This week, I received what I can only describe as a shock to the system, when I attended the Board of Education Meeting for our school district. I knew the meeting would be slightly contentious as the main topics were around release time for religious education and LGBTQ+ issues in our schools. But, I never imagined that we lived and worked in a community the spews so much hate and misinformation about what is happening in schools. I do not share this with you to break your spirit or bring anxiety your way, but I do feel like many of us, me included, are not aware of what is going on right under our noses.
If you walk into any school in Hilliard, but especially ours, you are greeted with happy kids who love their school and their teachers. You work with staff who are in education for all the right reason and who are advocates for all kids. You live by the mantra that LOVE IS AN INTERVENTION and that we are here to serve EVERY STUDENT WITHOUT EXCEPTION. But, many members of our community are believing and preaching a false narrative about our schools. This includes some of elected officials who are making decision about our schools. On Monday, the Board of Education passed a policy that will allow for the school district to release children from school during the school day to attend religious instruction. The elementary principals reached out to the Board of Education in the form of an email explaining the extreme disruption this would have on the teaching and learning in our schools. Three members of our Board of Education disregarded our concerns in support of the policy and the policy passed. It is clear that we are in a place in our schools in which we have elected leadership that does not support educators. This is where we come in. We must use our voice. We must not let people who are listening to extreme ideologies and extreme false information make decisions that so greatly effect our schools. We cannot sit back and be the silent majority any longer. We must continue to do the positive work we do each day and we must share that work with our community. I will be attending all Board meetings from this moment forward to ensure that the Board sees that the people doing the work in schools are present and aware of the decisions being made that truly effect the work we do. Keep fighting the good fight. Your work matters and it IS respected by many, we just need to make sure those people are the ones whose voices are heard.
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