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Ed Johnston
1540 N. Nye St .
Toledo , OR 97391
Oct. 20, 2007
An Open Letter to the Superintendent of Education
Dear Susan Castillo:
I am, as I believe you may know, a former member of the Lincoln County Local School Committee, and a formerly involved parent. I am writing you now with a simple, straightforward, non-partisan request.
Let's begin teaching the U.S. Constitution again in our public schools, so all our children will know and understand their rights and responsibilities as citizens of the United States of America. I among all the other stuff that we teach our students, why not the most fundamental, most important public document in American history, the one that governs our lives, preserve our freedoms, and set us apart from so many other countries? While we are at it, why not mandate some sort of test for basic knowledge of the Constitution? It need not test the ability to cite the history of the cases surrounding the abortion controversy, or just what Chief Justice John Marshall wrote in Marbury v. Madison. But shouldn't we make sure that our kids know the job and the limitations of the President, the Congress and the Court, and know the rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights, before we consider them ready for adulthood and the full responsibilities of citizenship? Is this too much to ask?
Sincerely
Edward Johnston
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