Students Debate School Choice

A resolution approved by several Sussex County school boards has kicked up a controversy over Sussex Technical School District and how it admits students.
The Cape Henlopen school board was first to approve the resolution calling on Sussex Tech to return to its original mission as a technical school and to drop admissions criteria beyond those of home districts. The resolution drew a denial from Sussex Tech Superintendent A.J. Lathbury, who said his school does not recruit students and is turning out graduates ready for careers and college.
Tech students say they appreciate the great opportunities their school offers them, while Cape students say opportunities at their school are just as good, and that selecting a high school is about serving each student’s needs.
A news story about the resolution prompted a flurry of letters from Tech students and a video from Tech graduate Josh Lynch. “I’m getting really tired of media scrutiny and scrutiny among parents and kids who don’t go there,” he said. He said the idea that Tech selects only highly successful students is utterly ridiculous.
“I was definitely not one of the bright kids. I was one of the lowest scores on the DSTP. I was very troubled academically,” Lynch said. Getting into Tech was the best thing that’s happened to him, he said. Lynch said he was able to land a good job and start his own business because of the education he got at Sussex Tech.
Read more: http://www.capegazette.com/storiescurrent/201101-01-15/07018-school-choice.html