September 21, 2015
A couple of years ago I wrote an editorial about looking at
starting a new tradition to replace the littering of the Main Street in Kingman
on the Thursday night prior to Homecoming, which has now become to be known as
Toilet Paper Thursday or TPT. Since I have been superintendent I and, I’m sure
my predecessors as well, have been asked to solve this issue. Why does the
school and school district care? It’s NOT a school-sanctioned event nor does it
occur on school grounds. It does not occur at a school activity, but it DOES
tarnish the school and school district’s image and particularly the image of
all of our students, though a minority actually participates.
Our students, over the past few years, have cleaned up
parks, participated in numerous community service projects, provided food to
those in need, held state leadership positions in various organizations, and
even been recognized by national organizations in FBLA, Student Council, Youth
in Government, and music to name a few accomplishments. Their participation in
activities and athletics help create the “soft skills” businesses across Kansas
are yearning for according to the recent data collected by Kansas State
Department of Education Commissioner of Education, Dr. Randy Watson. According
to Dr. Watson, when holding community listening sessions across the state, over
70% of those participating indicated the soft skills were critical. When Dr.
Watson then held listening sessions exclusively for business leaders, 81% of
business leaders indicated the need for these soft skills.
How is the last paragraph related to the first? I believe
our students are making great contributions to the community. The school was
awarded an S-3 Climate grant a few years ago and monies from the grant helped
fund programs related to the Six-Star program recently started at KHS. The
Six-Star program identifies those character attributes (soft skills) future
employers desire. In fact, one human resource manager even stated to a KHS
teacher if you have someone who demonstrates consistently all six of the
characteristics, I’d hire them immediately. We will train them for what they
need. My question, therefore, is how does littering our own community in the
name of school spirit help demonstrate the desirable skills? How does ignoring
pleas from those living along Main Street to stop the littering show character?
Are there worse shenanigans that can be done? I’m sure there are, but the TPT
certainly causes angst amongst a significant number of residents living in the
community. Our students who involve themselves can do better and normally do. I
see their great achievements every day I go to KHS and elsewhere around the
community
Mr. Albright (KHS principal), Chief of Police David Lux, and
I met with the senior class this past Thursday making a plea to stop the TPT practice.
Mr. Albright strongly felt the leadership of this year’s senior class could
persuade all classes to put a stop to TPT and discussed the great start of the
school year and the desire to build on that start. All of us (Mr. Albright, Mr.
Lux, and I) have been coming under greater pressure to do whatever we reasonably
can to put a stop to TPT. Mr. Lux, when he spoke to the students, also made a
plea to put a stop to TPT and further explained the possible legal consequences
to students including arrest and prosecution. I was the last to speak and
followed Mr. Albright and Mr. Lux’s pleas to the students to stop the practice.
Though, as explained earlier, the TPT activity is not school-sanctioned, it has
for years been associated with homecoming week and thus, according to the school
district’s attorney, could result in loss of discretionary activities. Therefore,
should the TPT activity continue, it is within the school district’s legal
authority to impose consequences and at least some discretionary activities could
be canceled. There are a number of positive homecoming-related and
school-sanctioned activities (you can find a list on the KHS website) and we
want all of the KHS students to actively participate in those activities. Rest
assured, nobody in the school district has any desire do take away any
school-sanctioned activity.
I realize some adults, some students and various community
members not only support TPT, but also condone it. Whether you support it or
not, I am asking all parents to consider the risks to your child and to ask your
child or children to come home after the scheduled powder-puff football game
and bonfire (2 KHS-sanctioned activities) and to not let your child or children
participate in spreading toilet paper up and down Main Street. By the time the
bonfire is over on Thursday evening, it will nearly be Kingman’s curfew time
for anyone under 18. There is nobody in the school district nor on the law
enforcement side who wants to instill consequences, so as the title states, PLEASE
HELP US!
Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
Robert G. Diepenbrock
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