When a group of concerned parents lobbied their local school board to reform the school's discipline policy by banning corporal punishment (a nice term for indecent assault and battery with a dangerous weapon), the board chairman politely advised them that they would do well to lobby the General Assembly because success at the state level would benefit schoolchildren statewide, not merely a few in one district. The chairman smiled and wished them well. The group took it as good advice from a man who has children's best interests at heart.

The group then brought their proposal to Chairman of the Education Committee of the State Assembly. He advised them that drafting a bill, shepherding it through successive committee hearings and lobbying for its passage is a slow, arduous process, and one can never be sure that the end result is what one bargained for. He suggested that a faster and more direct route toward their goal would be to take the matter up with their local school board. He further explained that school policy should reflect the will of the community, and therefore is best handled at the local level. He smiled and wished them well.