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Board policies need corrections TO THE EDITOR: I have gained quite an education about the school system here by simply trying to attend the monthly board meeting. What you are about to read is humorous, frustating, and dumbfounding all at the same time. It started last year when I contacted senator Whitehead and Rep. Channell to attend a school board meeting with me to see about updating the figures to get the new school going. They both said yes. This was the easy part. The hard part was the system here allowing us to address the board. The policy here is the superintendent has to meet with you first, and may or may not approve you going to the board. This policy violates the law and our civil rights; To address our elected officials directly. A few months ago, I tried again to address the board members on two issues and was cut off. The superintendent knew of the one item fiveweeks in advance and allowed me to compliment a Principal, the other two weeks in advance and purposely omitted it from the agenda. This item was a recurring problem with theft in the band room and can be verified by the state education commissioner's officeand a board member. I finally had to follow the advice of the state education commissioner, Portmans music, and our superintendent and filea police theft report during the board meeting. The irony is I tried eveiything possible to avoid having to filethis theft report. The frustating part of this is the board is knowingly breaking the law by not allowing us to speak directly to the board members. This is not my opinion but fact and is backed by the following governmental organizations. State secretary of Education, Federal education commissioner, several attorneys, law professors, chief justice office.The law is you have the right to speak directly to the board members without being filtered by the superintendent and the school board policy is clearly violating the law. The only reason I am writing this letter is an attempt to allow the board to make the necessary policy corrections on their own, before a judge forces them to, and to follow and be held accountable to these same rules you expect our students to. I would hate to see this school system lose matching funds money from the state and federal government. The officeslisted above said this could happen. Our kids deserve better.
BRIAN WOOD
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