The recent Democrat Primary Election for Commissioners brought out a very ugly playing of the “Race Card” by Commissioner Candidate Massa Eddie Holbrook. The multiple playings of racially offensive lyrics to young black children at Washington Elementary School to the suspensions of High School Students at Burns High School for having “flags” on their personal cars in the parking lot and refusing to take them down. All intended to split the black community against itself and split the black and white communities too. That playing of the race card worked too as Massa Eddie, with all his self described accomplishments only squeaked through the Democrat Primary after spending tons of money.
Presently, a number of citizens have loudly complained to the School Board at their May 14, 2018 meeting about the offensive song. The Burns suspensions are still up in the air. And the school board has provided no answers to citizens about any of these issues. Perhaps some of the School Board members should call for a full CCS investigation into what CCS Board Policies call for in these instances followed by a full disclosure in open session about whether or not School Board Policies covered these situations adequately. Actually, this could be added to the CCS Agenda at the very next gathering of the School Board scheduled for June 11, 2018. Whether they call it a meeting or a workshop. Public input should be mandatory.
But, that is not exactly what this article is about. Not exactly, but close. Very close.
After the Citizens Participation at the May 14th School Board meeting; after most had left, including the TV News Cameras that were now gone and during discussion of Board Policy 3226-4205 Internet Safety-School Board Member Roger Harris decided the Cleveland County Schools were above the law. Law that had been well settled by the US Supreme Court in the landmark case of Tinker v. Des Moines Board of Education in 1969.
In fact the basic rulings from that case had been previously incorporated into the unrevised policy that stated “School System Personnel may not restrict Internet access to ideas, perspectives, or viewpoints if the restriction is motivated solely by disapproval of the viewpoints involved.” Folks, this wording came straight from the US Supreme Court in the Tinker v. Des Moines case and had been included in the original policy. It should also be noted that this Supreme Court decision would also apply to the Confederate Flag issue as well as issues where a student would access Bible verses, Bible stories and Biblical teachings. The Ten Commandments too. And Roger Harris wanted that First Amendment protection, well settled law, taken away from students by the nitwits on the Cleveland County School Board. Harris’s reasons were deceptive as always. Harris even allowed as that sentence advocated the First Amendment but he didn’t want students looking up terrorist information on how to build bombs or the KKK. He wanted teachers to be able to prevent students from blowing themselves up. Well, we don’t want students building bombs either and neither does the US Supreme Court. Harris had “conveniently” overlooked the fact that the restrictions could not be SOLELY motivated by disapproval of the viewpoints. Key word is “SOLELY.” The board unanimously approved Harris’s unconstitutional amendment to that Board Policy.
Perhaps a better idea would have been for CCS to teach more from textbooks than from computers that can access instructions to build bombs. But, that was not the purpose anyway. The purpose is to continually restrict students from Biblical teachings of right and wrong. And replace those Biblical teachings with what the nitwits at CCS as well as State and National school boards want to teach our children. And to keep parents out of the loop too.
And we have already seen how that is turning out. Badly. Our students are indoctrinated not educated. CCS students are graduating and 46% cannot read at grade level or count to 100. With the Roger Harris’s of the educational system, next year we will be graduating students that 56% cannot read at grade level and can’t count to 50.
As far as removing the text to the policy described above, why did the CCS Board of nitwits not talk to their lawyers they are paying big money to advise them on how to revise CCS policies?
Anyway, folks, contact your school board members and demand explanations on all these issues at the next gathering on June 11, 2018 at 6 PM. Bring a ton of people with you. TV Cameras too. Let’s play some “race cards” of our own.