I regret it’s taken me so long to write this, but better late than never: I want to extend my support to the United South Central school board. I am incredibly disappointed in the way recent events have been portrayed in the media and am disturbed by comments I’ve heard from people within and outside this community.

First of all, I have no ill will toward Alyssa Drescher and actually feel quite sorry for her that she has been led down this path. Had she been advised to take responsibility for her actions in the beginning, I believe she would have been much happier with the outcome.

Unfortunately, I see a trend in our culture to place blame, make excuses and avoid responsibility at all costs. This is not the case for everyone, however, as there have been three other students at USC who were expelled in the recent past for bringing weapons to school, but we didn’t hear about that because they accepted the consequences and moved on with their lives.

Second of all, the argument that the punishment did not fit the crime is ludicrous to me. Days after this incident a girl was stabbed for declining to go to prom with a schoolmate, then bombs were found at a Waseca playground, and on May 7 the Albert Lea Tribune’s big headline addressed the injustice being done to Miss Drescher with a much smaller headline underneath “Boy chases mates with knife.” I am grateful that the USC school board chose to err on the side of caution and send the message that weapons will not be tolerated in our school. Can you imagine the uproar if they decided to be lenient and then an incident resulting in an injury occurred?

At any rate, let us remember that the members serving on the school board do not serve for money or glory. They are human beings who serve because they care and want to do a good job. School board members are compensated minimally for their time and have to take a lot of criticism and guff. To all who have chosen to address them with disrespect, spite or threats: shame on you. It is perfectly acceptable to disagree with their decision, but do so respectfully. And please remember that this decision is not the only marker in which to measure USC as a whole. Yes, USC is imperfect; I know of no perfect school. There is much to be proud of and celebrated.

Regardless of whose side you are on, I hope we all learn from this experience. Let’s set a better example for our youth and disagree gracefully. I want to send the message that disagreeing with someone does not make you or them stupid, arrogant, wrong or crazy. We are all entitled to our opinions. However, we will be more successful at finding solutions when we are willing to listen to opposing points of view.

 

Whitney Warmka

Wells