>http://www.gjsentinel.com/hp/content/news/stories/2009/05/01/050209_1A_Service_learning_www.html
>
>I attended this highschool back in 1976-1977. No community service requirement back then. My issue is with the fact that education for K-12 is supposed to be free - paid for by our tax dollars. Already parents pay ridiculous amounts of money for supplies and dues and graduation. I think the community service requirement is indeed involuntary servitude.
>
>Community service is a great idea, but not a mandated one for K-12 education. Community service for college is a great idea, but not for education through the 12th grade. If my child had to perform community service to graduate, I would expect a tax rebate.
>
>I guess voluntary community service is not so voluntary at all. Now it is not only used for punishment for the lessor crimes, but as a requirement to graduation from public school.

I see your point, but I also think that learning to serve your community is an important part of getting educated. I think if the requirement is fairly open, giving students the chance to choose the organization they volunteer for, and using a fairly broad interpretation of community service*, it's a reasonable one.

* For example, my kids were in our high school's show choir. That group performed for community organizations, like senior centers and churches, and that was considered community service. In my view, participating in student government is also community service; I suspect, in fact, that a lot of school-sponsored extracurricular activities might fit into community service.

Tamar