Character Counts! referendum

It is time to stand up and restore APS student standards of conduct.

Voters in Albuquerque New Mexico have the opportunity
to vote to hold students and their role models,
honestly accountable to the same standards of conduct,
or continue to have two standards of conduct;
one for adults and another, much higher one, for students.

In this case, the standards of conduct happen to be the Pillars of Character Counts!, link. They have been the APS student standards of conduct since their unanimous approval by the Board of Education in 1994.

There are fundamental questions on the table;

• will we have role modeling; will we hold role models accountable to student standards of conduct?
• Will that standard be the Pillars of Character Counts! or a lower one? Perhaps as low as low as legal weaselry; the lowest standard accepted by civilized human beings.
  

If we want the 90,000 of our sons and daughters who are students in the APS, to grow up to embrace character and courage and honor, someone has to show them what it looks like.

Someone has to show them what it looks like to create inescapable accountability to unequivocal standards.


APS used to give kids tee shirts that on their front and back read;

Stand up for what
you believe in ...

... even if you are
standing alone.

Yeah, we could let them stand alone.

Or, we could

• stand behind them offering our support,
• stand beside them, helping to carry their load, and
• stand in front of them, leading by our personal example.

Let's have a referendum on Character Counts! as the standard of conduct for students. Implicit in that, understanding that role models must be honestly accountable to those same standards.

Should we restore to the standards of conduct that apply to administrator and board members, the phrase they removed, unanimously, the one which read;

In no case shall the standards of conduct for an adult,
be lower than the standards of conduct for students.

Marty Esquivel votes no, over and over and over.

A clear choice; Marty Esquivel who will hold himself accountable to the law and all manner of legal weaselry
or
either of two candidates; Cheryl Harris or me.
Either of whom will hold ourselves accountable to one of the highest standards of conduct;
the Pillars of Character Counts!.

All that is necessary for Character Counts! to die in the APS,
is for good wo/men to do nothing. Burke - derived

You pick a side when you don't pick a side.