Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/859531
L E T U S K N O W W H A T Y O U T H I N K . We accept signed email and letters (250-word limit); we excerpt user posts from CTA social media platforms. Content subject to editing for clarity and space. Photos must have identifications and permissions. Opinions expressed by the writers are not necessarily those of CTA. Editor@cta.org; #WeAreCTA Charter Schools About a year ago, I asked the head of the California Charter Schools Associ- ation if students had to be in school at a certain time. The answer was "No." I asked if students had to attend each school day. "No." I asked if students had to pass subject tests, as students in a regular school must. "No." I asked military recruiters if charter school students were accepted the same as full-time high school students. "No." When people are hired for a job, they are expected to show up for work , each day, on time. Charter schools are a disaster for our work- force. The United States won WWII because our public schools prepared graduates to be successful. What made America the strongest nation was our public school system. GER ALD HURLEY Fortuna Union High School Teachers Association (retired) Ukulele Teachers Rise Up Regarding " The Ukulele Gets Respect" (May/June 2017), Lauren Bowman is not the state's "only " ukulele educator. I can name hundreds of LAUSD teach- ers who teach ukulele in their schools. I have been teaching ukulele in Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) for 14 years. I teach students, educators and administrators how to play and teach ukulele. At LAUSD's New Teacher Institute, I teach new edu- cators how to use ukulele in all aspects of teaching, regardless of grade level or curriculum area. So there are many of us teaching ukulele in classrooms across California. But I'm glad to see your article. It furthers the cause! BART T WARBURTON United Teachers Los Angeles Peanut Free On behalf of over 1,500 school nurses, I am writing to express our concerns regarding "Peanut Free" (April 2017), about students with peanut and other significant allergies in the school set- ting. While we understand the intent of the article, we are unclear why this arti- cle was written without contacting the California School Nurses Organization, the only professional organization that supports the practice of school nursing in California. Under California Education Code 49423, credentialed school nurses are designated as the "supervisor of health" on the school campus. School nurses obtain physician orders for students with allergies and other health concerns, develop Individualized Health Care plans for students, work with parents to obtain appropriate medications to be administered to the student during the school day, train and educate school staff regarding manage- ment of all health concerns of students during the school day, and document the competency of staff identified and trained to administer medication in the educational setting. K ATHLEEN FINNIGAN-RYAN CSNO State President As a school nurse and fellow CTA member, I have concerns regarding "Peanut Free." There is no medical evidence that supports school sites attempting to be peanut-free to protect students with peanut allergies. Dr. Phil- lip Lieberman, an anaphylaxis expert, said at a National School Nurses Asso- ciation conference that students do not benefit from being isolated at special tables in the cafeteria nor by preventing other students from bringing peanut products to school. Anaphylaxis occurs from ingestion of an allergen, not by exposure. Best practice involves supporting all stu- dents in the event of an anaphylactic reaction by having a clear emergency plan in place in consultation with a school nurse. TONI McC A LLUM Vacaville Teachers Association Corrections In "Let's Be Clear About Charter Schools" (May/June 2017), the quote in a caption for a photo of Clarissa Doutherd and Kim Davis (page 18) should have been attributed to Davis, not Doutherd. In "Welcoming Walls" (May/June 2017), a photo caption mistakenly identified Marissa Brown, East Side Teachers Association, as Taunya Jaco. Apologies to both. 3 A U G U S T / S E P T E M B E R 2 017 F E E D B A C K