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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 11, 2021)
10A | SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2021 | SIUSLAW NEWS COMMENTS from page 1A students,” said the first speak- er, Sherry Harvey. “I think that as an autonomous school district, it should be 100 per- cent for students.” This was echoed during the meeting, especially by parent Jennifer Waggoner. “Our district has become a rubber stamp for mandates and policies driven by the State of Oregon, and school districts should not be treated as one size fits all,” she said. “There are school boards throughout Oregon who are pushing for local control right now. We can be part 9/11/2001 from page 1A On the wall, the TV news anchor began to interview an expert. After a few seconds, the expert turned around in his chair and crabbed at a group behind him about a loud television monitor mak- ing it hard for him to hear the questions. The sight of the TV expert losing his grip struck every- body in the bar as comic, and we laughed—too loudly for the situation. Then the bar grew quiet again, except for the TV. Outside on the street, a fa- miliar dog lay in an empty parking place next to the side- walk. A landscape company employee clipped old blooms from flowers in planters out- side a row of shops. A cou- ple jogged by in T-shirts and shorts. At a coffee shop down the street, the bench outside was lined with early customers, smoking, drinking coffee, and all talking about the same thing. “Now you know how people felt after Pearl Harbor,” some- body said. One man speculated, with some satisfaction, that this would free the government’s hand to perform covert ac- tivities. In the next breath, he worried aloud, because his son is part of an Army Rangers One per- son asked for more of the control to be given back to parents, and that some de- cisions should be made MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS through fam- Attendees at the special session were able ily choice. to give public comment in person. Waggoner of a powerful movement for added, “This is truly about local control by linking arms my concern for our kids, all with other districts to make of our kids, and our future. changes to how we do things Thank you.” The written comments in- in Oregon schools. It is time for change. And the change cluded statements on masks, needs to include you and it student safety, the ability to communicate with the school needs to include us.” team trained in covert military operations. Another man adopted an apocalyptic attitude. He said he was going to hole up, drink and party, and wait for the end. He said that UFOs and alien intervention were the only hope for the world. The others listened quietly. While the group was talking, a pickup pulled in close to the curb and a man got out and opened the lid to the truck bed. A friend helped him unload a small TV and carried it into the coffee shop. Soon a semi- circle of patrons inside had gathered around it, watching footage of the Pentagon burn- ing. A downtown restaurant’s main seating area was empty of customers. A pair of wait- ers stood around. They said that business was slow. “They’re all watching TV,” he said. He nodded toward the bar area. “We’ve had cus- tomers, but they wanted to eat inside where the TV is.” Up at one of the schools, a school secretary said that they were proceeding calmly through the normal schedule. “The superintendent called and said we should downplay it,” she said. “A couple of kids have asked about it, and I said, ‘I’m sure the West Coast won’t be hit.’” At the post office, acquain- Hours: Monday-Saturday 10:30am – 9:00pm We are open for Dine-In Cocktails to go & Take Out Still Available No outdoor seating From our family to your family, thank you! We appreciate your support and hope you are all doing well. tances greeted each other as they stood in the usual lineup in front of the counter. Two were talking business. Anoth- er was asking a friend about her medical test results. A dispatcher at the police station said that very little out of the ordinary had happened there. “I only had one lady call, freaking out,” the dispatcher said. “She said, ‘I’m in my yard screaming, Kill the (terror- ists)!’ So I connected her with mental health.” An aide in the hospital’s emergency room said that all the nurses were busy and the doctors were in a meeting. She could imagine what medical personnel in New York City and elsewhere were facing. “Something awful,” she said. “It’s all kind of a state of shock.” Out at the airport, a group of men in the office were watching TV news. One said that the FAA had just called, shutting down the runway. All airports in the country were closed, some- body else said, and the borders sealed. They watched another re- play of the jet crashing into the World Trade Center. They listened to the experts and the politicians. “They know about as much as we do,” someone said. Editor’s Note: Siuslaw News’ production day for its Wednesday editions is Tuesday. Twenty years ago, that meant a majority of staff dropped their planned assignments to respond to the national trag- edy. Editorial staff checked in with community members and gathered data on the American Red Cross, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Oregon National Guard, local ministers planning a prayer service and Oregon Gov. Kitzhaber. district and educational ex- cellence. Just like with the in-person speakers, the let- ters came from parents and community members. “The school district is the de facto ‘guardian’ of each student who is physically present during the school day, and is therefore respon- sible for the health and safe- ty of everyone,” wrote Karin Radtke. “I strongly support the school district’s policy that requires students to wear masks indoors. Everyone has the ‘freedom’ or the ‘right’ to get sick, but I am sure every- one agrees that no one has the right to cause someone else’s child to become sick.” The Siuslaw School Board will now review the com- ments received through the special meeting. “We already have an agen- da item on our meeting for next Wednesday (Sept. 15) to discuss what we have heard in email comments, mail com- ments and what we hear from you folks tonight,” Sneddon said. The regular board meeting of the Siuslaw School Board will be held Sept. 15 at 6:30 p.m. Board meetings will be live streamed on the district’s YouTube channel at https:// bit.ly/97JYouTubeChannel. Learn more at www. siuslaw.k12.or.us. 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