This morning I saw a video clip of a self-righteous young politician in North Carolina berating a school board during “public comment.”  Apparently the board has mandated that children have to wear masks in school.  The man strongly disagreed with the requirement that children be required to wear masks.  But rather than simply presenting his view, he went on a personal attack. As the news cameras rolled, he accused the board of pushing a political agenda and ignoring science.  And the applause line was the accusation that the board members were abusing children. 

Abusing children.  It takes a lot of arrogance to accuse school board members of child abuse. School board members serve the community by making tough decisions. Those decisions are sure to please some people and displease others.  That’s inherent in the job.  Board members have an incredibly difficult job, for which they receive no pay and little thanks.  They deal with three things that people hold dearly—their children, their money, and their values. 

It takes a bit of humility to acknowledge that there are good arguments on all sides of this mask-wearing debate.  School board members, with rare exceptions, are doing their very best to make those decisions in the best interests of the school district.  It would be nice to see the rhetoric cool down a bit. It would be nice to see people publicly acknowledge the service that our school board members offer.  It would be nice to see people thank them for doing their best…even when they make decisions we don’t like. 

DAWG BONE:  THANK A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER TODAY.

Got a question or comment for the Dawg?  Let me hear from you at jwalsh@wabsa.com. 

Tomorrow: Cooper v. Kingsville ISD….relevant again.