Letters: Safe childhood, UNT student protests, Weatherford bonds
%5B2%5D.JPG "A single-parent room in the Rees-Jones Family Residential Building at ACH Child and Family Services Wichita Street Campus in southeast Fort Worth.")
Safe childhood
Mitch Mitchell’s April 1 article (“Tarrant County leads Texas in child abuse cases”) shined a spotlight on a critical issue for our region. More than 6,000 Tarrant County children suffered abuse in 2014, most often reportedly at the hands of a parent.
The numbers are devastating, but we as a community have the power to reverse that trend.
Parents usually don’t set out to harm children. They are typically overworked and overstressed. Many times they lack the supportive help of family or friends and don’t know where to turn.
For 100 years, ACH Child and Family Services has worked to protect children and preserve families and they have a 24-hour hotline for individuals in crisis (817.335.HOPE).
We all have a role to play. I have been an active volunteer and supporter of ACH for 11 years because children deserve to have safe and happy childhoods. This is our community and these are our kids.
Whether it’s recognizing signs in our own lives or encouraging others to get help, your understanding and attention to these issues are crucial to turning around these disturbing statistics. Our future depends on it because building stronger families benefits us all.
— Dub Stocker, board chairman,
ACH Child and Family Services,
Fort Worth
UNT student protests
Instead of commending the UNT students for their independent thinking and action, your editorial wanted to put them in “time out.”
This is their commencement, not the governor’s or the university president’s. We should encourage these young people who stand up for their rights and who demand to be a part of the process, instead of trying to tamp them down.
Thank goodness the students at UNT have more fire and courage than you.
— Kathy A. Osborne, Hurst
Weatherford bonds
I support the Weatherford school board bond election.
My husband and I joined this wonderful community in 1998. We chose to live in Weatherford because of the passion and dedication people have for this town and its schools. It’s an excellent place to raise a family!
I want to help grow excellence in this community. I understand it’s my responsibility as a taxpayer to support the growth and development of our community.
Our district is expected to grow by about 800 students over the next 10 years.
Our elementary campuses are already full, and three of them house their sixth-grade students in portable buildings.
We can address these growth issues, improve our existing facilities and add safety and security features by voting “yes” on May 9 to all three propositions.
Visit roobond.com for information on the bond election. The investment in our community and our children will provide a greater tomorrow for us all!
— Amy Crippen, Weatherford
Letters
Letters should be no longer than 200 words and must have a full name, home street address, city of residence and both a home and daytime telephone number for verification. Letters about the May 9 elections should be no longer than 150 words and must be received no later than 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 30.
E-mail (preferred): letters@star-telegram.com; Fax: 817-390-7688
Regular mail: Letters to the Editor, Box 1870, Fort Worth TX 76101
This story was originally published April 13, 2015 at 5:52 PM with the headline "Letters: Safe childhood, UNT student protests, Weatherford bonds."