Woodbridge Students Sentenced to Community Service?

If the Woodbridge School District’s Board of Education (BOE) has its way, students will not be graduated from high school until they have fulfilled the district’s required “Community Service” hours.  If they fail to fulfill the required hours, their diploma with be withheld.  Keep in mind these students are not being given a choice by a judge to either do “Community Service” or face judicial punishment; the school is forcing them to ‘volunteer’ or else!

The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime.  Section 1 of the Amendment reads as follows:

“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction”.

By ‘requiring’ (mandating, if you will) Community Service of students, would the Woodbridge School District be violating the US Constitution and granting themselves judicial powers at the same time? 

The Dictionary. Com defines volunteerism as: “the policy or practice of volunteering one's time or talents for charitable, educational, or other worthwhile activities, especially in one's community”.  Nowhere in that definition does it state ‘required’ is a synonym ‘volunteerism’.  In reality, they are very opposite by definition.

Schools teaching students about the benefits and self-satisfaction that can be derived from volunteerism is a very noble endeavor, one parents should fully support.  But if schools mandate volunteerism, does that not defeat the very essence of what volunteering is all about?

Please, if you will, recall the words from the late Whitney Houston’s song: The Greatest Love of All.  In that song she sang: I believe the children are our future, Teach them well and let them lead the way, Show them all the beauty they possess inside, Give them a sense of pride to make it easier, Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be.

Like Ms. Houston, I believe the children are our future.  Let us show them the beauty of volunteerism.  If we do, it is a lesson a student will never forget and one that will serve our future well!