National headlines about education tell us many things.
First, the Hamilton County Department of Education is far from the only school organization needing to right its ship.
Because for all the craziness that comes from Bonny Oaks, we can all embrace the "misery loves company" conclusion when we see a story like that of the New York principal who is potentially going to be fired from her job because she wants more focus on academics and attendance. Yes, you read that correctly.
The New York Post reports that more than 3,500 parents and students have signed a petition for the ouster of Dr. Lisa Mars because she wants the students of the famed LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts to, you know, study.
The nerve of that woman.
And all of us with interest in the Hamilton County school system can swell with pride with the knowledge that we are not the Charlotte-Mecklenberg County system in North Carolina.
As you'd expect, Charlotte's school system has now taken a stance on the transgender issue that created seismic ripples through that community, ranging from losing potential companies to hosting an NBA all-star game to unknown ends.
What started with the city's confusing bathroom law that opened stalls for everyone regardless of parts or intention has become a national talking point from Augusta, Maine to Augusta, Ga., and from Washington, D.C., to Washington state.
There is no shortage of vitriol on this issue, especially after the state government overruled the city laws and said parts are parts and never the twain shall meet.
(Side note: Along those lines, what would Mark Twain say about us as a society today, considering that we have riots in the streets and Americans dying in filthy flood waters in Louisiana but which bathroom a fellow who feels like a female uses - a scenario that affects about 0.7 percent of the population - is a national calamity?)
Now comes the next flush in this matter.
The Charlotte school system is telling teachers not to use "boys" or "girls" when addressing their students, rather using the terms students or scholars.
This is more than gender-specific terminology and gender-neutral bathrooms, which the school system wanted to adopt, but that decision was put on hold until federal court has its say.
The other changes - and the regulation suggestions range from high school to kindergarten, mind you - that go into effect this month also include the revelation that 13-year-old boys who say they identify as females will be allowed to participate in overnight all-girl field trips, with parental permission.
Speaking of parental involvement, the school regulations from the presentation, according to media reports, state: "Staff must take care not to 'out' a student to others, including the parents of an older student, without the student's consent. In contacting the parents, use the student's name/pronoun on birth certificate unless student or parent says otherwise."
These are deeply personal and sensitive matters, from each perspective.
Sadly, all anyone seems to be left with is confusion, from the minuscule percentage of people unsure about their sex to the folks putting that minuscule percentage at the forefront of the decision making to the parents of every student.
Nevermind the teachers, who are asked to do more for comparatively less, and now do it with issues far different form the three R's.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com and at 423-757-6343. His "Right to the Point" column runs on A2 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.