Lauderdale County needs safer school plan

I am a parent of four students enrolled in the Lauderdale County School District. I’m writing with grave concerns about our school district’s Return To Learn plan, which was made available to us on July 10.

COVID-19 is still running rampant through our state and the nation as we wait for a vaccine to be developed. As of July 16, the state of Mississippi has reported almost 40,000 active cases, more than 1,000 of which are here in Lauderdale County.

Every day of the week Gov. Tate Reeves tells us that we must wear masks to slow the spread of COVID-19 and that we must maintain social distancing, and how quickly our case count is rising, yet our school district’s plan does not reflect that sense of urgency.

Children absolutely need their education, and there’s a ton of pressure on schools to open their doors next month, but can we not adopt a safer method to protect our educators and students? Can we not adopt something similar to Meridian School District’s plan?

There are no perfect plans, there are no perfectly safe ways to attend in-person classes, but there are safer ways, and one of those is feasible enough to be used by our neighboring district.

I urge parents to look at both plans. I urge parents to look at the city’s plan and those of schools around the country and compare them to Lauderdale County’s Return to Learn plan. If you have concerns, voice them! The email addresses of all five members of the board of education and the superintendent can be found online at http://lauderdale.k12.ms.us.

We as parents and as tax paying citizens to have our voices heard by the school board, and we deserve more options than “send your child to school or homeschool completely on your own.” If you would like to sign a petition to the board and read an email to them laying out any more concerns please visit this link: http://chng.it/Hq5Bb7vb.

Thank you for reading, I hope everyone is safe and well.

Cynthia Crouch

Lauderdale County

Dr. Scaggs will be missed

“I will truly miss “Doc Scaggs.” He was an inspiration and gave me hope.

He was more than just a humble gentlemen and wonderful educator, he was a white friend of the Black community, a just man, and an inspiration to other white Meridianites. He was head of Meridian Community College when it was desegregated and navigated the difficulties of that period as best he could.

I met him around 2007 in Meridian and talked about the young people and goals of Freedom Summer 1964. I learned of his inter-racial church activities, interest and support in the commemoration of Freedom Summer 1964, and the establishment of a Freedom School a few years later that fits our current times.

I hope there are many others who will write and add other connections to social justice that Dr. Scaggs was involved in. I would hope aspects should be remembered in addition to what was in his obituary. He was a brave, caring, and honorable man and should be honored as a model for our times.”

Mark Levy

New York City, Coordinator, 1964 Meridian Freedom School