"Concerned Students" e-mail Mr. Answer Person about Decorah High School

Posted: Sun, Aug 26, 2018 2:28 PM

("Concerned students" have e-mailed Mr. Answer Person: "The students of Decorah High School have many questions to ask about our school's actions, as they will not give us straight answers. Our first one is this: Why does the school choose to change rules, policies, and scheduling without talking to any students beforehand? We have no representation or say regarding decisions such as this. We have a 'student council' that one can sign up for that serves as a figurehead of sorts. It doesn't meet. We have no representation on the school board either. When choices are made, shouldn't the largest affected population, the students, have the right to express our thoughts on the matter? This situation is eerily parallel to a core event that caused America itself to become independent. Taxation without representation was unacceptable to the American public, and the voices of students being ignored is just as reprehensible."):

Mr. Answer Person says: "You raise some very good issues. However, in order to make changes happen, you'll have to stop e-mailing Mr. Answer Person and start organizing.

You mention that there's a Student Council, but it doesn't meet. So how will it be able to share any student concerns with school administrators? This failure is your fault and not that of school administrators or the school board. So seek out other students who feel the same way all of you do and organize so you can have a way to have your voice heard.

Another idea--meetings of the Decorah Community School Board are open to the public, so send a member of your group to attend the meetings and report back to the student council.

In other words, don't just complain--act! There's a lot of pride on how good a school Decorah High School is, so your comments and suggestions about how to make it better might find more of a receptive response than you assume they will."