Rockville Centre Letters to the Editor April 22, 2010

St. Pat’s parade helps people

To the Editor:

The Rockville Centre St. Patrick's Parade is much more than a parade — it is a human interest event. The statement "The parade that cares and shares" illustrates that the event helps people.

The word "cares" means that the parade chooses to care about providing emotional, spiritual and financial support, encouragement and motivation to the charities and the individuals and families involved with them in order to help them in many ways.

The word "shares" means that the parade chooses to share equally a significant portion of the money raised with the three charities selected each year from the donations and parade-related fundraising events held during the year. The donations greatly benefit the individuals and families involved with each charity.

The three charities selected each year are national, Irish heritage and Rockville Centre-based. The parade, which has grown significantly over 14 years, does more than just entertain everyone; it helps individuals and families.

Since its inception in 1997, the "Parade that cares and shares" has given over $500,000 to 39 charities — a very noteworthy and compassionate accomplishment!

Bob Wolf

Rockville Centre

Bullying equals child abuse

To the Editor:

I applaud the Herald's effort to bring to the forefront the growing problem with bullying ("Standing together against bullies," April 15-21).

I personally hate to use that word because, in my opinion, the new forms of bullying go beyond what it was years ago. This is child abuse, clear and simple. This is physical assault and harassment.

While the schools do bring in programs to deter this behavior, they truly do little. The larger picture is that such programs should not absolve a school of some responsibility for a failure to act in these situations. The law requires that our children go to school. The law also requires that schools act as if they were the parent, and I would assume that any parent wants their child to be kept safe.

Yet few consequences are imposed on the schools when they fail to act. Just as the aggressor has a right to a free and appropriate education, so too does the student who actually goes to school to learn and not participate in this behavior.

You hear of more and more children taking their lives because of these situations. It is my understanding that the parents of the Massachusetts girl who committed suicide after being repeatedly bullied are pursing criminal charges against the "children."

My point is that they are all "children." We are the adults, and how little does that says about our society if we can't stand up for them?

Donna DeSantis

Baldwin