If Michael Martinez (“Violence deepens Vallas’ problems,” Main news, Jan. 10) thinks addressing neighborhood violence is a huge distraction for schools, he should consider the time students spend trying to avoid the gangs in their area. Whenever institutions ignore social problems, individuals have to deal with them.
Hunger, poverty and violence all affect learning, and anything that affects learning is the responsibility of the schools. Moreover, given the waning influence of churches and the continuing disintegration of the family structure, schools are often the only institutions in a neighborhood powerful enough to address social problems.
Of course, expecting schools to tackle the array of social problems in their neighbor-hoods without committing the necessary resources is a losing proposition. Real solutions have a price, but I promise you it is far less than the cost of allowing the problems to persist.
