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THURSDAY. JULY 26. 2007 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 7A
Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor:
As a senior citizen in favor of
the school tax exemption for all
Pickens County seniors, I want
to thank Mr. Weatherby and Ben
and Frankie Dorsey for their
recent letters to the editor. I
think this is something that
should be done, and I hope
Commissioner Jones will make
an extra effort to get this accom
plished this year. I know from
reading the Progress that he has
been working on it last year, but
it needs to get done.
I am on a fixed income, but it
is losing ground while every
thing keeps getting more expen
sive. The exemption would help
us to pay our expenses, but in
the end that may not be enough
to allow us to keep our property.
Paying the school tax should
end by the time a worker
becomes a senior and retires. We
have been paying the tax for a
long time and I think we have
paid enough because we don’t
have children in the schools
anymore.
I think more seniors should
let the paper and Commissioner
Jones know how they feel about
this exemption. I believe that
most of the seniors need the
exemption to help them survive.
It isn’t being greedy or not want
ing to pay our share, because we
still pay plenty of taxes in other
ways. We have already paid our
fair share of school taxes.
Elmer and Joanne Mason
Dear Editor:
In response to the article on
the dress code situation and the
concerns that some of the par
ents “seem” to have. I can attest
that Pickens County School
System was and is in dire need
of a dress code. Not only for the
students K-12, but the teachers,
administrators and parents when
they are visiting the school or
are on school grounds. It doesn’t
cost any more to dress with
respect for yourself or others.
Schools should have a dress
code. It is actually less expen
sive and time-consuming to both
the parent as the purchaser and
the student who has to get up
two hours early just to get the
right outfit on. Let’s try spend
ing the extra two hours studying
or doing something construc
tive. Life is short.
Pickens County actually
should consider uniforms for K-
12. My sons both attend private
schools. One school is local and
one school is boarding. My ini
tial cost of uniforms for the first
year for both was about 650.
That is very cheap considering
they both have five pairs of
pants and shorts, long and short
sleeve polo shirts, jackets, blaz
er, a tie, a belt, black socks,
undershirts and physical educa
tion clothing. I only had to
replenish this coming year sup
ply with about 250 extra. The
material for the clothing doesn’t
wrinkle or fade either. Who
could ask for more than that?
Especially for middle and high
school students, who should be
doing their own laundry. We let
the hem out of some pants and
moved buttons on others. My
children didn’t complain,
because everyone looks the
same at school! We as parents
and school supporters don’t
attend our school board meet
ings and complain about the uni-
Letters
Welcomed
“Letters to the Editor’’ is
an important public forum in
the community and the
Progress welcomes and
encourages these letters.
Letters concerning any matter
of general local interest will
be considered for publication.
Letters addressing issues will
be accepted but not those
expressing a personal griev
ance directed toward another
individual. All letters MUST
BE SIGNED with address and
phone number given where
the author can be reached to
verify information. Opinions
expressed in letters and
signed columns are those of
the author and do not neces
sarily represent the views held
by the Progress.
forms. We attend to better the
school and support the school. It
scares me to think that parents
would actually complain about
something that could better the
overall system. And, believe it
or not we have certain guide
lines we have to go by and
where we can shop. It takes so
little time and it is done in one
day or one click of a mouse but
ton. We as parents even have
dress code to abide by when we
go on campus to either school.
What is the big deal? My
children and I are still the same
people. And, for the parent that
stated “my children do best
when they are comfortable,”
could we see a statistic on that,
because it has been a proven fact
that children learn more when
there is no competition focused
on “clothing” not on because
they are “comfortable.”
Comfortable should be saved for
home. Work is a continuation of
school and we usually have
dress codes to abide by for work
as well. It is called discipline.
And, for the parent that stated
“I have to send my son to col
lege in a few years.”
Abercrombie and Hollister are
some of most expensive articles
of clothing one can buy, no won
der you can’t save for college.
We go to used uniform sales
where all the parents clean, iron
and trade clothing. Or, clothes
are donated to the school for
extra clothing for others. Not all
students in private schools are
well off. We buy our “comfort
able” clothes from Target. As for
shoes, we purchase one pair of
dress shoes and one pair of ath
letic shoes. And, we don’t con
cern ourselves with what others
have or with what is in style. My
sons have to wear black socks
and brown or black shoes. How
easy is that? Collared shirts look
nice and neat, golf courses
require them, pilots wear them,
doctors and attorneys wear
them. Why? Because, they look
respectful and no one wants to
look at some ones back when
they are trying to study, work,
eat in a lunch room or “learn” in
class. As for the
teachers and administrators,
shirts with the school logo
should be required of them to
wear. The school system should
provide teachers and administra
tors with two or three shirts to
get started and then they could
purchase as necessary. These
should be worn along with khaki
pants or skirts, closed toe shoes
and a blazer or sweater. So, let’s
try as parents no matter where
our children attend school con
cern ourselves more with their
academics, their behavior and
their well being than with their
clothing. Get a grip on what is
important here and let the school
board do their job. And, you can
help as parents by supporting
them. Clothing is irrelevant to
education.
