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!
What is the Coroner’s Responsibility
by HSC26
I will start by giving you the definition of coroner that I got out of Oxford Languages. It states, “an official who investigates violent, sudden, or suspicious deaths”. A coroner can be either elected or appointed into their position. The coroner generally works with the sheriff’s department. What does the job of a coroner entail? The coroner will host early investigations of the body to figure out the death. They can also say if an autopsy is needed. If they do decide that an autopsy is needed, they can either do it or send the body off to a laboratory to have the autopsy done. Another part of their job is that they assist the law enforcement with investigations. The position also requires them to fill out death certificates, speaking with the family of the person that had passed, keeping records by documenting evidence and recording information and filing information. They can also help the relatives of the deceased get insurance and burial benefits by giving them information on how to get it. Believe it or not in most states coroners don’t have to be physicians or forensic pathologists. There are only four states that require coroners to be a physician and Idaho is not one of them. Did you know that the coroner is the only person that can arrest the county sheriff. However, in Idaho there has only ever been one sheriff who has been arrested and charged with crimes. The office of coroner or “crowner” dates back to medieval days when the crowner was responsible for looking into deaths to be sure death duties were paid to the King.
Sources
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/what-is-a-coroner
https://www.cdc.gov/phlp/publications/coroner/training.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coroner
I was pleasantly surprised to see this topic, and you covered some very valuable information.
Bonner county coroner, Bob Beers, is a very accessible person that is quite helpful in all areas. (He is also a funny guy.)
You have done well to enlighten the people on more info that can be vital to them. Good job!