Parents have the magical gift of transforming themselves into children sometimes.
That was evident at last week’s special meeting to decide the fate of Osoyoos schools.
Agreed, tensions were running high and parents were very upset at the board’s decision to close the high school. (We would be too.) But there was no need for the rude and hurtful outbursts, such as, “You are a disgrace!”
School board chair Marieze Tarr, who voted against closure, was rudely interrupted, and at one point, couldn’t even answer questions because parents were interjecting and talking over her.
Another comment came from Save Our Schools organizer Brenda Dorosz, who said, “If you mess with this community you will pay.” (We’re not totally sure what that means, but she noted there would be an exodus of students from School District 53, and that plans are underway to establish an independent school.) We do know that independent schools are very costly. It remains to be seen if parents will support (or can afford) such a facility.
We totally empathize with Osoyoos parents, particularly those who are bitter about out-of-town trustees deciding the fate of their school. It doesn’t seem right, but many boards operate that way, including the regional district, where members often vote on issues that are in someone else’s backyard.
Ironically, Oliver trustee Rachel Allenbrand fought successfully to keep Tuc-el-Nuit school from closing five years ago, but voted to shut down Osoyoos Secondary. Granted, the circumstances were different at that time because the district was facing a funding protection shortfall, not a $1.1 million deficit
Would the same Oliver trustees have voted to close Tuc-el-Nuit school this time around? It’s an interesting question, but we believe they would have since nothing would have changed the situation – the deficit still needs to be dealt with, and trustees refuse to let classrooms suffer.
When we heard about the volatility at the school board meeting, it made us think of the recent brawl among visiting parents at the Sun Bowl Arena. Now that was ridiculous, resulting in a husband accidentally punching his wife in the nose during the fracas.
Who were the 10 year olds . . . the parents or their children? The police said alcohol was a contributing factor, but at least one of the visiting teams disputed this and appeared to downplay the incident.
Some parents need to be better role models for their kids by demonstrating respect and control, particularly in public.
Teaching your kids that it’s okay to insult elected officials at a public forum or get into fisticuffs over a hockey game is not being a responsible parent.
We often tell our children to “grow up.”
Well . . .
Lyonel Doherty, editor
