I have also listened to the Klein interview and my takeaway was that he was being honest and open, including slightly critical of himself for not being aware that they were pushing her too much to succeed acedemically.
He is understandably hurt, and the truth is that some of those that harmed her were intentionally callous, while the parents were not aware of the extent of her feelings, until way too late.
He is trying to help other kids in similar situations, not simply playing the blame game. We need this information so we are not the clueless parents, and to know how to successfully help others.
When I grew up many moons ago we had about 2 literally failing girls in our class, yet they were moved up year after year and are successful wives and mothers. Perhaps more could have been done to help them succeed at the time, but it’s also possible that the lack of pressure in our school may have saved them.
The acedemic level of our girls’ schools (I can only speak for those I’m familiar with) is going up, however it’s coupled with more extra-curricular activities. In my days, school was dead boring and I hated it most of the time. The brighter the kid, the more bored she was. So I understand the parents that want a challenging curriculum – it’s not simply because of status.
The tough judgement call is when to cut kids some slack, and when to demand they put in more effort. It’s definitely not a one size fits all.
I specifically didn’t mention the elephant in the room about the pickiness of some schools, because it’s almost a non-issue in the Chasidic schools I’m discussing – except when it comes to parents that disregard certain rules.