It appears from the comments within the article, “Utah school nixes photo with Down syndrome student,” that the Shoreline Junior High School catered to an audience which they imagined might be offended to have a Down syndrome student in the yearbook. The offense is two fold: they obviously offended the young woman whom they excised from their official yearbook. They also offended the role schools should play of educating all their constituents — students, faculty, staff, parents and the general public of their area — by catering to the lowest denominator among the perceived audience instead of demonstrating that society could be respectful and honoring of all among them. Therefore, I think the school horribly misses the point in their “apology.” Instead of saying they made a “mistake,” they should instead admit their error of judgement, own it, and express regret for their error. The school should also ask the person or persons responsible for this action to receive sensitivity training to learn the feelings and rights of persons with various differences from the norm.
James F. Cartwright, Honolulu, Hawaii
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