" The tail is wagging the dog now, so why don't us white folks just move away and give Cahlifornee to the Latinos and be done with it. It's apparent we have no choice in the matter anyway. "

" NO!!! IT IS NOT A GOOD IDEA! What the heck is the matter with people? Why are we even considering such a move to expand the Christmas vacation? To accomodate truants who go to Mexico? Enforce the truancy laws...don't cowtow to this foreign influence. Many parents have complained and voiced their concerns but to no avail; the school system wants funding for seats filled and will go to any lengths, even selling out our American culture, to meet this end. Shame on any institution, any law enforcement agency, any business and any bona fide citizen who cowers in the face of this forceful influence on our American way. I say, expell these absent students and fine the parents for poor parenting. "

" It is only good for the school district since they lose money when the kids leave the country for the holidays. As I, I'm sure other parents also lose money because of this for extra day care or lost work days since the kids have to take the extra time off. It is not fair that just because the district has a good amount of Hispanic students that the rest of us for lack of better words suffer. "

" Dwayne.... FYI the Latinos wow i guess they just from one morning to the next woke up and said let's have 3 weeks break for the kids...Check ur resourses who runs the district.... Why always Latinos then maybe you should stay indoors you might run into a Latino next time your out. "

" Is a three week break good for schools? Of course not but we all know why it will probably go through. So Mexicans can go back to dear old Mexico. Funny how these people that "live in the shadows" are being accomodated with special classes and now special schedules.Not funny in a humorous way though. "

" Dear sillic. FYI it was the statistics (or facts) from our own school district that showed that the Latino population chose to take their children out of school for weeks at a time so as to go to Mexico during the winter. You "woke up one day" and decided to ignore the school policies and as a result, the attendance in the classrooms dropped to a level that caused ALL of the students to suffer a financial loss within the school district. Any Questions? "

" Most parents work, this puts a strain on those families that who do not take extended vacations at this time of year. This country is not Mexico. If Mexicans want to live here then they should adapt, not us. Fall classes are starting earlier now with this accommodation for a minority student body. Nope I don't agree with it. It is not as if there is a particularly high academic standard anyway compared to other countries. Our kids need as much time at study as they can get. "

" This concept is good for schoolchildren if they are in class more as a result. These children who are gone during this time are the ones who need the class time the most, and yes, they are mostly hispanic. If you look at the test scores in detail, these are the kids who are not proficient. And for the other children perhaps there is less time playing catch up. Is the break good for families? That varies by family. Obviously, families who travel during this time like the three week break. But unless you take the entire summer off, the families who travel in the summer are paying for the same amount of daycare whether the week is in the winter or the summer. I have noticed that Napa Parks and Rec have camps available for the week in question. Also, I thought the timing of starting earlier in the fall was because the high school wanted to have finals done before winter break, and has nothing to do with minorities wanting it. For our family the first week of January is very nice, since there is no Christmas pressure and we can really enjoy the time and there are less crowds than in the summer. And yes it is good for the district financially, but it is also good for them to have these kids in class more so they can meet the test score goals of No Child Left Behind. "

" Our kids need education and not three weeks Christmas break. This is a waste of time "

" If the goal of our schools is to impart knowledge and skills that might "stick" from one year to the next then anything that makes the summer break shorter is a good thing. Our agrarian school calendar is so archaic. Are we willing to have our students actually pick grapes and work the crush? No?...then we need to look into doing the one single most effective, inexpensive strategy to increase student learning...year-round schools. IMHO "

" At the beginning of the school year, we got a memo from the school asking parents to arrange their family vacations so kids can take homework with them and keep up with the class. Is there some special reason that ESL (Mexican) kids cannot do the same? Something is very wrong with this picture. "

" Good for Mexicans and teachers. Bad for students and education. Merry Christmas. "

" My son tells me that the same girl is absent from school (Napa High) everyday....for months. Yet she has not lost her place there, they still call her name everyday and mark her absent. Then the school thinks that these people will pay (money) that is owed for missed days. Crazy. What happened to the days when you missed 7 days and you need a doctors note to come back or loose your place. I guess this is the new 2000s way. "

" Dear Dwayne. Both the elementary and middle schools have made it VERY clear that the teachers will not accommodate those students who miss school during the break. It will be up to the student to make up the work when they return. We all know that for "most" this just won't happen. So, let's just create more programs to help them out as they continue to fall behind and bog down the entire school system. You know, keep catering... "

" It is a catch 22. If we didn't have the 3 week break the school system would loose thousands of dollars because of the absent students. This in turn upsetting the rest of the students because of it. Do I like the 3 week break? Not at all! A housefull of bored teenagers eating everything in sight isn't My idea of a holiday vacation. Sleep patterns get all messed up and it is the first week of school all over again. I just wish that people would stop calling it a Latino problem. Hello? It is a Napa Valley life revolves around the winerys problem. But is it a problem? Or just the way life is in the Wine Country? Even if we don't like it, we have to roll with the punches and do what works for the whole big picture. I have friends that are Vinters and they like the long holiday. Their work is over and they can take a much diserved vacation. Just as the hard working Latinos need a break too. When we mix cultures that depend on each other, we need to respect all angles for the decision. Remember...It is the "Latinos" that keep Napa the Wine Country the Wine Country.....and keeps our property values up...ya following me here? So I guess what I am saying basically is stop your whining and deal with it. And Quit blaiming someones skin color and way of life for all of being eaten out of house and home while we try to keep these kids busy! It was a bunch of White people that made the decision anyway. Proud to be Irish...and love my Mexican neighbors. "

" No matter how many days the kids get off, there will always be those who extend the break by 1 or 2 more weeks. I've been involved in the local school districts for over 27 years and I see it every year. My experience shows me that after 3 weeks off, it takes the students about 2 weeks to recapture their previous momentum. I relish the 3 week break, but for continuity of education, 3 weeks is a bad idea. I hope Calistoga rejects this idea. "

" Our family didn't like the idea at first, but we have adjusted to the change and we actually like it. Now we can stay home for Christmas with friends and family and still have time to take off for a vacation. It's a good way to unwind after the holidays. "

" Please don't blame this on Mexican parents and students. This is not an accommodation that they are asking for. This is the result of the way the state funds schools. It's a bad plan if your school district has poor attendance (migrant workers or inner city kids, for instance). At any rate, I don't like the three week break, but I've learned to live with it "