Poor attendance in city schools? That’s not new

So attendance numbers are alarming in Baltimore City Public Schools. So what else is new? Promotions, attendance, and graduation rates have been the scourge of city schools for many years. This is not a recent occurrence (“Baltimore City Public Schools reach settlement in Patterson taxpayer lawsuit,” Nov. 13).

For 10 years, I was a guidance counselor at one of the “alternative” high schools, Harbor City Learning Center on Saratoga and Schroeder streets. Student intake would always follow a certain pattern.

At the beginning of the school year in September, classes were usually filled, but by the middle of October classrooms were fortunate to have two or three students. Many had none. But at the beginning of second semester in February, classrooms were filled once more only to have the numbers radically depleted by March.

One day there was a fire drill around noon and as the students left the building, they boarded the MTA buses and went — wherever. No more drills were held that year.

The principal at the time boasted that Harbor City had the highest graduation rate of any other high school in the city. True, because grades were changed and graduation requirements were not met. When I confronted the principal about a student receiving a suspicious passing grade for Algebra II, he said, “The student took Algebra I twice. That counts as Algebra II. Same holds true for Spanish I since we don’t have a Spanish II class.”

I embarked upon a letter writing frenzy citing my concerns to North Avenue, to the Maryland Department of Education and Mike Bowler, a former education writer at The Baltimore Sun. The only response came from Bowler who published some of the humorous minor concerns I cited but did not choose to write about those major issues.

For my letter writing efforts, I was transferred from Harbor City but offered a cushy position at the Baltimore School for the Arts where I wound up twiddling my thumbs for a year before retiring in 1990.

— Otts Laupus, Elkridge

Wes Moore should check his Trump hate

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has apparently joined other Democratic governors (Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and others) to push back against the Donald Trump administration (“Democratic state leaders prepare for a tougher time countering Trump in his second term,” Nov. 13).

Some have gone so far as to say they will “protect” their citizens from Trump. My question is, “What are you pushing back and what are you protecting us from?” Low or no inflation, energy independence, a closed border, lower crime, peace in the world, no tolerance for anti-Semitism, getting trans women out of women’s sports, respect for the our country and each other, etc.

Donald Trump will be our next president. Stop the hate. We, the people, have had enough.

— Jessica Clarke, Baltimore

Keep anti-vaxxer Kennedy far away from Trump administration

I appreciate the warning from Dr. John Sawchuk about the dangers to dental health from the anti-fluoride agenda of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (“Kennedy would be a disaster for US health care,” Nov. 12).

Kennedy’s anti-vaccination agenda, also based on bogus science, would lead to a major public health disaster. According to a 2024 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among 117 million children born in the U.S. from 1994 to 2023, routine childhood immunizations were estimated to prevent 508 million illnesses, 32 million hospitalizations and 1,129,000 deaths. For every dollar spent on immunizations, there was a saving of $12 for a total saving of $540 billion.

For the well-being of our nation, Kennedy should be kept as far away as possible from the Trump administration.

— Frona Brown, Pikesville

Hate the vote, not the voter

Across the political spectrum, election results are causing many to experience negative emotions (with sore losers and sore winners). Individual voters make a decision and the results are added up. That’s how our democracy is supposed to work. Unfortunately, there are too many people who actually hate the person who votes contrary to their own beliefs (“Williams assumes role of Trump propagandist,” Nov. 12).

If we truly believe in democracy, we should have this mindset: Hate the vote (if you must hate), don’t hate the voter.

— Robin Haines, Woodstock