Long Beach is not to blame in drowning

As a Long Beach resident, I am outraged beyond words at Joye Brown's column "City's new line in sand is drawn too late" , implying that Long Beach bears some responsibility for the drowning of a 12-year-old girl.

Brown asks what happened to the zero-tolerance policy, and to police and code enforcement officers whose job it is to keep people out of the water. My question is: What happened to personal responsibility? If the signs say no swimming, then don't go into the water. How much simpler does it have to get?

Brown implies that because it was a "warm and perfect day" the city should have anticipated a crowd. Our resources, both financial and human, are taxed every time someone ignores the warnings, goes into the ocean and gets into trouble.

There is plenty of blame to go around, but the city of Long Beach is not to blame. It now must carry the memory of another young life taken too soon because someone chose to ignore the rules.

Sharyl Rice

Long Beach

The blame lies not on Long Beach - which clearly posted signs of warning that there were in fact no lifeguards on duty - but on the school itself and the nonexistent adult supervision.

If we're playing the blame game here, I say start with the school officials first and then the so-called chaperones.

Paul W. Coonelly

North Babylon

Graduates' story shouldn't be unusual

I enjoyed reading the story of Christine's and Ashley's graduation from high school . Kudos to them for such a huge accomplishment.

My son, James, graduated from Huntington High School last year. Like Christine and Ashley, James has Down syndrome. Like them, he wore the cap and gown and crossed the stage to enthusiastic applause.

And so why are so few young adults like Christine, Ashley and James being educated with their typical peers? After all, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act became law in 1975. It clearly states that students with disabilities are to be educated in the "least restrictive environment."

Separate special-ed wings or schools that segregate by disability should by now be obsolete.

James has benefited immensely from being educated with his "typical" peers in inclusive classrooms, and so have they. But we had to push for it, sometimes encountering resistance and discrimination, mostly from teachers and administrators.

It's time for 21st century thinking on how we educate all students. Maybe some day there will be so many Christines, Ashleys and Jameses crossing graduation stages that their stories won't be so unusual.

Sarah Aldridge

Huntington