GRISSOM, THOMPSON: Good for Lakeland students and parents

Election day has come and gone and that warrants some reflection. As a mom of three in the Lakeland School District, the election of our school board trustees had my attention. What direction would voters want our community headed in? In 2019, Ramona Grissom and Michelle Thompson were elected. During their four years on the school board, these two trustees helped to re-open the schools in the fall of 2020 without face masks, worked to keep our schools focused on education and advocated for parental rights.

Now in 2023 Trustee Michelle Thompson earned 4X as many votes to win with 63% of the votes. Trustee Ramona Grissom more than doubled her votes to win with 62% of the votes. In all voter turnout went from 990 votes for these two zones in 2019 to 2,670 votes cast in 2023. This community has spoken, and I am grateful that they did.

At a school board meeting on Nov. 13, Trustee Ramona Grissom discussed a document she had drafted titled, “A Resolution in Support of Parental Rights in Education.” The board acknowledged the multiple Idaho state laws that support parents having the fundamental right and duty to make decisions concerning their children’s education. Four out of five trustees voted to approve this resolution: Trustees Ramona Grissom, Michelle Thompson, Randi Bain and Dave Quimby. Trustee Bob Jones notably abstained.

What a wonderful way to support the parents in the district, as well as to recognize what our community voiced loud and clear with this election — we want our schools to reflect our values, and we choose representatives whom we trust to keep our schools focused on the fundamentals of education.  

JACQUELINE MYERS

Rathdrum