Non-residents don't speak for WBCSD

Today I am writing as an individual who wants to clarify a few important items that are dear to my heart regarding the status of the WBCSD.

First, it disturbs me that there are individuals who do not reside in our district who are writing about how we feel about our newly selected superintendent. Let me assure you, they do not speak for me or many other constituents.

Second, as a parent in WBCSD 83, I can certainly say that many of us are not happy with the selection of superintendent, nor are we happy about being misrepresented by our school board. We have emailed hundreds of letters and spoken up in disagreement with our board’s decisions.

Parents are fearful for their children’s futures. At the last board meeting, I witnessed a well-known state representative put her hands on a preschool teacher for taking photos of her notes. She was intimidated by parents giving interviews. I watched as members of the “Priest River Patriots” taunted parents with gestures and with claims that “you lost,” while others held cameras at the ready in order to catch aggression or hostility. I watched as these self-proclaimed patriots told a mother with four special needs children that “we deserved what was happening” due to the loss of staff that would be needed to help her children succeed. Let me assure you, those individuals are inciting hostility, and they most certainly are not speaking for me or this community.

NIKELLE COLLINS

Priest River