As part of a homeschool civics class comprised of students in the 7th through 10th grade levels, students were asked to write opinion editorials on topics of their own choosing which reflect current themes in governance and policy-making.
Over the course of the next few weeks the class will be tracking the views of and commentary on their op-eds with the goal of generating as much meaningful community engagement as possible.
A prize will be awarded to the student who is most successful at generating meaningful community engagement with their op-ed.
Thanks so much for partnering with us to create this experience for the children and teaching them to be actively involved in the governance of their community!
Should I Vote for School Board?
by HSC22
With elections just weeks away, now is the opportune time to decide if you will vote and who you will vote for. The election on November 7 is for various positions around Bonner County including mayor, city council and school board trustees. They all contribute to the well being of our town, making it an extremely important decision for the public. Many of us do not realize how big an impact the local government makes on our lives. They are responsible for city water, the streets we drive on, and fire and police departments. Our whole life is shaped by the laws and ordinances in our town. The election is when we as the people get to make a big impact in the government that dictates much of our daily lives.
The school board is a very important topic. The future population of Sandpoint is growing up in government schools right now. Their academic and life skills are on the line when we choose who is in charge. Scott Wood and Jenn McKnight are running in the Zone 1 trustee race for the Lake Pend Oreille School District.
I believe Jenn McKnight is the best choice for the LPOSD board. She has said she is a conservative Christian who cares about her family. She wants children to belong to their family, not to the school. McKnight believes some issues should be taught by the parents. If children learn the right things in school and at home, the next generation will be strong, prosperous, and independent.
Here’s a link to Jenn McKnight’s Facebook page and website McKnightForLPOSD
Scott Wood is the other candidate for school board in Zone 1. In his cover photo on Facebook and on his mailer, it says, “Vote to ensure our schools provide our kids the education they deserve.” Saying our kids implies that he and the community knows what’s best for our children. While each child should have access to a good education, each family and child may have different needs and priorities. The school board does not have ultimate authority over your kids, and should ensure that families don’t just get a say but maintain control over their child’s education.
Here’s a link to Scott Wood’s Facebook page
When elections are non-partisan (like this one is), it can take an elevated amount of discernment to choose who to vote for. Consider carefully how you want the school board contributing to the education of the future generation of Sandpoint.
(Graphics from respective Facebook pages)
Related Article: The Status Quo is NOT Good Enough
Thank you for bringing these local candidates to our attention. I noticed on Facebook that McKnight has received the Bonner County Republicans recommendation.
Good thoughts! Parents are ultimately responsible for what their children learn. It’s important citizens vote for school board since they steward our tax dollars and determine many policies.
Parents should decide what their children should learn
The Schools at issue are a tool to assist, not replace, parents.
Did Scott wood say if he was conservative or a Christian?
What do you suppose he means by his statement “education they deserve”?
You gave a reason to go out and vote
You could go into journalism by your excellent analysis of the issues at hand
We don’t need Christian’s running our schools! There is a separation of church and state for a reason. If you can’t check your religion at the door you have no place being in any political position. Being a politician does not give you the right to shove your beliefs down the throats of your constituents. This is why the republicans party has lost the social vote and the trust of most Americans. They say they are the party of freedom, yet support policies and laws that lock up their political opponents all in the name of safety. I will never vote for any Christian who runs on their faith rather than their ability to represent the people, not proselytize at them.
I find your thoughts interesting and hypocritical to say the least. All elected official bring their beliefs, biases and values to the table when they hold public office and make decisions (like it or not). This is human nature. The question isn’t whether you have biases or leanings, it’s whether you can hold them in check and still effectively serve. This includes superintendents and teachers that shove their rainbow flags/BLM flags and the like (via name tag regalia, t-shirts, signs and posters hung in classrooms), down students’ throats. I agree that if you hold public office, you should not be trying to proselytize anything, including shoving a woke political agenda down voters/students throats. You don’t want proselytizing from Christians, we don’t want proselytizing from the woke mob. It goes both ways.
NoOne, the words “separation of church and state” do not appear in the U.S. Constitution. Still, the concept is enshrined in the first freedom guaranteed by the First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” Known as the Establishment Clause, the opening lines of the First Amendment prohibit the government from creating an official religion or favoring one religion (or nonreligion) over another.
Jefferson immortalized the phrase in a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association. Concerned about their status as a religious minority, the Baptist community penned a letter to the president expressing fear about religious persecution. Jefferson responded, emphasizing that the First Amendment’s free exercise and establishment clauses built “a wall of separation between church and state.”
I hope this gives you a better understanding.
You may wish to undertake further study of the issue about which you are commenting in order to develop a more complete understanding of it.
Note particularly that a prohibition of the US Congress from establishing a state religion does not prevent those of a particular religion from participating in our republican form of self governance and expressing their underlying belief system when doing so, nor was it intended to.
You may also wish to note that the very idea of the governmental limitation that The Establishment Clause creates derives from a Christian worldview.
Finally, you may also wish to consider that our country’s first and finest educational institutions (Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Andover, Exeter, Lawrenceville, et cetera) were all founded as theological seminaries.
You have apparently not actually read or studied the Constitution. The intention of the founders was clear in that they wanted the government to stay out of religion, including not allowing them to establish a state sponsored religion.
This is no way contradicts the fact that this country was founded on Christian principles, as a Christian nation.
No one can even debate the topic without showing their bias, as you have so clearly demonstrated.
I might suggest a course of self-study on the Constitution and Bill of rights to give you more clarity to the issue. Here is a good article you might begin with:
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/establishment-clause-separation-of-church-and-state/
Blessings to you.
I appreciate the way you explained how important it is to vote in our community. I definitely agree that the school board should not have complete authority over children and that the control of children’s education should belong to the parents. Great article.
Very good. I agree that parents are the authority of their children- not the school system.
Very insightful article, and good information. “Think globally, act locally” certainly applies to voting. Our future is in school right now.
I appreciate your well reasoned interpretation of the language the candidates themselves use. Often, these words aren’t scrutinized to the extent that they should be.
Veey impressive article on the school board elections.
Great article! Now I wish I was old enough to vote!