Stop this foolishness

I’m a former 20th century Republican who switched back in 2000 to aligning more with the Democratic Party. I believe in full separation of church and state. Somewhere between the 20th and 21st century, the Republican Party has become a runaway train that has gone off the tracks.

In Arkansas we have a Republican governor and Legislature that turn out harebrained laws in an effort to destroy public education in favor of private schools and church-run education known as the LEARNS Act. Our governor accused public schools of “indoctrinating” (without proof) our children as a reason to move them to private/church-run schools funded by taxpayer money taken from public school funds. Are not students in these private/church schools also subject to being “indoctrinated” as well?

Now we have public school freshmen through senior years being required to complete 75 hours of “public service” before they can graduate while private and church LEARNS-funded schools are exempt from this requirement. Why? I see this as a further attempt by Republicans to destroy Arkansas’ public school system.

The law leaves it up to each school district to define “public service” and decide how to implement, staff, fund, and document (if any) this requirement. There could be as many processes as there are school districts, a major lawsuit in the making. Who determines what is allowed “public service” and accepts liability for injury/death of a student while trying to complete their “public service” requirement? Few, if any, schools have a process in place to deal with this. Some have said they will just accept parents’ word for this.

Arkansas needs a change in party leadership throughout offices from governor, cabinet officers, and through the state House and Senate to stop this foolishness. CHARLES MARTIN

Hensley