SCHOOLS: Emails raise questions

Is there a secret strategy being used by certain Trustees of School District 271, the superintendent, and others, to introduce special rights for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT) into school district policy? If so, why has this not been done openly and transparently? Why have the patrons of the district been excluded? Email records that have come to light seem to indicate this is the case.

On Nov. 25, 2013, Coeur d’Alene School Superintendant Matt Handelman sent the following email to Chair Hearn:

“I wanted to be sure that you are going to be talking to Dave Eubanks again about this, and our strategy to not engage, but to thank and take into consideration — then talk; about the process at the January Meeting.”

On the same day, Chair Hearn responded:

“I have talked to Dave about this. I will remind him again we are not going to engage Susan Moss and we will discuss the process January per your suggestion. (We’ll see if this gets away from us.) By the way, I talked to Tony Stewart today at the post office. He was aware that this was happening … things get around.

“He thinks it could be like what happened with the city and he agrees to take it slowly and carefully if we can. He said he worked on the city ordinance for many months before it became public. He thought we should get the help of the CEA (Coeur d’Alene Education Association), also this could relate to benefits with same sex couples teachers … He said we should thoroughly research what has been done on this LGBT rights issue locally and beyond. Hopefully, we have time and this doesn’t get a life of it’s own through press attention.”

JACQUELINE MAYO

Coeur d’Alene