Ashamed

I generally try to keep this blog light and fun. However, something has been nagging at me and I have to speak up. Even if it's just here, for me.

An Open Letter to Johnsburg District 12 from your 1996 Valedictorian.

I grew up in a small town in a northwest suburb of Chicago. It was a town that you felt relatively safe in. We rode our bikes all over town and didn't worry about being snatched or killed. I went to a small public highschool--A little less than 800 students total. I enjoyed my time there, for the most part. However, I was never proud of the administration. We had a Principal who was convicted of driving his boat under the influence of alcohol. Great role model, you say? It gets worse. He completely failed in what could've been a teaching humility and forgiveness moment. What I remember from his apology to the students and staff of Johnsburg High School was one statement--and only a part of it. The part where he did not accept the blame. He said, "when you take a cop, who's mad at the world..." and then I don't remember what he said after that, because what I heard was "the cop was a jerk and should've let me off." Great lesson for your impressionable teenagers--most of them at or near driving age. Well done on that hire, Superintendent.

Johnsburg once again failed in their administration. I read this article and was horrified. You think that the Penn State scandal was a one time thing. But no, Johnsburg pulled a Paterno. They looked the other way while parents complained about inappropriate actions by a coach to his players. The police chief said it didn't constitute criminal activity. Are you saying that a person in authority texting an underage student and asking him about his private parts is not a red flag? There needs to be a zero tolerance policy. The coach should've been IMMEDIATELY fired. A child brings a weapon to school and they are immediately expelled, in order to protect the children. A coach intimidates a student and everyone looks the other way? We have games to win--that's what matters, right? Child safety goes out the window when basketball scores are involved? When did we become a society that values sports above children? WHEN?! You want me to trust that I can send my children to school and they will be safe? How can we do that when three different sets of parents feared for their children and a school district and police department did NOTHING. Now a child has been abused. I hope that you can sleep at night, because I bet that child cannot.