Dear Board members and Dr Barnes:

At varying moments of time, all of you pointed to the staff climate survey as proof our board does not listen or value our staff, their needs, and their opinions. However, as board members, many of you (AGAIN) chose NOT to listen to staff when it came to the AI pilot.  

I have heard Dr Barnes speak in numerous community groups about school safety being a focus and I trust him on this issue. Do you not trust your superintendent? Do you not trust your administrators? These administrators will be living in this environment long after our children have moved on and certainly after your term expires.

Please listen to them when they say they would like to try this pilot program. If it does not work, at least you can say you tried your best to support THEIR needs.

Is there a fear of “what if”? Of course. But fear can be healthy. Fear can lead to great decisions as long as fear is not at the forefront of those decisions.

Please reconsider the pilot program or at the very least squash the misinformation various groups have attempted to perpetuate.

Thank you for your time.

Nikki Bascome