RE: Advice to Teachers

[GEORGE CICOTTE <GEORGE_CICOTTE@health.ohio.gov>]

     Regarding Brian Rees' post and response to Wes' comments:
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     . . . Telling somebody that "it's OK, you can just throw it away" does 
     us all a disservice in that they may be left with the impression that 
     "we" have that attitude with all our materials.  A full discussion of 
     options will help to educate and inform.
     Opinions are my own
     Brian Rees
     brees@lanl.gov  
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     Brian,
     
     I don't think most of us would advocate a "it's fine" demeanor.  You 
     would need to address the knowledge level of the teacher, explain that 
     the teacher will need to justify the action of simple discard, and 
     show how and why there are exempt quantities.  Of course you can't 
     leave them hanging - you'll never get asked for advice again, and 
     you'll be misquoted as "regulatory officials brushed off citizens' 
     concerns" in a newspaper article.  
     
     The point I was trying to make, and I think Wes was also, is that 
     accommodating concerns which may be emotionally valid but technically 
     groundless can do just as much harm as ignoring the emotional 
     validity.  That's the important issue in public education - striking 
     the appropriate balance between acknowledging overly - concerned 
     people's fears, and buying into them by acting like their concern is 
     technically valid.
     
     V/R
     GRCicotte
     george_cicotte@health.ohio.gov