In the Public Forum portion of yesterday’s Board of Education meeting, the first speaker was there to castigate the school system for failing to uphold “Christian Biblical morality.”
That’s odd.
Public schools are for everyone. It is not their mission to preach and teach “Christian Biblical morality” whatever the speaker thinks that is.
The speaker blamed a “DEI framework” for what she deemed to be objectionable, including (but probably not limited to)
- being allowed to decide what sex they are
- God says marriage is between a man and a woman
- God's plan regarding marriage and children
- …and gender
Perhaps the speaker was alluding to these words on the HCPSS website?
HCPSS is committed to creating a welcoming and positive school culture as well as an inclusive environment for all students and ensuring that all backgrounds and interests equally represent the voice of the student body. Students have the opportunity to share their experiences both inside and outside of school and to contribute to programs that promote positive behavior in their school community and foster respect for all cultures and diversity throughout the system.
- welcoming
- positive
- include
- represent
- opportunity
- experience
- contribute
- foster
These are all words that would be at home in the mission statements of many religious institutions, including Christian ones.
What the speaker is arguing for is not Christian biblical morality - - whatever that is - - but for the sole power of one point of view to choose who is welcomed and included.
No, it’s more pointed than that. This speaker demands the power to reject. Reject who will not be welcomed and included. Reject those who will not receive opportunities and experiences. Reject who will not be represented. Reject who will not be fostered.
Reject the contributions and the voices of The Unworthy.
You can try to put religious trappings on this but it has nothing to do with faith. It is about wanting to be the dictator who decrees who cannot come in.
In my personal opinion, there is nothing Christian or moral about this. It is about hate, and the demand that hate be put in charge.
There were students in the room at yesterday’s board meeting. They were subjected to this exclusionary testimony. Does anyone care about how hurtful that is to young people? We require them to be in school. We want them to learn, They, in turn, want mostly to be included and respected.
These words are about learning, including, and respecting:
HCPSS is committed to creating a welcoming and positive school culture as well as an inclusive environment for all students and ensuring that all backgrounds and interests equally represent the voice of the student body. Students have the opportunity to share their experiences both inside and outside of school and to contribute to programs that promote positive behavior in their school community and foster respect for all cultures and diversity throughout the system.
The Public Forum is an open one. It is an important moment in the life of the school system for members of the public to be heard. I don’t want control who gets to speak or the topics they choose. Ironically, it is precisely because the much-maligned school system prioritizes welcoming divergent views that yesterday’s speaker was allowed to get up and advocate for exclusion and rejection.
Funny, that.
And so the door is open. But let us not be silent when someone uses this Forum in a way which is harmful. We, as a community, have a responsibility to call that out. If we do not? We are condoning it.
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