Jake Omann
Sartell
As a parent of three children in the Sartell-St. Stephen school district, I am deeply concerned about the actions of three newly-appointed school board members as it relates to banning books in our schools.
These actions are part of a national conservative movement that has a defined playbook which is unfolding in our district. Part of this playbook entails pushing conservative Christian beliefs as part of a broader political movement, which can result in narrowing students’ perspectives rather than broadening them.
Censorship is an extremely dangerous concept and action, and it is clear these newly-elected board members will continue to deliberately deploy these actions in our schools. It is not the role of schools to tell our kids what or how to think; rather, it is incumbent upon them to intellectually challenge students by broadening their perspectives and allowing them to draw their own conclusions. My favorite and most impactful teachers in high school did just that, and this positive experience helped shape my way of thinking about the world, inevitably drawing me back to this district as I wanted that same experience for my kids.
We have phenomenal educators in our district, and this is exemplified by the fact we had nine educators nominated for Minnesota Teacher of the Year. This was the second most nominations out of any district in the state. These individuals go above and beyond to ensure our kids are getting the best possible education with the goal of preparing them for their futures.
I implore the entire school board to uphold our district’s mission statement, which is to help prepare our students to be contributing members of society and provide them with the support to excel. Let’s place trust in our professional, best-in-class educators to do what they do best and provide our kids with the leading education our district is renowned for.
Banning books is divisive and is a hindrance to promoting the understanding of and respect for diverse viewpoints that our children need to be competent and confident in our world today.