Lots of Citizens Express Opinions Before Monday’s LG School Board Meeting
Here’s a round up of the thoughts during the public comment period before Monday’s La Grange school board meeting:
Jerry Harris spoke the board concerning the behavior of the K-9 handler on how he speaks to the students. Mr. Harris is requesting that the school revise the policy on the searches. He is asking that the K-9 handler to wear a body camera. He would also like information on the company that is used i.e. type of training the dog has, certification of handler and dog. He feels this information should be available on the school website.
He would like a complaint process in place. He would like a re-evaluation of the drug contraband search techniques and procedures to ensure students aren’t being subjected to unfair practices and ensure that the searches are as unintrusive as possible and the students are treated with respect during the process. He said, “The majority of these students are not criminals. The majority of Americans are not criminals. But when they have interaction with law enforcement, unfortunately because sometimes law enforcement goes heavy, they get treated like criminals.”
Deanna Lowery-Green addressed the board over the concern about the appropriateness of certain books in the library. She said, “I understand that a mom in the school is concerned about the book “People of Pride.” I do not share this concern. In fact, I applaud the school library for including books of diverse, inclusive viewpoints. Truth is we have LGBTQ+ kids in all of our schools. We also have LGBTQ+ parents in all of our schools. This is not a shameful “secret” that we need to shield our kids from. Honestly, if we approach sexual orientation as a matter of just something that exists, rather than something to hide, we have better equipped our kids to live within the broader world.
“I want my kids to be able to seek out information in the library that they may not feel comfortable asking about at home. I trust that the professionals in the school have placed fact-based, inclusive media that is age-appropriate.”
Jan Hill spoke to the board about good varsity athletes not getting to play as much as they could be playing. One reason she is concerned is that “It is discouraging to them. They are just young kids. And they probably don’t understand why others that are just as good as them get to play the whole game, and they only get to play half the game.” Another reason is that “It is discouraging to the team because they probably know that if the good players on the sidelines or the bench were playing the whole game, they would win more games.”
Jeff Parker addressed the board about his concern over books in the library. He feels that books should not be banned in our public libraries or in our high school libraries, but he feels that library books in elementary libraries should be chosen more carefully. In his presentation, he quoted a letter to the editor by Mary S. Moore in which she said, “Library books for elementary schools are not mandated; they are chosen. There was a designated person, or a committee, who chose this book. They previewed it, they probably read the title several times, they weighed the merits of the book, and then they put it on a list of books to be paid for and ordered. And then, when it was delivered to the school, the choice was made to display it.” He has questioned the process of how the books are chosen. He is requesting that the board “investigate the current decision-making process formally and the external agencies and resources that inform them, work with the administration to develop a library materials process that balances academic rigor with freedom and the morals and parental prerogative of the citizens of this district, not the culture outside, take into account that for elementary age children, their parents and religious leaders, as well as their teachers and school administration are the adults in the room that are together responsible for defining what is appropriate for them to see and what is not.”