As for the concerned parents,
the comments made were quite
comical, yet I can see their
points especially if my main
focus was on what my child
looked like instead of his or her
academics or how they acted,
treated or respected others. In
closing, think about dress codes
and uniforms as positive. As for
us, we are all ready for school
and haven’t had to leave our
community. Have a safe and
happy rest of the summer.
“Happy Shopping.”
Staci Bourke and family
Dear Editor:
This is in regard to the dress
code, the BOE, Alicia Owens.
Let me first say this new dress
code needs to go and I mean
needs to go! I have talk to 2 of
the BOE. 1st I talk to was Mark
Mitton which was very ugly on
the phone and the 2nd was John,
the chairman. 1st let me say this
to you Mr. Chairman, you told
me on the phone that if some of
the kids quit school they was
going nowhere in life. Let me
open your eyes, I have know
kids that quit and got their ed.
and went on to college, so you
need to think before you speak
about our future kids. I have e-
mail you twice and you haven’t
respond. What’s up with that?
And Mark, you need to go back
to what you do the best and I
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will not finish on that!! About
the dress code, in the last letter
about the dress code to change I
agree on it, change it. 1st I can’t
afford these shirts and 2nd my
kids wear nice shirts. So if my
kids are going to be sent home
for their cloths I guess the BOE
is going to have to answer to the
courts are the state of Ga. Unless
ya’ll want to pay for their cloths
and you can call anytime for the
sizes.
And some of the dress code I
agree but the shirts that ain’t
right. My son bull rides and he
has got a shirt that says (I have
no fear when the Lord is with
me). Now you tell me and the
rest of our future kids that they
can’t wear that but other kids
and I mean other kids wear a lit
tle earring in their nose or their
hair put up that will have to go.
This new dress that the parents
came up with I agree. Mr.
Chairman you said you don’t
have kids in school which you
should have look into that. If
kids wants to wear shirts that
ain’t fit for school, turn the shirt
inside out. Don’t make rest of
the kids suffer for it and let’s
talk about some of the teachers.
I look at it like this. If you want
the new dress code then these
teachers needs to dress old fash
ion cloths and let see how the
teachers act to their dress code. I
have talk to a lot of teachers and
they are against it to. What these
kids wear ain’t going to make
them learn any faster. To the par
ents that wants a new dress code
that ya’ll come up with I say Go
For It. I got ya’lls back and for
the rest of the parent that is
behind the BOE all I got to say
is this Sit On It.
Rhonda Monroe
PS: Call me anytime for my kids
sizes in shirts.
Dear Editor:
Re: 2007 11-12 Year Old
PCRD All Star Boy’s Baseball
Team
• I was good enough to make
the All Stars but I wasn’t good
enough to play on the field.
• Why did the same boys sit
on the bench?
• Why did the coach think I
wasn’t good enough to play?
• Why didn’t the coach put
his son on the bench; let some
body else play some?
• Why did they pick me if
they wasn’t gonna let me play?
• I want to throw my All Star
uniform away.
• I wanted to play and be part
of the team, just like the rest of
the boy’s.
• Why couldn’t the coach be
fair?
• We are just kid’s not major
league.
• Why didn’t the coach tell us
we were going to be the ones sit
ting on the bench, instead of
when we ask if we could play
the next inning we were told
“we’ll see” or “maybe next
time.”
• We practiced 3 hr’s. a night
for 2 weeks just like everybody
else! What for? To sit on the
bench!
• Did the coach think his son
was better than us? Is that why
he got to play the whole tourna
ment?
• I felt like a bench warmer!
• I have no respect for coach
anymore!
• If I ever coach a little league
team I’m gonna be fair to my
player’s!
• Why was I treated this way?
• Coaches are supposed to
build up our self esteem so we’ll
want to keep playing sports.
• I don’t think I’ll play ball
anymore.
These are some of the ques
tions and comment’s the par
ent’s of Aaron Frear and Cody
Winchell have dealt with. It
hasn’t been fun.
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