Mechanicsburg Exempted Village School District
Bylaws & Policies
 

2110 - STATEMENT OF PHILOSOPHY

The Board of Education believes that the purpose of education is to facilitate the development of the potential of each student. In a free society, every individual has both the right and responsibility to make choices and decisions for himself/herself and for society. A prerequisite for every member of such a society in meeting those responsibilities is competence in the use of the rational thought processes needed to make intelligent, ethical choices and decisions. If our society, as originally conceived, is to survive and function effectively, its young people need to be prepared to exercise their rights and their responsibilities in ways that benefit them and the society. Likewise, if individuals are to be able to achieve their life goals in a free society, they need to be competent to choose among the myriad alternatives that are and continue to be available to them.

The enculturation process in our society focuses on preparing the young to meet certain expectations and to avail themselves of opportunities to attain personal goals within that society. The school program, which should reflect the formal aspect of the enculturation process, needs, therefore, to focus on both the areas of societal expectations and personal opportunity available in our society.

With regard to societal expectations, people in this society are expected to:

 A.be self-sufficient -- that is, to meet their own needs, to the extent they are able, in their own way and without inhibiting others' opportunity to do the same;

 B.fulfill their responsibilities to contribute to the "common good" by actively participating in affairs affecting all members of society.

Today there is ample evidence that many students are not learning how to make effective, rational, responsible or ethical choices or decisions in regard to how they treat their minds and bodies, how they plan their futures, how they cope with frustration, or how they solve personal, social, and economic problems.

The Board and staff believe that the thought and action process involved in taking intelligent, ethical action can be learned just as any other set of procedures can be learned, provided students are given consistent, appropriate opportunities to:

 A.see the procedures modeled;

 B.learn what the procedures are;

 C.practice using the procedures and correct ineffective use of them;

 D.apply the procedures to a variety of relevant situations.

The District is committed to making adequate provision for such opportunities and to the applications of these processes to achieving the other educational goals associated with the District's mission.

A.C. 3301-35-01, 3301-35-02 (A)