Guillotine drawing out of line

I’m afraid I will have to object in the strongest terms that your editorial decision-making fell WAY short in this week’s Homer News Opinion page.

While I support our First Amendment wholeheartedly, I do not support publishing what amounts to hate speech in our local paper. Mr. Charles D. Graham’s drawing of a guillotine with the name Hillary Clinton etched on the side of this “deplorable mechanism” should have never made it into print in your newspaper. His short letter is one thing, but to publish his drawing of an instrument of brutal death is something else entirely. I get it — the French Revolution’s answer to tyranny is an historic lesson for us all. I have to ask why you didn’t use your editorial clout (and common sense) to nix this expression of violence and hatred?

I’m afraid the little snippet “Editor’s Note” was completely inadequate. What’s it going to be next week? A gas chamber?

Signed,

Eve Baillargeon,

An appalled Homer citizen

Superintendent’s Welcome

Welcome back to the 2017-2018 school year! Our district is very excited to have all of our students, staff, and parents back in school. We are committed to meeting the needs of every individual student every day. This is an integral part of our overall philosophy of strong, positive relationships and providing a high quality educational experience for all of our students.

A responsibility all of us at KPBSD take seriously is to keep all of our stakeholders informed. While our state is continuing to take small steps toward a long-term fiscal solution, we are committed to continue working closely with state and local leaders to find a complete plan that ensures that our children are the highest priority. This means we all must remain engaged in the process.

In the central peninsula, we welcome back our teachers, instructional aides, nurses, custodians, secretaries, bus drivers, and food service professionals—they are the backbone of our district’s success. I am pleased to welcome new school administrators: John DeVolld, Soldotna Montessori; and Jenna Fabian (assistant principal), Mountain View Elementary. We look forward to having these educational leaders in our district.

We invite parents and community members to join us by volunteering in the schools and becoming involved in partnerships to support students. Schools need the help of parents and community members in order to be successful with each student. It is also critical for our students to know that their parents, guardians, relatives, and friends are supportive of their schooling process. A student without this support may at times feel at a loss to find the necessary focus to excel at his or her studies.

I hope to see you in the coming months and wish you a great start to the school year. We look forward to another outstanding school year!

Sincerely,

Sean Dusek

Superintendent