Your Sept.5 editorial “Clark County schools open, but students are AWOL” cites the abysmal attendance rates and, subsequently, abysmal reading and math proficiency rates of CCSD students. You say “Unsurprisingly, there is a strong connection between absences and lower achievement.” Really?

Unfortunately, no mention is made of the 500 lb. elephant in the room — parental responsibility. Where are the parents of these absent children? The statistics prove my point. Asian-American children are raised in homes in which education is highly valued. They are expected to work hard and excel in school. Therefore their far superior attendance and achievement numbers.

And the proposed solutions from our leaders? Superintendent Jesus Jara’s ill-fated plan to dumb down grading and expectations to make CCSD results look better. Our spineless politicians tiptoe around the “elephant” for fear of offending their voters. Their solution? Simply throw more taxpayer dollars at the same problems and expect a different outcome.

Your editorial concludes with the positive news that CCSD may finally be “coming to its senses” and cracking down on absenteeism. They need to find the courage to address the real problem of parental responsibility.