KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
ANDREW CUTLER
Publisher/Editor
ERICK PETERSON
Hermiston Editor/Senior Reporter
TuESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2021
A4
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
Accountability
remains a
key pillar of
democracy
P
ublic accountability is one of the
most important elements of a democ-
racy, and that means elected officials
must never forget they are beholden to their
constituents.
Seems like an easy formula to under-
stand, and it’s probably so well known
a facet of public work in our nation that
many take it as a given when reviewing
the discourse between elected leaders and
voters.
Yet sometimes, for myriad reasons,
elected officials will either forget or ignore
that time-honored maxim of democracy.
When such events occur, voters need to
pay close attention.
Out here in Eastern Oregon, inside small
communities, it can be easy to forget the
traditional fundamentals of democracy.
Inside small communities we are famil-
iar with each other. Often we’ve attended
the same grade and high schools. Or one
of us owns a business and we’ve become
acquainted through daily or weekly
purchases. When elected to a key local
post, it can be easy to forget that roles have
changed, and while individuals who hold a
public post still are familiar, they now must
operate under the rules of democracy.
When a local resident holds down an
elected position, the person faces an array
of different responsibilities regarding their
actions. They work for the voter. They
do not get to do what they want to do on
their own. They can’t simply decide on an
action and go through with it and ignore
the time-honored procedures and policies
of democracy.
Whether they like it or not, elected lead-
ers are governed by an overarching system
of democracy that demands transparency.
Without transparency, government can —
and does — become less of a helpful tool
for the people and more of an impediment
to liberty.
We understand, and voters should,
too, that our elected representatives are
truly citizen lawmakers. Almost across
the board, the men and women who serve
on county commission or on city coun-
cils mean well and try to do the best they
can for their county or city. They are there
because they care and deserve support.
However, such support doesn’t mean
looking the other way when a local
lawmaker uses the shade provided by
government bureaucracy to avoid being
transparent. When such an episode occurs,
the voters must review such actions as seri-
ous and respond to them accordingly.
We all want a government that works, is
effective and we want our elected leaders to
succeed. Yet voters must never settle for a
lack of transparency, no matter how trivial
the matter may appear.
EDITORIALS
Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the East
Oregonian editorial board. Other columns,
letters and cartoons on this page express the
opinions of the authors and not necessarily
that of the East Oregonian.
LETTERS
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of 400 words or less on public issues and public
policies for publication in the newspaper and on
our website. The newspaper reserves the right
to withhold letters that address concerns about
individual services and products or letters that
infringe on the rights of private citizens. Letters
must be signed by the author and include the
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Unsigned letters will not be published.
SEND LETTERS TO:
editor@eastoregonian.com,
or via mail to Andrew Cutler,
211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton, OR 97801
What to do — and not do — after a car crash
BLAINE
CLOOTEN
ASK AN ATTORNEY
Q
: I was in a car accident. I’ve
seen ads for lawyers who
handle personal-injury cases.
How do I know if or when I should
hire one?
A. Most personal injury TV ads are
cringeworthy. But I was reminded of
one recently from years ago. An attor-
ney is sitting at his desk, the camera
closes in, and the attorney says, “If
insurance companies would just treat
people fairly, I’d be out of business.”
I think even people who are anti-law-
yer and people who think badly of the
personal injury compensation system
would appreciate that sentiment.
Sometimes during a consultation,
I’ll ask what the potential client does
for a living and how long they’ve done
it. After they tell me, I’ll respond with,
“Well, I don’t know anything about that.
Would you hire me to do your job?”
Because I’ve got your attention, let
me give my free advice for the week.
10 steps to follow
after a car crash
1. Do not admit fault at the scene.
Statements made at the scene can be
used as evidence.
2. The other party’s insurance
company could contact you soon after
the accident. Do not under any circum-
stances give a statement to the other
party’s insurance company.
3. Seek legal advice early. Accident
victims with lawyers generally recover
two to three times as much as people
who try to deal with an insurance
company on their own.
4. File an accident report. State law
requires a report be filed if an injury or
death occurs or physical damage to a
vehicle exceeds $2,500, or any vehicle is
towed from the scene.
5. Report the accident to your insur-
ance agent. Your insurance company
can refuse to protect you if the accident
isn’t reported promptly.
