Response to Steven's Email

[You might want to skip down two posts and start reading from there as that is where this exchange starts.]

Steven,

Again, I would like to take a moment to thank you for your time in responding to my concerns. I truly appreciate your response and always gain new insight through your comments. There is one paragraph in your response that I would like to respond to that I believe is at the root of my own frustration:

"That is not to say that parents won't be heard. We just have to remember that parents have absolutely no accountability. They are not held to facts or decisions. They can freely change positions and arguments without consequences. They are advocates in the purest sense and have no obligation to see any other side of an issue besides their own. That's their role, but we need to remember that when making decisions."

This appears to be a strong justification for not listening to parents or rather classifying them as only caring about their own point of view and being without obligation to understand the view of the district or the more far ranging implications.

Parents do have accountability. I look accountability in the eye each day when I get them out of bed.

Parents will be judged for freely changing positions. I have seen parents on our email discussion list that swap positions freely lose credibility rapidly. I have also seen parents with deep reflection change position with great purpose and acknowledgment of diverse perspectives. I can guarantee that every parent on the leadership committee is being continually judged and accepts that as part of the position as well.

Parents have every need to see every side of the issue as we know that approaching a far reaching decision from a narrow perspective gives us no credence. This is the exact reason why Parents Concerned About Weaver Lake Elementary became Save District 279. This is exactly why we welcomed everyone to participate in our email discussion and one does not need to dig deeply into the archives to see the diversity of opinion and the openness of all parents.

"Parent" is a label that gets everyone into trouble. Many, many of us are leaders throughout the community, in our churches/synagogues/place of worship, and careers. We regularly demonstrate deep understanding and commitment (obligation) far beyond the perspective of simply being a parent. (Which I have come to find out is never really simple or narrow.)

I would ask you to reconsider your assessment of parents holding "absolutely no accountability" and "have no obligation to see any other side of an issue besides their own."

After all, you are a Parent.

Best regards,
Derek Haidle