By Nick Verhoff
Guest Columnist
In the April 26 edition of The Lima News, guest columnist Mark Figley penned an item entitled “School ought to kick furries to the kennel.”
The column detailed how several middle school students in Utah were acting as “furries,” in which they dress up as animals, generally cats and dogs, and act accordingly. Figley then proceeded to explain how these particular students were being protected by school officials, while the overwhelming majority of students who were not “furries” had to tolerate their behavior.
Frankly, I cannot speak to this situation allegedly taking place at a middle school in Utah. I can tell you that this sort of behavior or wearing of attire that Figley describes in his article would be a disruption to the school process and would not be tolerated at Columbus Grove Schools. I imagine this would be no different for many of the public school districts in our area.
I feel it necessary to make this statement, as I believe Figley’s article is yet another narrow-minded attack on public schools. Figley takes a story from a middle school in Utah to grab the reader’s interest. Then he uses it as a pivot point to make various negative overgeneralizations about public schools, such as “overzealous teacher unions, who made schools their tools, bringing to bear zany philosophies on life from their days of protest during the Summer of Love and Woodstock.”
He then makes another oversimplification by stating public schools in America are “an unadulterated mess because excessive and extreme behavior by a few is too often celebrated at the expense of the majority.”
He concludes with yet another broad brushstroke declaration by noting that this type of insanity is already headed to a school near you if it’s not already there.
If I may, I would like to take a brief moment to highlight just a few activities and achievements that have taken place in our public school district this year alone.
• In October, our district earned an overall five-star rating in the state’s latest report card ranking system.
• Last November, our fall sports season concluded with our boys’ cross-country team winning a state championship, while our football team earned its second-consecutive appearance in the Final Four of the football playoffs.
• Our National Honor Society students hosted and coordinated two separate blood drives, collecting more than 80 units of blood.
• Our freshman High School of Business students worked with the Allen Economic Development Group to pitch ideas for the redevelopment of downtown Lima.
• The marching band earned a superior rating at the OMEA State Band Competition.
But our public school’s image (like many others) is not just a list of accomplishments, as it serves as a hub for our community as well. As a result, it serves as a foundation that can provide support and comfort to its respective community in a variety of ways.
A case in point is when our student body experienced the loss of a freshman student in a tragic accident in January. The students, staff and community came together in numerous ways to support one another to cope with this loss. Over the series of the next six weeks, numerous public school districts in our area showed their unwavering support for our school district and the families involved in many ways, from hosting fundraisers to wearing special shirts to honor this young man, to wearing red and gray to support Columbus Grove at athletic contests, these are just a few examples. While competitors on the courts and fields of competition, these schools cared for us during our time of grief. We are forever thankful for this wonderful support from these other public schools and their communities.
Stories of the “furries” that Figley mentioned in his article are great attention grabbers and yet another way to stereotype and ridicule public schools. This tactic is not new by any nature. A few years ago, I was asked the question no less than a dozen times by community members and beyond if our school district had litter boxes in its restrooms for students who identified as an animal. It was later found that this litter box story was fabricated and eventually became a nationwide hoax.
I ask that, before making a judgment on public schools from a highly opinionated, short-sighted column based on the events at a middle school in Utah, look closely at the public school district where you live. Chances are you will be able to find just as many (if not more) accomplishments and meaningful activities taking place as I have listed about Columbus Grove Schools.
Yes, public schools may not be perfect, but our area of the state is blessed with many public schools that do an excellent job of meeting the needs of every child who enters its doors.
Instead of looking for the supposed “insanity” that Figley states is headed to a school near you, I would wager that you will find a great deal more of student accomplishments and activities that will have a positive impact on your community for years to come.
Nick Verhoff is superintendent at Columbus Grove schools. His column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Lima News editorial board or AIM Media, owner of The Lima News.
