity like this could actually come?
The Montgomery County school board in Maryland is expected to pass a proposal that would allow public high school students to “take as many as three excused absences a year to participate in political protests and other forms of 'civic engagement' during the school day,” the Washington Post reports.
School board member Patricia O’Neill stated the policy was to prepare students to become “the next generation of leaders.” Leaders?
The proposal is expected to pass, and if it does, it will be one of the few in the U.S. that would allow students to take an excused absence to participate in protests, marches, political campaign events, and such the like.
The school board is requiring students to have parental consent for them to step out of the classroom, according to the Montgomery County Board of Education proposal:
The Board approves the participation of students in Grades 9-12 in civic engagement activities with written parent/guardian consent, of a sponsored/organized event or activity and notification to the principal/designee to ensure compliance with Board policies and MCPS regulations as well as federal, state, and local laws and regulations.
The desired goal of the policy is for the students to be “well informed and guided in their activities regarding the requirements of state election laws and their participation in civic engagement activities, political campaigns, partisan election activities, and distribution of political or partisan materials.”
Now how much do you want to bet that the only protests these students will be allowed to attend will be those pushing leftist agendas? Here’s what some commenters on WJLA’s Facebook page had to say:
Through the almost 100 comments, there were only a couple who seemed to like the idea:
Whatever happens with the proposal, it definitely doesn’t seem like the best idea to allow students to skip out on class. Sure, there may be a small fraction of students who actually desire to protest but I’m willing to bet my bottom dollar that most of the students would just be looking for a free day off.