Being one of the few black members of this community I feel compelled to comment on the issue of whether or not there should be school on Martin Luther King Day.
There has always been school on MLK Day and I remember being told when I was in school that I personally could not attend that day and would probably not be penalized for it. I’ve always had an issue with it, but as of late the reasoning behind why I feel the way I do has changed.
I think that having school on this day is okay as long as there is something significant that is being done to acknowledge Dr. King. There should absolutely be a speaker on that day and if there is no speaker that can be scheduled then the school should put the effort in and have a special assembly.
The thing that I really take issue with and feel is extremely disrespectful is the fact that our district chooses to have school on MLK Day on a Monday and yet the kids are not in school on that Friday. There is absolutely nothing in me that feels that is okay. If it’s decided to hold school on MLK Day fine, but specifics of the holidays in relation to the four-day weeks needs to be examined a little closer in the future.
Lesli Higgins
Grand Marais
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