That makes the Xenia School Board’s decision to stand back and let its superintendent handle a Charlie Kirk-related controversy all the more impressive.
The district placed two teachers on administrative leave on September 17 for imprudent social media comments on their personal pages following Kirk’s assassination. The board later said a third district employee was also under scrutiny.
About 10 days later, Superintendent Gabe Lofton announced the teachers would return, setting off fury among the “off with their heads” crowd that demanded a pound (or much more) of flesh for dumb behavior.
The board heard the noise and announced, after an executive session, it would vote on the teacher’s fate.
I get why. When school board members go home, they’re a part of the community like everyone else. They go to work, grocery shop, attend local festivals, and so on, all the while encountering community members with an opinion.
In the Republican stronghold of Xenia, I’ll guess the board received comments peppered by talking points like, “Those teachers prove radical left-wing socialists have infiltrated Xenia schools. You need to protect students from an agenda that worships Antifa,” or some such nonsense.
Of course, there’s also the sickening partisan divide that doesn’t stop at the borders of Washington D.C. or Columbus, OH. It’s everywhere, shrouding society like the virus from 28 Days Later (good movie if you like that genre). You say potato, someone else says patahto, and all of a sudden, everyone is the enemy, and one side feels the need to consume the other (just like in the movie).
All the anger, hate, and rage are far worse at a local school board level, a place where people just want to help students and educators thrive.
Overruling the superintendent would have violated the board’s own policies. Here’s what the FAQ on the school board page says, in part:
“The board is a policymaking body and members are the chief advisors to the superintendent on community attitudes. Board members do not manage the day-to-day operations of a school district (my emphasis added). They see to it that the system is managed well by professional administrators. Board members do not evaluate staff, other than the superintendent and treasurer …”
One of the school board members wrote on his Facebook page that he wasn’t consulted about the board’s most recent decision, doesn’t agree with it, and wants to continue the termination process. OK. But social media posts are a two-way street. He’s an obvious Kirk supporter, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But if I were the teachers, I would wonder if his posts would cloud his judgment and make him predisposed to an unfair hearing.
Society tends to reduce issues to a binary choice of good or bad, and that’s way too simplistic in a complicated society. You can only satisfy blood lust for so long before you yourself end up being swallowed.
Look at it this way. The board followed its policies and trusted the judgment of a superintendent who sees a broader picture than the board and the community members, so convinced they are they’re only ones who are right and just.
The board did the right thing from a policy perspective. If you want the moral position, remember this quote:
“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.”
You know who said that?
Charlie Kirk.
Ray Marcano’s column appears on these pages each week.
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