$200,000 Fence Around George Mason High School is Knee-Jerk Reaction
Editor,
The rush to spend $200,000 to erect a fence around George Mason High school is a misguided, knee-jerk reaction to the Newtown shooting.
A prudent deliberation would be aimed at cost-effective measures to reduce the risk of such an incident. Was the lack of a fence a causative factor in Newtown, Columbine, Virginia Tech or any other past incidents? To the contrary, Newtown had a sophisticated security system beyond that being considered for Mason HS, but that obviously did not stop the shooter.
Any threat to our children is an emotional topic. Those in positions of responsibility can best protect the students by a sober assessment of risk mitigation, not a “feel good” leap for the sake of taking immediate action that may not be effective.
Collin Agee
Falls Church
Fewer & Fewer Can Afford to Live in F.C.
Editor,
I love Falls Church and the “Athenian values” of the community here. But the truth of the matter is that many of those who raise families in Falls Church are leaving the City as soon as their children graduate from high school. Fewer and fewer people can afford to stay and pay the exorbitant property taxes; others find that the rampant development here—with little or no thought of the effect on the residential neighborhoods around it—have turned the City into a place that holds little long-term appeal. Soon the City will not have community servants and activists like Ed Strait, who spent 50+ years here. It will have dedicated, involved people who work to improve the community—and then leave to retire elsewhere. The development along Washington Street and Broad Street is turning the City into a place of urban canyons and traffic nightmares—exactly the things most of us moved to Falls Church to escape seven or ten or twenty years ago.
Kathleen McCleary
Falls Church
Letters to the Editor may be submitted to letters@fcnp.com or via our online form here. Letters should be limited to 350 words and may be edited for content, clarity and length. To view the FCNP’s letter and submission policy, please click here.
The Meridian High School field hockey team won sixteen straight games, but it only took two losses to bring their outstanding season to an end. The Mustangs faced the York
By the end of last week, fall sports season at Meridian High School had nearly wrapped up. Every team had completed its regular season, and all but football had finished
We asked around town this week, and what we found was alarming. Most people had no idea what Amazon Web Services even is, let alone what it does. Some thought
This is the time of year when many local organizations schedule their annual meetings, often comprised of a gathering that includes (i) food; (ii) fundraising; (iii) keynote speakers; (iv) presentations
Legitimate news organizations need grass roots support like never before, and that includes your Falls Church News-Press. For more than 33 years, your News-Press has kept its readers informed and enlightened. We can’t continue without the support of our readers. This means YOU! Please step up in these challenging times to support the news source you are reading right now!
Letters to the Editor: January 31 – February 6, 2013
FCNP.com
$200,000 Fence Around George Mason High School is Knee-Jerk Reaction
Editor,
The rush to spend $200,000 to erect a fence around George Mason High school is a misguided, knee-jerk reaction to the Newtown shooting.
A prudent deliberation would be aimed at cost-effective measures to reduce the risk of such an incident. Was the lack of a fence a causative factor in Newtown, Columbine, Virginia Tech or any other past incidents? To the contrary, Newtown had a sophisticated security system beyond that being considered for Mason HS, but that obviously did not stop the shooter.
Any threat to our children is an emotional topic. Those in positions of responsibility can best protect the students by a sober assessment of risk mitigation, not a “feel good” leap for the sake of taking immediate action that may not be effective.
Collin Agee
Falls Church
Fewer & Fewer Can Afford to Live in F.C.
Editor,
I love Falls Church and the “Athenian values” of the community here. But the truth of the matter is that many of those who raise families in Falls Church are leaving the City as soon as their children graduate from high school. Fewer and fewer people can afford to stay and pay the exorbitant property taxes; others find that the rampant development here—with little or no thought of the effect on the residential neighborhoods around it—have turned the City into a place that holds little long-term appeal. Soon the City will not have community servants and activists like Ed Strait, who spent 50+ years here. It will have dedicated, involved people who work to improve the community—and then leave to retire elsewhere. The development along Washington Street and Broad Street is turning the City into a place of urban canyons and traffic nightmares—exactly the things most of us moved to Falls Church to escape seven or ten or twenty years ago.
Kathleen McCleary
Falls Church
Letters to the Editor may be submitted to letters@fcnp.com or via our online form here. Letters should be limited to 350 words and may be edited for content, clarity and length. To view the FCNP’s letter and submission policy, please click here.
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