To the editor:

Wednesday’s Journal-World featured a picture of Lawrence public school students enjoying a Kansas University women’s basketball game. At first glance, the picture offered students in the Lawrence community enjoying a basketball game. However, when considered within the context of the school year, state testing (which is right around the corner), cuts in field trips, the limited amount of seat time our students already face, and similar issues, attendance at a KU basketball game during a school day does not appear to make sense.

Was the event a physical activity day? If so, the students missed recess and physical education class to sit on a bus, sit and watch a game (and then the movie “Space Jam”), and then sit on a bus where they returned in time to be dismissed. Yes, KU paid for the buses and provided free tickets. However, the Lawrence school system still paid for a day of instruction, which for the elementary schools is probably around $400,000 for a budgeted day (e.g., heat, salaries, electricity).

As a parent of three elementary school-age children as well as a KU fan who takes my children to a number of KU events, I am left scratching my head on the district’s priorities. We have 175 school attendance days but for our grade 3-6 children, we have 174 as a result of this game.

If field trips, seasonal celebrations and related events have to be curtailed to enhance academic time, what does this say in respect to this recent sporting event? Let’s get our priorities straight.