Letters: SCASD board members deserve to be thanked — not chided — for raising concerns
Board members deserve thanks for raising concerns
During a State College Area School District school board meeting, the board debated a motion advanced by Gretchen Brandt and Lori Bedell to reopen schools for in-person instruction for two weeks, followed by full remote. The motion ultimately failed, in no small part due to widespread concern from the community.
One portion of the meeting stood out: when board member David Hutchison chided Bedell and Brandt for bringing forward the motion, calling it “disrespectful.” Other board members echoed this sentiment, though none put it as strongly as Hutchison. As a resident of the school district, I disagree. Although I have concerns about Brandt and Bedell’s proposed solution, there were hard truths motivating it: that waiting until numbers rise may well be too late, among others.
The reality is that even if school-aged children are less likely to develop COVID-19 symptoms, the science is unclear on whether they effectively transmit it. Reopening schools is as much a public health question as it is a question of providing an education. Expressing dissent, having hard discussions, having community engagement and making democratic decisions is never disrespectful — in fact, it strengthens decision-making processes.
Whether we agree with Bedell and Brandt or not, they deserve our thanks — not chiding — for voicing concerns we might rather ignore, and for ensuring that the full range of options are debated by our elected officials.
Fear and loathing in Pleasant Gap
As an older person living in Pleasant Gap the soon return of 50,000 Penn State Students scares me. I am afraid I will get COVID.
I fear the students will get sick, make all of us sick, and overwhelm our local hospital. Normally I love this time of year — fall — in State College, with brisk days, changing leaves, brilliant blue skies, Nittany Lion Football and the returning students. These aren’t normal times. This is a pandemic. Hasn’t the Penn State administration noticed?
Where are you Gov. Wolf? Health Secretary Rachel Levine? Cases of COVID are listed as rising in this county, I just checked the numbers. Can anyone believe having 50,000 college students flood into this county will the make situation better, or will it just lead to chaos? How do you maintain social distance in a dorm or on an elevator? This is plan beyond irresponsible, it’s crazy!
The University of North Carolina tried a similar plan, and has since reversed and sent the students back home. This will happen here, too. If COVID runs wild in this county it will finish our local economy. Fearful people will hunker down in their homes and just not shop at all. Fear and Loathing? I do not loathe my Alma Matter, I fear it. It’s stupidity that I loathe.
Has America fallen off the cliff yet?
I think we have.
We have a president who was impeached but not removed from office by a cowering Senate, was determined to be guilty of obstruction of justice but not chargeable by the Mueller investigation, was an unindicted co-conspirator with former attorney and “fixer” Michael Cohen, brags about “grabbing them by the p---y,” cozies up to racists and white supremacists, is endorsed by the Ku Klux Klan, is widely condemned as a misogynist, sought and took advantage of Russian election interference in 2016 and maintains a suspiciously comradely relationship with Vladimir Putin, sought to have the British Open relocated to his Scottish golf course, seated an attorney general who does his bidding including using the Department of Justice as a political weapon, uses unidentified, non-military mercenaries and soldiers-of-fortune (like those who committed atrocities at the Abu Graib prison) to terrorize (including violations of Geneva Conventions) lawful BLM protesters, has tragically failed to lead a coherent American response to COVID, has begun to cripple the U.S. Postal Service to obstruct mail-in balloting, has fired inspectors general whose job is to provide independent oversight on government activities ... there’s lots more, but I’ll stop there.
We have allowed our government to pass measures, notably Citizen’s United, that has left our legislators indebted to special interests and dark money, and the constitutional system of governmental checks and balances is foundering under ongoing assault. Fasten your seat belts for the first week of November.