"...we can do it without some of the specifics that are in the RIDE guidance that I don't think fit with our community," said Committee Member Lori Wycall.
We all on some level want local control, but history tells us that there are times when local control supports policies that are racist, sexist, homophobic that the rest of the body politic has realized are very harmful and makes a larger statement to make sure the pockets of hate are not allowed to harm anyone. Now it is possible that Westerly could come up with a policy that protects kids even better than the state policy, but given what I read, I sort of doubt it.
We all on some level want local control, but history tells us that there are times when local control supports policies that are racist, sexist, homophobic that the rest of the body politic has realized are very harmful and makes a larger statement to make sure the pockets of hate are not allowed to harm anyone. Now it is possible that Westerly could come up with a policy that protects kids even better than the state policy, but given what I read, I sort of doubt it.
The state policy is perfectly adequate for any population. The Westerly folks are no different than any other community.
It’s pretty likely that the “special” local policy will be discriminatory, harsh and cruel to those that the RI state policy sort to protect.
School committee members should be held accountable for creating policies that harm children.