In a recent interview with Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools Superintendent, Dr. Michael Thomas, he states that “we’ve got to make sure that we’re in sync with our community and that our community is taking a stand for what is best for our students.”
This could not be more true.
This district does need to get in sync with this community. The district could start by openly acknowledging that this community is not systemically racist. Prior Lake-Savage Area School children are not being raised by parents that teach their children to be racist. There is not a need for the schools in this community to teach our children about their “implicit bias.”
This community is taking a stand for what is best for our students. This is done by demanding transparency from elected officials and district administration. Also, by holding those same people accountable for fiscal responsibility, especially when it comes to spending hundreds of thousands of tax payer dollars for culturally responsive training to “help” our children to identify those implicit biases.
The real question is, how does revisiting this incident help the district achieve these goals?
It doesn’t.
Why bring further shame to innocent children that had no involvement in these incidents? Why continue to drive a wedge in this community while we are trying to heal and move forward? Why would a person that was not present for this “part of our story” be interested in drawing negative attention to our community again?
But ultimately, the most important question is…
How do you think Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools has been doing in the past 4 years?
If you aren’t happy with how things are going, VOTE 4 CHANGE!
All of this division and chaos has culminated under the current school board directors’ guidance. Is it really in the best interest of our community, and more importantly, our students, to re-elect those same leaders or is it time for change?
Which part of our community do you think you speak for? It certainly is not most of the people I know or me. Acknowledging systemic racism and white privilege is not shameful. It is honest. What is shameful is that the people you listen to and you won’t acknowledge our history, learn from it and then find solutions. We should learn from our history and chart a future path that will be equitable, inclusive and celebratory of all cultures, races and ethnicities that make up our country.