Petition drive not the answer on state school board

I don’t often find myself agreeing with the columnist who fills the space in the bottom right corner of this editorial page each week. But I’m making an exception this week when it comes to a petition drive regarding the State Board of Education.
    The drive to abolish the state board is not the answer. There have been a lot of reasons this past year to want to see them gone, however. Most notably was the way they handled their proposed health education standards for Nebraska’s public schools.
    As bad as the some of the proposals were, including pushing gender identity and non-traditional family structures in lower elementary grades, it wasn’t nearly as despicable as how board members excluded conservative viewpoints as the proposals were put together.
    The state board has severely tarnished its reputation due to some elitist decisions on this issue made by individuals on the board—individuals who can be replaced. That’s where
concerned Nebraskans need to focus their efforts, rather than passing a petition.
    We should not be like others whose first response to a differing opinion is to abolish that group or destroy the individual’s reputation.
    We should not mirror the actions of groups like Black Lives Matter, and some of their members who promote abolishing police, as an example, instead of replacing those who overstep boundaries. While that appears to be the norm on the national level, that’s not Nebraska.     
    Those backing the petition drive suggest the oversight of the Department of Education be moved to the Governor’s office. I’d rather see legislative changes be made in the board’s power, rather than giving all that power to one person who happens to be governor at the time.
    But more so, we need to support and campaign for candidates who promise to listen to Nebraskans when putting forth policy (and school standards). Elections have consequences. It’s within voters’ power to replace board members who blatantly show disregard for many, many parents, grandparents and others across the state.
    Equally important is to become better informed and watchful of what’s going on in our schools and with those people controlling much of what’s taught to our children.