| JROTC will continue for one year (12/07) | | Print | |
| Written by Rachel Hwang | |
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The San Francisco Board of Education passed an amendment at Tuesday’s
board meeting to extend the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps
program for an additional year.
The Dec. 11 amendment, submitted by deputy superintendent Tony Smith and approved by superintendent Carlos Garcia, called for an extension of JROTC as an elective course for the 2008-2009 school year. The amendment was later changed by commissioner Jill Wynns to allow JROTC to fulfill the physical education graduation requirement, a right that JROTC has had. Wynns’s and Smith’s amendment were both passed 4-3, along with two student delegate advisory votes in support of the amendment. As stated in the November 2006 resolution to phase out the JROTC program, the board created a Task Force to find an alternative program. However, nearly a year after the resolution was passed, the Task Force decided that the established time line would be insufficient to create a suitable program. That resolution stated that an alternative program would provide students with the same services without the military aspects the school board found objectionable. According to a survey administered by the Task Force to JROTC students, JROTC helps cadets develop leadership skills and teaches self-discipline and responsibility in a structured environment. The Task Force finds the prospect of developing an alternative equally daunting. “The Task Force has a tough job,” said JROTC instructor Doug Bullard, who is also a member of the group. “It has taken many years to develop the current JROTC program. It’s taken millions of dollars and thousands of hours … to put together the most effective youth development program in the United States.” Many students consider JROTC irreplaceable. “I don’t feel that any other program can replace (JROTC),” JROTC student senior Kelly Zhao said. “We provide everything from first aid to map reading. I don’t think any other program can cram it in like we can.” Bullard describes the Task Force’s current situation as in the “exploration phase.” However, no significant progress has been made. “The Task Force is working to identify similar programs that integrate the key components of JROTC,” he said. “We’ve had briefings from several groups,” such as police academies. |
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to listen.
