Failing Our Moral Test

When the United States Senate dedicated a building to former U.S. Senator Hubert Humphrey he remarked:

"...the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; those who are in the shadows of life; the sick, the needy and the handicapped. "

Last Speech of Hubert H. Humphrey
November 1, 1977
Washington, D.C.

If government includes our school systems, then we are flunking our moral test miserably.

Besides the issue with Ashley's arm injury (and she has had a LOT more injuries on school property that I will detail in a later post), this weekend I read two more stories from less than 100 miles from my home about children injured significantly at school.

The first was a 10 year old girl from Chesapeake, Va who had her hand forcefully removed from her desk. The child's hand caught on a notebook and was cut. At least in this case, the teacher was charged with assault.

The second, and even scarier, event occurred in Hampton, Va. A young teen girl with special needs arrived home with her leg broken in two places. Surgery, recovery and an infection kept the girl in the hospital for three weeks. The girl's mother is convinced the injury happened on the school bus, but the girl is unable to talk due to her disabilities. The school district's response? There is no evidence on the bus videotape of the girl being injured. Sounds suspiciously like Ashley's mysterious injury...