It cannot be easy for a school in which a lot of students come from homes where education isn’t valued to ensure that the students show up on time and do their work.
But a school in Cincinnati, attempting to solve that problem, is creating a different problem.
Dohn Community High School has started a program under which it will pay students up to $30 at certain intervals if they show up for school, get to class on time and don’t get into trouble.
So much for the principle that virtue is its own reward.
The school is sending students the message that they deserve payment merely for making use of the education furnished to them at great cost by Ohio’s taxpayers. Will the students, after they enter the workforce, think they are entitled to a bonus simply because they do not violate company policies?
It’s sensible for parents and schools to offer praise and honors to students for good work and academic achievement.
But it’s terribly misguided to give students money simply for attending school and not being a discipline problem.