The National School Boards Association shot itself in the foot not long ago, and the wound refuses to heal. It has pitifully torn itself asunder.
It's reported in The Washington Post that its then-acting executive director authorized, with approval of the other officers (but not the board of directors, a fatal flaw), a letter to the Biden Administration telling it about the attacks that have been made on some individual, local school board members that are pretty ghastly and over the top. And yes, there's cause for concern.
But the letter also suggested that these constitute, or approach, "domestic terrorism" and "hate crimes." Those are hot-button phrases that imply pervasive violence. And maybe there is: vaccine issues and the ever-present, phony 'critical race theory' matter have brought parents to school board meetings who sometimes lose their cool. Awful instances have been documented.
I don't have a copy of the letter. I'm not sure how pervasive the problem really is. There has been plenty of press about it. And I have seen no numbers to emphasize attention to the issue. That it has happened at all, though, is quite disturbing and another indication that the normal decorum that regulates most human affairs is continuing to frazzle.
More participation at school board meetings isn't, by itself, a bad thing, as much as more local democracy can serve all of us well. But the rage that people sometimes bring is worrisome, because many are first-time goers, and they assume that the whole world is disintegrating when in fact it's just one little part of a world that they thought they controlled, but didn't.
The article said that some school boards have been forced to end their meetings early to stem the loud protests. That, of course, only made them angrier.
There's nothing wrong with pointing out unprecedented attacks on local school board members, who are connected (or some were) to their state associations that are affiliated with the NSBA, every bit as much as the NEA might send a letter to the White House discussing attacks on teachers who are members of their state associations. Seems to me that that's part of the responsibility of leadership; to point out to otherwise unsuspecting powers-that-be that something's going really wrong out there, and it should be addressed yesterday.
Especially nowadays, one must be careful to be politically correct with the people who complain that others are too politically correct. That is hypocritical, but it is true; they are now busy telling everyone how oversensitized they've become, as if this is news.
But, as one of its board members put it, Fox News grabbed those phrases and ran with them, cherry-picking as it usually does to elicit the greatest emotional reaction. It's not as if leftist blogs don't do the same thing, but Fox is the lighthouse for whiners around which to rally. Score one for them.
Seventeen of the NSBA's former state associations have decided, based on one controversial letter, to break away and form their own group. The NSBA is now in tatters.
The offending interim executive director was, of course, fired, because his efforts to get out in front of what he felt was quite justifiable brought with it too much opprobrium (and he didn't run it past his BOD first, a condemnable error, allowing the monster of second-guessing to enter the fray). His successor is trying to cajole the separating associations to rethink their decision. I don't think he will be successful. In fact, there may be more states that go in another direction, the article says.
This will feed the privatization proponents, who will wave this in the face of prospective parents--especially those with money--and reassure them that peace will only ensue if they break with the system and join theirs. We'll give you exactly what you want and nothing to get upset about.
Spin-off coalitions generate their own momentum, especially if there are no coercive consequences. But there is no better barometer of the kinds of conversations a country is having, and the quality of its democracy, than to look at its schools--
- how much people care about them (not much),
- how much they complain about them (just give them an excuse), and
- how much is actually done (to match the hypocrisy).
This is the perfect place for anti-establishment anarchists (because that's all they really are) to rush in and disperse any consistency in approach, to deconstruct without reconstructing. They think that's a good thing since they don't have to administer anything or go through schooling any longer. Everybody thinks creating a school and running it is easy--until they try it.
It may also be a place, though, for the NEA to step into this problem and first, become more vocal about it in support of the stability of public education; and to coalesce a bit more closely with what's left of the NSBA. The latter may be looking for safe haven and a reliable friend now. The NEA has always had a big tent; it has even allowed ex-gays to have a booth at its representative assembly. This seems to be a place where it can be extended.
If the NEA thinks it can help the NSBA's sinking ship to remain afloat, it ought to try. It might even be easier, in discovering common goals and values, than merging with the AFT, still an apparently impossible lift. You never know.
Be well. Be careful. Get a booster. With some luck, I'll see you down the road.
Mister Mark
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