6. Ask your insurance agent about
benefits available to you under your own
policy. You may have coverage for car
repair, rental cars, wage loss or medical
bills under your policy.
7. Cooperate with your insurance
company. Refusing to cooperate with
your company may cause you to lose
benefits.
8. Do not, under any circumstances,
sign documents for the other party or the
other party’s insurance company with-
out seeking legal advice.
9. Promptly seek an examination
from your primary care physician and
follow your doctor’s advice.
10. Save all medical bills and
prescription receipts. Make a record of
any time you miss from work.
Q: What legal recourse do I have
if I don’t like the curriculum my chil-
dren are taught at school?
A: This is a great question because it
required me to do some research.
In my mind, there are essentially two
paths: A) The complaint process; and B)
The other alternatives approach.
Before we jump into the two paths,
it’s important to understand the Oregon
State Standards define what students
should know and what students should
be able to do within a content area at
specific stages in their education.
Please click through www.oregon.
gov/ode/educator-resources/standards/
Pages/default.aspx to read more, and
click through the topic areas to read
about the standards at each grade level.
The standards drive the instructional
materials. The curriculum is expected
to align with the standards. The Oregon
Department of Education vets materi-
als for each adoption cycle. Districts can
elect to adopt materials that are not part
of the ODE list, but that, too, requires a
local process.
My research indicates the teach-
ers have very little control over what
is taught. Teachers have control over
how the materials are taught. In some
instances, teachers bring in supplemen-
tary materials.
Everything clear so far? Good, let’s
move on.
end, said he would fix it for no charge.
He (and I) did not want the corner of my
house looking that bad.
Pendleton is quite a place.
Kelly Marie Brady
Pendleton
are a scourge on our judicial system. Our
legal authorities seem unable or unwill-
ing to stop these blatant crimes against a
civil society.
Last week the spokesperson for
the current administration, Jen Psaki,
blamed COVID-19 for this recent rash
of urban crime. Someone should explain
to her COVID-19 does not hinder one’s
ability to determine right from wrong or
alter a person’s moral compass.
Our defense against COVID-19 is
vaccination. Our defense against “smash
and grab” is the arrest, prosecution and
strong sentencing of those involved.
Bill Eddie
Bend
A) The complaint process
I connected with Chris Fritsch,
Pendleton School District superin-
tendent, who was helpful in direct-
ing me to several resources. It appears
he PSD complaint process is similar
to other districts, such as Hermiston,
Milton-Freewater and Helix.
The PSD policy and administrative
regulations for instructional materials
are included in the online version of this
article. See here: oregonlegalfirm.com/
pendleton-school-district-instruction-
al-materials-policy-and-administra-
tive-regulations. The form referenced
is the last page of the administrative
regulations.
One of the key issues in the
complaint process is: “Does a teacher’s
curriculum direction follow the stan-
dards for instruction materials? Or,
did the teacher bring in a supplemental
materials which has not been adopted?”
Whether the supplemental materials
meets the standards depends on the
context and the grade level.
B) The other alternatives
approach
If someone has a fundamental issue
with their children’s curriculum, that
parent or guardian should consider:
talking to the school; talking to the
school board; running for school board;
voting for the school board; and/or
consider homeschooling.
Hiring an attorney always is an
option, and if you still have questions, I
encourage you to seek a consultation.
———
Blaine Clooten is an attorney serving
Umatilla County with a focus on family
law, estate planning and personal injury
cases. Questions answered do not create
an attorney-client relationship. Facts and
law may vary; talk to an attorney for more
information.
YOUR VIEWS
Pendleton is quite a place
Pendleton is quite a place. I love this
city, but not everyone is as helpful as you
expect them to be.
I’ve had some work done lately by
contractors. There was some damage
done to the corner of my house, which
I believe was done by a contractor’s
truck being backed in beside my house.
Of course the contractors denied it as I
assumed they would.
I had the contractor that originally
did the work on that corner of the house
(which was very recent) look at it to get
an estimate to fix the damage, and lo and
behold, this contractor not only came
twice to check out the damage but in the
It’s not COVID-19
causing crime spree
Over the past couple of years a new
sense of lawlessness has evolved in some
large American cities.
Organized groups of people have set
upon various retail outlets to commit
what amounts to robbery by intimida-
tion. Commonly called “looting” or
“smash and grab,” these violent episodes