For the elections I have been focusing on Critical Race Theory, but that is not the only thing binding candidates across multiple districts. I want to spend this week focusing on the various parts of their platforms, giving each their due.
One consistent issue in Beaverton and Hillsboro, but also huge in Sherwood and West Linn-Wilsonville, is opening up schools, right away, five full days per week.
I can't track every school district, obviously, but I am doing some research and some trends stand out.
That includes some candidates being actively recruited but dropping out later. This includes one in West Linn-Wilsonville and three in Hillsboro.
I only know about the three in Hillsboro because a friend was canvassed in February (a month after Scott Presler was here, could still be a coincidence) and there was a slate of four candidates for Hillsboro School District at that time.
The only person remaining from that slate is Monique Ward. The others apparently dropped out and were replaced by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Regardless, one of the key points the canvassers were making in February -- before vaccine roll-out had increased, and when weather would have posed additional obstacles to ventilation -- was that if they could, they would have the schools open for five full days right then.
It seems more reasonable when they say it now, but I have some concerns.
First of all, I appreciate that they say they want to follow the science. I am concerned that they have a different concept of what that means than I do.
Beaverton School District candidate Saralynn Dougall has cited information from The Epoch Times, Spiked-Online, and Charlie Kirk. These are all far right, and known for not being particularly accurate. Of course, she has also referred to the anti-LGBT Oregon Family Council as a source for truth; it's not surprising.
Also, because she has deleted everything I have posted on her page, rather than engaging with it, I have doubts about the likelihood of her listening to science that does not say what she wants to hear. I have these same doubts about the other candidates.
Let's look at some of the potential concerns about opening.
They have mentioned activities like sports a lot. I get it; our society is built in such a way that after you graduate from high school your opportunities for playing sports, performing in plays, and going to formal dances goes way down. However...
https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/06/health/youth-sports-covid-spread-wellness/index.html
It turns out that sports are a hard thing to do safely. If you think about it, it makes sense. You run into some of the exact same issues with theater and dances. Honestly, having students eat lunches together is probably really dangerous.
Over the past two weeks, Washington County has reported 1237 total cases. More people are getting vaccinated, but there are still enough people out there who are capable of spreading -- and enough people not taking precautions seriously -- that there is still a lot of danger, especially as the virus mutates.
I understand concerns about the students' mental health, but that is assuming that the only possible negative impact on students is not being able to see their friends and do activities. Do you think students will have any feelings if they see their teachers getting sick and dying? Do you think they might feel some guilt if they find family members or friends getting sick after returning to school?
(For myself, the clear lack of concern for teacher safety has been very disturbing.)
There had previously been the belief that young people are less likely to catch the disease, but let's not forget that one of the early casualties last April was the 5 year old daughter of two first responders:
https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/21/us/detroit-girl-dies-coronavirus/index.html
Pediatric COVID cases in the US passed the 1 million mark in November. It is wonderful that the vast majority of them have lived, but they would have been better off not getting sick.
https://www.aappublications.org/news/2020/11/16/covid19children111620
Yes, Beaverton School District students are more likely to be facing other kinds of loss, but those losses are not necessarily helped by schools being open:
https://time.com/5953001/covid-orphans/
I want schools open safely too; I just question how much those words mean the same thing for us.
I think there are too more links that are important.
Viral Visualizations: How Coronavirus Skeptics Use Orthodox Data Practices to Promote Unorthodox Science Online
https://arxiv.org/pdf/2101.07993.pdf
Media Has Ignored The Anti-Vax Movement's White Supremacist Roots
https://readpassage.com/media-has-ignored-the-anti-vax-movements-white-supremacist-roots/
I don't know that any of the candidates are specifically against regular vaccinations, but they certainly seem to run parallel to Coronavirus skeptics in some important ways, and there are definitely some parallels with white supremacy.
Do you want these people in any position of power over schools?
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment