To the Journal editor:

After attending the Marquette Area Public Schools Board meeting on Jan. 6, it is my opinion as a concerned parent and community member that the meeting showed that this community can come together to civilly discuss a delicate, two-sided debate.

While there were a lot of strong emotional arguments from both sides of the issue, only one stood out with a confrontational tone. It was shocking and heart breaking to hear a grown man deliver a speech that accused the school board, administration, teachers, and most sadly, some students, of deliberately bringing this issue to the community to create division in the community.

The accusations include teaching a student to become a suicide bomber, and further singling out a student as a suicide bomber.

Ironically, he accused this “progressive mob” of using and abusing our children and our community without consideration or “protection of the children” while he verbally attacked and labeled a student sitting in the audience as a suicide bomber.

He didn’t reference this student by name, but instead made references that would clearly identify the student he was hurting with this label.

It’s a heart break that he felt that somehow this was something he considers “protecting” this child. No person on the school board, administration, or teacher would ever stoop to call a student a suicide bomber which is a direct reference to a terrorist.

After listening to three hours of fairly reasonable discussion and debate, I am left wondering why this individual felt it necessary to use and abuse the meeting to launch hurtful and many false accusations at a tremendous number of well intentioned people.

I would ask this individual if he could find it in his heart to offer an apology. The adults who were attacked will likely weather the insults, but the students they attacked will never forget the meeting where they were belittled by this individual.

The cheering of some adults and fellow students following the speech would have sealed it in their memories forever. If he can’t find it in his heart to apologize to the “progressive mob,” could he possibly find it in his heart to apologize to the one student he singled out and labeled a terrorist.

That’s the very least he could do. If his intention is to hurt, scare, and humiliate this student, he has accomplished his goal.

JAMES RANDALL

Marquette