Transfer policy unfair

I was troubled by the recent alteration to the transfer policy for Spokane public schools. Under the new regulations, transfer requests will receive only provisional approval by June 15 in order to ensure that children who move into certain neighborhoods are guaranteed to attend school close to home.

According to The Spokesman-Review, the issue came to the fore when a few children in the vicinity of Wilson Elementary were unable to attend school there due to a lack of space. While I sympathize with families that want their children to attend school close to home, I also see an underlying issue here that mirrors a troubling trend in our country today.

As the pool of what are considered the best schools and the best jobs becomes increasingly smaller, it is the relatively socially and economically privileged who tend to capitalize on this situation. I consider it nothing less than a social justice abuse when a family that lives, for example, either in the West Central or East Central section of Spokane is obliged to wait until mid-August to find out if their transfer request to a school in a more affluent section of Spokane has been granted.

Kevin McCruden

Spokane