Another Letter to Another Editor

Warning: Anger Ahead

Dear Editor,

I have never in my life seen a newspaper approve and print such blatant disrespect for school board members. Our community elected these officials. They carry enough respect in the community to be elected to represent us. That alone should earn them more respect than they are being given by your hack reporter.

Who has the right to say that a retired, life-long, experienced educator’s opinion and input are outdated and invalid? Who has the right to say a medical doctor with children in the system has no right to represent student interests or address concerns presented to her by the public? Not the newspaper, not the superintendent, certainly not a convicted felon. Such disrespectful treatment of officials our community elected, and distribution of so much misinformation cannot exist without some kind of rebuttal. Not as long as I live here.

What exactly are the responsibilities of school board members? Who makes the big decisions, who runs the show? These dynamics, I know, vary with each organization and community, and I have seen, most often, the scales tipped one way or another. Willing to be re-educated on the matter, or updated to current standards, I posed my questions to the great and wise advisor—Google. Your reporter has heard of it, yes? I can’t tell.

The Michigan Association of School Boards (masb.org) clearly notes that the school board establishes policy and plays a continuing role in policy development. The school handbook falls under “policy,” policies being the rules by which school employees and students must abide. MASB clearly notes that the board “can accept, modify or reject, policies regarding: Admissions, Placement, Promotion, Attendance, Expulsion, Suspension, Graduation, Conduct, Discipline, Safety, Health services, Food services, and Transportation services.”

The Kentucky School Board Association (ksba.org) clearly states, “The school board has direct supervisory responsibility for the district superintendent, and reports to the community as their elected trustee.” So, we elect board members to represent community interests AND hold the superintendent and school system to community standards and expectations. They’re not there to make friends.

Pearson Schools in North Carolina (pcsnc.org) are clear on what they expect from school board members: “First and foremost, school boards look out for students. Education is not a line item on the school board’s agenda—it is the only item. School boards are accessible to the public and accountable for the performance of their schools. School boards ensure that students get the best education for the tax dollars spent.”

You pose the theory that students are “kids” who need to learn there are rules in life. Well, there are rules to keeping minutes, keeping proceedings democratic, and functioning as a governing board. There are rules to maintain democratic leadership and decision-making. There are rules that establish a procedure of governance that exists to ensure every citizen wishing to present grievances has the ability and right to do so. These rules maintain civil accountability and discourse in governmental oversight, to protect and maintain a democratic society. I can see that both Miller and Minney know these rules well.

(No, I wasn’t there, but I do subscribe to their YouTube Channel. I can see for myself how it all went down. And there are rules to driving, yes. For example, driving 15 mph in a school zone. And yet no one, NO ONE, feels compelled to enforce that law.)

Having now been educated by Google, I don’t believe board members are there to rubber stamp whatever the school system presents. But your rants also imply that one must have recent, previous education experience to serve on a school board. (According to you, Miller has none, and Minney’s is far too outdated.) Let’s have a look at West Virginia State Code (wvlegislature.gov/wvcode/). School board candidates have to be a county citizen; have at least a high school diploma and cannot be employed by the public school system. Oh, and by law, they are required to take “annually, seven clock hours of training in areas relating to boardsmanship, governance effectiveness, and school performance issues…”

And why do I even care? That’s the question posed the last time I presented my disgust at your reporter’s coverage of school board meetings. I would like to believe I live in a community that understands the principles of basic civics and government, and the basic responsibilities and duties of those we elect.

Are you presenting the civic and community standards our community wants set? Is our community okay with our chosen representatives being attacked, disrespected, and insulted by a convicted felon? Can we allow your pettiness and attitude to set a community standard that dismisses student voices, dismisses the input of the elderly, dismisses our civic rights to be heard and present grievances and concerns?

You speak questionably about children interested in providing student input, accuse girls of lying about body shaming, wonder about “those students” who talk with elected officials, infer that adjustments to the student-related policies are “nit-picking,” imply that the board needs the superintendent’s permission to call a lawyer, imply that women, students and doctors alike, should just get along and behave, and that outdated elders should resign themselves to the rocking chair. Clearly, you aren’t out to make friends either.

Then you note that students need someone to empower them, and then condemn students for thinking their opinions matter. You call for compassion, call out someone’s daughter (Are children not even exempt from your vapid print vomit?), and refer to the adage, “if you don’t have anything nice to say.” I guess reporters and editors are now excepted from such sound advice, and compassion is only for the select few. Certainly not for students who lie, or cheat, or for farmers, doctors, retirees, or school board members.

Are these the journalistic standards we must endure? Shall we be forced to witness our community standards slide down with your journalistic ethics? Your slaps at our board members, and community leaders, are immature and shameful. May I also add unprofessional, crass, nihilistic, as well as disrespectful to the board positions, members, and community that elected them. Please, just stop. No one elected you to represent us. You certainly do not represent me or others in the community who are waiting for you to move to the beach and rid us of your local existence.

The true goal is for all these people to work together and respect each other for the longer-term, greater good. Isn’t it? Is that your goal as well? How do your incessant pot stirrings and insults get us there? You’re not exposing insanity, you are a part of it. You have completely tossed the core journalistic principles of integrity, independence, accuracy, contextual truth, transparency, respect, and fairness.

You don’t get to choose what is too trivial or immature for the board. You don’t get to dismiss the presentation of citizen concerns as “axes to grind.” You have no reason to make a threat (twice) of our school system being taken over by the state, no right to imply these board members will be the cause. Do you even know what conditions require a state takeover? Have you even asked teachers why they are jumping ship? Aren’t the school’s policies supposed to be reviewed and revised on a regular schedule? Have you asked ANY questions? Have you done ANY research? Such dramatization and fear-mongering is beyond pathetic, it’s irresponsible and it is lazy reporting.

Any journalist or newspaper that insinuates a need for “proper education” or “related background” for elected officials and undermines any respect or authority they carry is clearly not supporting a democratic society. Any journalist who attacks the voices or opinions of elected officials, students, citizens, doctors, retired educators, and proper procedure in such a crass manner under the guise of “exposing insanity” has clearly gone insane.

These board members understand their responsibilities more than you apparently do. It is fully and clearly within their right to contact the systems’ attorney, and they don’t need the permission of their chief advisor. In fact, it is fully within their right to question anything and everything they wish, no matter how tedious or inconvenient for you or the superintendent.

 I would hope someone elected by the community to improve morale, student achievement, and answer for any failures in the system would have notes in their handbook, likes and dislikes, policies and procedures they want to change. Someone who cares about students and listens to them. Someone who “nit-picks” to make sure all the i’s are dotted and t’s crossed instead of rubber-stamping the status quo.

I would also hope that all those involved would review the precepts of basic civics and government as noted on the websites I have listed. They certainly won’t get the correct information from you.

                                                                                                     Sincerely,

                                                                                                     Lisa Hayes-Minney