Letters to the Editor

Dear editor,  I would like to thank Mr. Daniel McGuire for his letter to the editor last week. Mr. McGuire addresses freedom of speech in the United States. He points to the Bill of Rights and the prominent place freedom of speech occupies in that document and in American culture.  In responding to Mr. McGuire’s letter, I wish to draw different conclusions than he does about public education today. As I see it, it is free speech that is at the heart of rethinking what we teach about American history in public schools. When you look at the teaching of U.S. history until very recently, you will find that Native Peoples and Blacks and other American minorities have not had a voice in the stories we have told ourselves about our nation. These people were denied freedom of speech for hundreds of years. Indeed, at the founding of our nation it was only propertied white males who could express themselves politically in public settings and through the vote. As I see it, the broadening of curriculum to capture diverse experiences in our children’s education is exactly what we should be doing today. This does not diminish the greatness of this country. Indeed, it is all part of creating what the preamble of the U.S. Constitution calls “a more perfect union.”  Let me turn now to the upcoming school referendum. Mr. McGuire seems to be framing the vote on increasing local funding for River Valley Schools with a set of freedom-of-speech questions. It seems he is suggesting that we vote yes on the referendum only if the district is “brave enough” to deny free speech to various minority groups within our community. Such thinking is flawed, especially considering the very premise Mr. McGuire uses in his own letter. And truth be told, the referendum on April 5 is about whether we as citizens are willing to pay a bit more to maintain current services to our students and families. I believe we should vote yes on that basis. River Valley Schools needs our support.  As to Mr. McGuire’s argument that parents need the State Legislature to protect them, I do not believe parents need a bill of rights as spelled out in AB 963. The public does not need protection from educators and the public schools. Mr. McGuire himself was a school board member, and I thank him for his service to the community. As a former school board member, he is familiar with the democratic give and take that makes this a wonderful place to live. Parents and grandparents have the opportunity every day to be active participants in their children’s educations, both at home and in the public schools. The place to have these discussions is in the local school district, not in the State Legislature.  Sincerely, Patrick Hagen Spring Green