"Do not disregard me with your clapping fingers, that is disrespectful," admonished a parent at a Moorhead Public School board meeting Monday, Aug. 23.
The debate is raging in school board meetings from Fargo to Grand Forks.
"Are you people getting bought off, to put masks on these kids?" someone asked during a Fargo Public School board meeting in May.
"You have already stolen a year and a half of my child's education for these stupid masks," said at a parent at a Grand Forks School board meeting Monday.
"They are not going to stick an ethylene oxide dipped swab into the blood brain barrier," said by someone attending an East Grand Forks school board meeting Monday.
"That's the other side of this argument, said UND professor Donald Warne at a recent East Grand Forks school board meeting. "These catchphrases, and getting angry and yelling and accusing people of not knowing anything about science. What I am telling you is the science and the truth."
One parent was escorted out of the East Grand Forks school board meeting after accusing a representative of the UND Medical School of lying about the safety of vaccines.
School board members are becoming concerned for their own safety. At times, like in Fargo, meetings have adjourned or paused for a cool down period.
At NDSU's College of Business, the Challey Institute for Global Innovation and Growth is studying civil discourse -- or in some cases, the lack of it. The institute's director, John Bitzan, said civil discourse isn't about trying to shut down differing opinions.
"Civil discourse should mean that you are trying to engage in a conversation to increase understanding," Bitzan said. "It doesn't mean you shut down opinions that don't agree with yours, and I think people think if their opinion doesn't agree with an accepted narrative, that their opinion will be shutdown and I think they have turned to shouting because they are frustrated and feel they don't have a venue for their opinions."
The Challey Institute recently surveyed 1,000 students at 71 universities nationwide. Their findings showed 57% of college students are not willing to share their opinions on sensitive topics.
Across America, groups like Citizens for Renewing America have a toolkit so people can, in their words; "reclaim your school board."
In Moorhead, a Clay County political party urged its supporters to attend school board meetings to oppose masks. And the school board has asked the Moorhead Police SRO to attend meetings.
"We need to move forward and unite, this is the benefit of our most precious resource: our students," said Moorhead Public School superintendent Brandon Lunak.
"discourse" - Google News
August 25, 2021 at 07:10AM
https://ift.tt/2XOArcJ
Area school boards now a hotbed for civil discourse; or lack of it - Grand Forks Herald
"discourse" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2KZL2bm
https://ift.tt/2z7DUH4
No comments:
Post a Comment