VOICE OF THE PEOPLE | Oct. 26

Chester High needs some major reforms

In the two years I have been at Chester High School, I have seen many occurrences that are, in my eyes, unfair. We are subject to unfair rules, outright laziness, disregard for the real issues of this school and sanitation issues. I believe that this school is in need of major reform or it will sink deeper into chaos.

This school has enacted rules that seem downright sexist. For example, only boys are required to tuck in their shirts.

This school has enacted policies that are ludicrous, such as if we get to school more that 10 minutes late, we must stay in in-school suspension for the rest of the day.

This school sometimes shows a disregard for safety, such as when I saw many people set off the metal detector when it was over the entrance of our school, and pretty much no one was checked

This school does not seem to get that sometimes issues come about that may keep us out of school for a while, and yet they give us only six absences unless we have a doctor's excuse.

This school seems to care more about IDs and shirttails than bad behavior and pugnacious students.

Some of this school's staff let students run wild, cut in line, cuss in class or harass others.

The limited number of lunch lines in the cafeteria make it difficult for some students to get their lunch until they have only a few minutes left to eat.

This school does not show enough support for other sports teams or clubs in this school except for the football team (not that they do not deserve the support, but there are other teams).

This school has many sanitation issues. For example, I myself have seen a huge cockroach in a classroom, and the bathroom floors are always wet.

Chester High has many issues that need to be rectified. It needs to start listening to the students instead of turning a blind eye to us all. This school would be capable of great things if only we students had more of a voice. After all, we have to spend eight hours of our day here, and we deserve a safe, wholesome environment to learn in. Open your eyes, Chester High, or you may lose what little confidence the student body still has in you.

Alisha McCarley

Chester

Fountain theft wasn't crime of the century

I'd like to comment on the fellow who was arrested for taking coins out of the fountain at the mall. It is beyond me that the mall management and the Rock Hill police found it necessary to arrest this fellow.

What's the deal here? Everyone gets arrested for the slightest infraction? As I read the article, some thoughts came to mind.

Was there a sign posted such as, “Anyone caught taking coins will be arrested,” or even a sign that said, “These coins are collected and given to a charity”? No. Was there anyone injured or physically hurt in this matter? No. Was there the element of criminal intent involved? No. Was there a barrier or anything to prevent someone from taking coins from the fountain? No. Hey, what if an old man, old lady or a kid fell in there and drowned? Mmm. Just a thought! Back to the point.

Wouldn't justice have been served had the police and mall management spoken to the young man and advised him that taking coins from the fountain was improper rather than incarcerate him? Maybe Scouts honor that he wouldn't do it again. But a big bust at the water fountain seems improper, a waste of police time, a waste of court time. I believe if I were the police chief, I'd have a longer talk with the officers involved in this case than the young man.

I should think it a waste of time for a judge to even hear such a case, and would throw the case out long before it came to a hearing. I hope the fellow doesn't get 20 years, because you know you get five to10 years for bad checks, and three for murder. And I hope The Herald follows up on this terrible God-awful crime so that we might all know just how the matter is adjudicated.

Charles Parks

Rock Hill

Towers and sidewalks were waste of money

This letter is concerning the towers, fountains and sidewalks that have been established in the Galleria area. There are many hundreds of thousands of dollars spent creating these useless projects. When the traffic backs up and vehicle congestion is bumper-to-bumper, I am sure that the public is not going to look over and say, “What nice towers we have, and look, we have fancy sidewalks that nobody walks on.”

I am sure there will be many people who think the same way as I do. It would have been much wiser to have widened the road a lane on each side. The traffic could flow better. But when did the planners ever do anything wise? Speaking of the towers, the one at Applebee's is leaning toward the road. If it were taller we might have our own Tower of Pisa. I suppose the contractor has a warranty on their work!

John Whitmore

Rock Hill