Public Schools

* We have three children in grade school. They are--yes, really--getting a good education in the Los Angeles Unified School System. Choice? We have choice--our children attend a magnet school and they are bused. All children in the LAUSD have the option of applying to a magnet school and being bused to it. It’s true that spaces are limited and a family may not get in the first year, but the choice to apply is available to everyone and the kids probably will get in the second year.

Our particular school, Lomita Fundamental Magnet, imposes dress codes, behavior codes, homework, and strict academics. This is not a school for gifted children; it is open to all kids. If our children misbehave, and that includes such frequently passed over behavior as dirty words, we expect to get a phone call from the teacher, the magnet coordinator, or the school administration. We may be required to attend conferences. If we refuse, our children may be invited to find another school. Some kids are high achievers and others are not, but they all learn both academics and standards.

Our kids learn values at school and at home and at church. We attend church regularly and the children participate in all church activities appropriate to their ages. Our children attend public schools and they are religious; the two don’t need to conflict. Most of their friends are the same.

Withdrawing from the public school system has always been an option, but working together will do a lot more to help all of us.

MARION NEISWANDER

Torrance