Douglas County: A Sign of Things to Come

This past February, the Douglas County School Board voted 4-3 to end the contract of the superintendent. It was a contentious meeting and has since made headlines beyond our local area. Anger. Sadness. Betrayal. Potential lawsuits. It would be great drama if it weren't so painful.

The lesson of Douglas County is this: Parents, know your place. Stand your ground. Many are with you.

While there was a lot of discussion over various concerns, it struck me that there's one core issue at the center of the entire situation. And this one issue will be at the core of an untold number of disputes all across school systems in the future. Phrased as a question, the issue is this: who has ultimate authority over children? Is it the state/institution, or is it the parents? If you peel everything else away, four of the board directors have evidenced that they believe it should be the parents. Three of the directors, along with the superintendent, have evidenced that they believe it should be the state/institution. And that, friends, is the rub. More accurately, the great divide that is not likely to be bridged or healed any time soon.

As large as this issue is in Douglas County, unfortunately it's only a microcosm of what's going to be happening nationally in the coming months and years. School boards that operate as oligarchies will either be challenged and lose, or else win and tighten their grip around this vulnerable thing we call a constitutional republic.

Parents, you need to decide who God has ordained to be the ultimate authority over your child's life. This is not an academic or theoretical question. This question, and your answer, will have direct bearing on how you engage the complexities your child will have to walk through in a public school system. You will be told that your job is to sit back, let the "experts" take care of your kids, and just trust the system. And hopefully we'd all agree we need to do our best to honor and follow those in positions of authority. But friend, when those in positions of authority begin implementing policies that are hurtful to your child's physical, emotional, or spiritual well being, you're called to stand up, not sit down. Challenge the system. Don't bow to it.

Parents, God has called you to be the ultimate authority in your child's life. Not an administrator or doctor or school board member. You! Don't use that as an excuse to be unnecessarily rude or mean to your child's teacher or administrator. But absolutely, without question, DO use that as a reason to take firm and final action when someone enacts policies that are detrimental to the values and beliefs you're instilling into your children.

The lesson of Douglas County is this: Parents, know your place. Stand your ground. Many are with you.

Reprinted with permission by community member.