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In 1972 I took part in a "sit-in" (sitting on the grass outside and refusing to go to class inside) as a protest to the Vietnam War. I remember that some of the students sent around a petition asking that the day not be held against us as an "absentee day", thus preserving our attendance records. I refused to sign it because a protest wouldn't be a protest if we were simply given the day off.

The same applies here. The students should be proud of their peaceful protest. They should (and it seems that they are) accept their punishment as the fair price they had to pay to get their point across. Other leaders (Ali, Gandhi, King) gave much more. ( I watched on TV when they interviewed Mohammad Ali who surrendered his heavy weight boxing championship belt rather than submit to the draft)

Now, we should put this whole thing behind us and get to the job of fixing the teachers contract, one that addresses special education as well as the many other issues.

Everyone, including the ALCU is now watching. Get to the negotiating table School Committee, damn it! And this time, don't get up to leave until you have a contract. The teachers deserve it. The parents deserve it. The taxpayers deserve it. And, most importantly, the students really, really deserve it. They are paying the biggest price. Our student population is continuing to shrink and it is the School Committee's job to reverse that. Folks, you're not doing your job. We keep losing teachers AND students. Get to work on a new contract, damn it! The one-class-walkout was not a "cause". It was an "effect". In the "cause-and-effect" of the matter we should be correcting the "cause" which was the "special education practices", not the 2 hour protest "effect".

Happy 2017 everyone.

Rick Corrente