Letter: in response to Marcia Funk

Marcia, Marcia! Marcia! Your high school American history teacher is shaking his head after reading your letter about the "handful of rebellious students" at CHS who are "stomping their feet" to change a school policy with which they disagree. He's checking his attendance records right now for the day he discussed freedom of speech, freedom of the press, right to assembly and the right to petition the government for redress of a grievance.

He's certain you must have been absent the day he covered that little thing known as the Bill of Rights and the First Amendment which covers the above-mentioned rights. (Just for your information, there's no age requirement before one becomes eligible for these rights.)

If you want to chide someone for the students' behavior, go to the source; it's those American history teachers and the administration who support them. Wait, there's something wrong with that logic because then Mr. Adair would be just as responsible for the students' actions as the teachers.

After reading your letter, I wonder where we'd be today if the citizens of Boston decided not to have their little "tea party?" After all, they too disagreed with a policy that the British government had explained to them and they were required to follow.

Finally, if you think Ryan and his supporters aren't deeply concerned about Mr. Adair's health, you don't know what's going on at the high school. Ryan Costella and his supporters are to be commended for their efforts. Ryan's a class student who has earned a scholarship to attend Auburn University next fall. I admire his efforts to change a policy I'm told wasn't in existence 10 months ago. Whatever happens, I applaud his effort and those of his peers to take a stand and be counted. And what's more important, they are using the lessons taught to them by their American history teachers to affect the change they seek.

JOHN A. LIVERATTI

Carson City