Commentary: Nanny state in schools lessens education

Lost in the middle of the midterm election coverage was a major press conference by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announcing a $150-million infusion into the Big Apple’s 94 worst-performing schools, creating community schools.

What is a community school?

De Blasio calls the officially named School Renewal Program his “whole child, whole school, whole community” concept. By “whole child,” he means that schools will not just meet students’ academic needs but “all of their needs.”

In addition to providing children with books, desks and supplies, they will also be given free food, free medical care for physical and mental needs, regular checkups by dentists, including cleanings, and free eyeglasses. One school has a washer and dryer for families to use.

Frankly, it is surprising that the bill for this “whole” thing is only $150 million.

This is a significant proposal. Not in terms of money, but in influence.

If the nation’s largest public school system is headed in this direction, how many more districts will follow suit?

The only thing that these schools will not be doing is clothing and housing the students. Hey, why not just build dormitories on school campuses? Having students live directly on school property would cut down on the tardies.

Sure, the living quarters may take away playground space, but kids these days have little time to be kids; they need to be inside, on computers, learning the Common Core standards.

A cradle-to-career approach, where the government takes care of children from birth through high school and beyond, is a disturbing trend. Schools will evolve into social-service hubs, their original role as learning centers receding.

The view that schools should do more than just teach kids is nothing new. As an extension to the National School Lunch Program, the Community Eligibility Provision was signed by President Obama in 2010, allowing school districts to provide free or reduced-fee lunches to all students.

This program feeds 31 million schoolchildren each day, costing $11.6 billion. The cost has almost doubled since 2000, when it was at $6.1 billion.

This year, the Chicago public school system, the third-largest in the country, is expected to serve 72 million breakfast and lunch meals.

Statewide, 58% of schoolchildren participate in the National School Lunch Program.

Public schools rarely seem to have sufficient funds as it is. If money that should go into higher teacher salaries, improved school facilities and up-to-date computer technology gets diverted to paying for doctors, dentists, washers and dryers, the future of America’s public schools may be bleaker than thought.

Politicians excel at concocting education initiatives for failing schools without addressing the root of the problem: at-home parenting.

De Blasio plans on holding the principals and teachers accountable, but nowhere in his speech did he speak of the accountability of the parents. You know, parents — the people who are supposed to raise their children, feed and house them, and, yes, push them to do well in school.

Parental involvement means not just attending PTA meetings. It means parents talking to their children, checking their homework, partnering with the teachers.

Without parental participation, no amount of money or ideas to fix struggling schools will ever work.

Teacher BRIAN CROSBY is a regular columnist for Times Community News in Los Angeles County.