Editor’s note: Here is a sampling of readers’ comments about our Sunday editorial, “High school graduation a significant milestone in the life of a student.” Comments were posted on times-herald.com .

— The really sad thing is these kids think they have an education, but thanks to dummying down in government schools, they are barely qualified to pass as an adult.

— The dummying down was caused by parents.

— This article is about celebrating our kids, not insulting them. My son is graduating with high honors. He has worked hard his entire school career while playing football and being an active member of my household. His classes were not easy, and no one gave him special treatment. He was accepted by three colleges and decided to follow his dream of flying. He joined the Army and is set to leave in a few months. Yes, it will be hard for some of these graduates. The job market is terrible as are many things. But for just once, can we just let them live in the moment and enjoy what they have worked hard for? For goodness sake ... some adults ruin everything. Take some happy pills.

— Back in the mid-20th Century most people didn’t have a high school diploma. Times change, and it is important to move forward with education. Public education is the best investment this country can make. I’m sorry if some people are upset that it takes a diploma to work. There isn’t a job out there now where computer skills are not important. You have to know how to read and write. I’m very proud of this school system and the 1,500 kids graduating.

— Yes, dumbing down was ultimately caused by parents. Parents who use government schools as public baby sitters; parents who think school teachers are solely responsible for education; parents who think it can’t be my child that’s the problem; parents who won’t demand a challenging educational system; parents who allow schools to waste time on topics other than reading, writing, math and science; parents who permit government schools to define the morality of their children; parents who don’t care enough to get involved unless it’s to complain about too much homework.

— I hear about this all the time, but there are more AP and advanced education options than ever in public schools. There are a lot of things to not like about the public school system. I just pulled my kids out of private school last year (due to that school rapidly declining in academic quality). Academically, my high school child has a lot more opportunity. The regular classes are definitely slow, but that’s a reflection of our community, not the government.