Save Our Schools

The universal meaning of the distinctive Morse code sequence known as SOS historically has been meant to indicate extreme distress especially for ships at sea—"Save Our Ship” was a phrase used to make it easy to remember the order of the dots and dashes of the distress code. Over time the meaning has expanded to indicate other areas of distress. For me, the current need for which we generally need to turn our attention is to Save Our Schools. Not that schools are doing bad things. It is that a small, vocal, and politically-motivated band of misdirected people are irrationally attacking our schools in such a way that it interferes with the schools’ mission of educating our children.

We need to save our schools from some of the same people who believe that vaccines include microchips from which the government can know our every move, that the last presidential election was stolen, and that a group of pedophiles operate out of the basement of a pizza parlor in Northwest D.C. They pay little or no attention to scientific fact unless it supports their cause, and they often express a longing for a return to a time that never really existed.

We need to save our schools from those who view their rights to free speech and assembly as opportunities to disrupt public meetings of duly elected persons responsible for governing our schools. They use shouting and vile speech and even sometimes have resorted to throwing things at school board members.

Even more concerning to me, as this small band of book burners who do all they can to bring mistrust to schools by second-guessing teachers and administrators with dubious and mostly false information, are the politicians who use the confusion and doubt about what they term “government schools” for their political gain. In my view, there is no more important task of government than educating our children. Yet, there are those elected to office who are the biggest enemies of free public education.

Our last election for governor in Virginia brought forth the negative reactions to public schools that are being seen throughout the country. The new governor railed against Critical Race Theory and divisive concepts that left those who know about schools in our Commonwealth scratching their heads as to what he was talking about. His appointments of at least two individuals from other states who were known for the disruption of schools caused further doubt. It is becoming increasingly clear that he is in a race with others for public attention to build a national profile for whatever his ambitions are by using public schools as his punching bag.

I have the honor of having worked for the public schools for thirty years. My wife was a teacher as are two of our children. I have lived during the period when the schools glorified by some as the good old days graduated fewer than half the children who entered them to a time when all children are educated to realize their full potential. We cannot allow a small band of misdirected individuals destroy what is a hallmark of our country. Join me in helping to save our schools by speaking out on their behalf.