Viewpoints
White Cliff - what now?
by Lynne Miller
June 09, 2004
Wednesday
What was truly garnered from a public forum on the issue of the
closure of White Cliff school when the only appreciated sentiment
was "do something but don't affect me" or better yet
"just affect those White cliff kids". 100 people agree
- but did they truly represent the best interests, first and
foremost, of holding before them a honorable solution to housing
this total body of 270 school children next school year? Children
across this island are taught daily to SHARE, TO OFFER THEMSELVES
TO OTHERS IN FRIENDSHIP AND FELLOWSHIP. Child friends and strangers
are even encouraged to CONCEDE AND ACCOMMODATE. We adults are
judged in the end by how we get along - not how we hunker down
and/or turn our heads away from being role models of proper all-inclusive
behavior and attitude to all our island's children - not just
our own.
Parse White Cliff children out because they have the misfortune
to have "leaders" in this very school district who
state the public is in "denial" about a appropriate
solution to this issue and yet, once again from these very leaders
I fear that tonight the "solution" will again be clothed
in denial from them, in statements of concessionary actions made
simply because - we better "not affect other children".
Down the line, past this immediate school crisis, in my opinion,
this school district is in dire need of a total redistricting
of our schools to FORCE proper management and utilization of
our school buildings, not so that next year or the school year
after that Houghtaling or North Point Higgins won't be next to
be so shoddily dealt with when a crisis happens upon their schools.
Lynne Miller
Ketchikan, AK - USA
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