Susan Knopf’s unprofessional piece published Oct. 27 “Keep Summit Sane” does not qualify as an opinion piece. It is neither responsible nor ethical. How can the Summit Daily editors allow this to be published?
Boston University School of Journalism states that any opinion piece: “To be credible, opinions need supporting evidence. That in all cases, you need an informal citation of the source, so that readers can judge the source’s credibility.”
Knopf’s piece does not meet these minimum standards and therefore is not credible. Her defamatory statements debasing four outstanding individuals cannot be substantiated.
“They would like you to believe our kids don’t need to learn about gay, trans or bisexual people.” It is impossible for Susan to draw this insulting conclusion because it is untrue. She lumps them into a demeaning stereotype that is intended solely to denigrate. “They claim the same old white male perspective on history” — this statement is untrue, racist and is defamatory to the individuals. It is also offensive to those in our community that don’t share her woke beliefs.
Susan Knop presents herself as an award-winning Journalist. This piece does not meet the minimum standard for responsible or ethical journalism. I challenge her to sign the SPJ Code of Ethics.
What is even more alarming is that the editor and publisher stand behind this publication and paid Knopf to write it! The Writing Center: “the purpose of an editorial or opinion section is not to give an enormous platform to anyone to say whatever they please.” Yet the editor claims to have fact checked this and states: “she is allowed to express subjective opinions in a lopsided way”. Summit Daily microscopically scrutinizes and rejects certain submissions while allowing this. If allowed more words, I could illustrate Summit Daily’s agenda and double standards further.
My son has been homeschooled as well as schooled online since first grade. He failed math in sixth grade and had to retake a semester. He only finished half of seventh grade math last year. This year, he started eighth grade at Summit Middle School. About one month into the semester, he and the other middle schoolers were tested on various subjects. I was alarmed to find that the Summit County School system determined that my son, who did not finish seventh grade math, tested with 11th grade math skills. This massive gap in standards shocked me. I could not and cannot believe that the Summit County School System’s standards are this low. This is not a slight against my son, but an indictment of the standards upon which our school system currently relies. It is unacceptable.
I have met my son’s teachers at Summit Middle School, and they are amazing, kind, and very interested in helping our kids. However, our school system is missing the boat on academic standards. Something has to change for our children, and we must give our teachers the tools and materials they need, including scholastic standards that mean something, to get our educational system back on track. The current school board members have done nothing to fix these issues. These issues have been raised with the board, and still no changes have occurred. We desperately need change and we need it now, for the sake of our children. I would encourage you to consider voting for Jenniffer Gonzalez, Michael Atkinson, Danielle Surette, and Leigh Sargent in an effort to strengthen our academic standards instead of focusing on things not related to academics.
Signed, a very concerned mother.
Recent editions of Summit Daily have published statistical “evidence” from Summit School District that was provided to Summit Daily by the staff and paid consultants of the school district.
“Lies, damned lies, and statistics” is a long-held opinion from Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain) and accredited to Benjamin Disraeli (a former British prime Minister).
As such, has there not been any validation of the district’s provided data?
Basic fact: the School District’s overall performance rating score is below 60%. In the education world anything below 60% is an “F”.
There has been a preponderance of letters to the editor fawning over the union candidates. How about publishing some of the multitude of letters submitted that are in support of the non-union candidates who are working to stop the indoctrination of students with both written and visual materials, that coerce and pressure students with topical exposure?
You can put the lipstick on the school district, but it is a failed institution that is not delivering value for the funds it receives for years.
A decade ago, it did; however, now it is broken because of failed policies that do not value achievement and scholarship but focus on normative issues that are societal, not fundamental towards preparation for life’s marketplace.
Competent, dedicate and trustworthy leaders make the difference, not lockstep minions.
It may be the opinion of many that the Summit School District is mainly staffed by obedient managers, without dedication to excellence.
It is time to hold the school district accountable.
Vote for the candidates who are not beholding to the union and its failed initiatives.
I support the non-union candidates who are in favor of open and informative dialog, as well as a meaning and useful education that prepares the students to assume their destiny as contributing member so society.
As a music teacher and mother, I would just like to encourage more independents and unaffiliated voters like myself to get out and let their voices be heard. It would be great to have a variety of perspectives and ideas that truly represent our diverse community in its entirety on our nonpartisan school board.
I was able to attend the forum last Thursday to hear the candidates speak, and would like to congratulate them all for taking such a hugely important task upon their shoulders.
I was thrilled when I found out Jenniffer Gonzalez agreed to run after much encouragement from the Latino community and those who know how hard she works at all she is involved in. She has extensive experience with nonprofits and feet-to-the ground caring for our neighbors here in Summit.
Danielle Surrette was a name I recognized from the last election, but I’m really glad I got to know her better this time around. She is very intelligent and determined. Her passion for improving what she puts her heart into is admirable and she has a clear focus on solutions.
Mike Atkinson = so much goodness in one human. Being in his presence is other-worldly. He is never intimidating, always gentle, humble and kind. At the same time he has an intellect that is genius-level. His quality of character simply cannot be matched.
I have enjoyed brief conversations with Julie Shapiro and appreciate her gift of being a mediator in her profession. I have faith she could see different dimensions of an issue and work together with a diverse team to tackle it.
You can vote for four, and they do not have to be running together. You get to pick and choose individually. I encourage you to choose a board that reflects our community — diverse, varied, balanced.
On Oct. 7, 2023, the world woke up to the horrors of a truly barbaric attack upon the innocent people of our strongest ally in our world’s most unsettled region. As horrific as those massacres were — nearly as shocking were the demonstrations in support of the heinous Hamas butchers emanating from elite college campuses across our nation with students serving as brainwashed “useful idiot” (as Lenin called them) models of the indoctrination taking place in our nation’s school systems.
It is not a far road to travel from the “diversity, equity, and inclusion” ideology promoted by the present Summit School District board of education (rejection of a petition signed by over 2,000 parents asking for transgender theory not to be taught in K-3 grades) and the near insane moral decay displayed by those campus activists chanting in favor of the ideology of “decolonization” the Left is using to condemn Western culture.
Don’t believe me — self-described liberal Bari Weiss, a former op-ed staff editor of The New York Times, blamed the “ideological rot that has taken root at many of the most important institutions in American life … the places where young minds are molded” when questioned on this topic.
When we support indoctrination of our children that advances an “oppressor vs oppressed” mentality, we are also creating resentment, division and a distraction from the ABCs of learning. Look no further than the Summit School District’s precipitous drop from “distinction” to embarrassing percentages of students meeting math and reading standards in only a few short years as evidence of misplaced priorities.
In 2022, the people of Virginia — led by parents — woke up and voted for change — change which placed a value on parental input — the question we face on Nov. 7 is will the people of Summit County follow suit?
As a retired teacher, elementary school counselor as well as having a master’s degree in family counseling, I am concerned about the direction that previous school board members are leading our students. It is time for some new leadership, fresh ideas and getting back to the “three R’s.”
While I don’t have children in Summit School District any longer, I still follow how our schools are doing. From what I can tell, the school has a budget of about $63M and gave the teachers a big raise this year. That’s great. Unfortunately, it also seems that test scores keep falling. The entire district is now just barely accredited.
I believe we need a change on the board. There are seven members so anyone with a different view is needed. All the board members seem to have the same policies, and I haven’t heard anything new from them — just more of the same things that don’t seem to be working.
I’m voting for the Independent candidates: Gonzalez, Surette, Atkinson and Sargent. Gonzalez has been helping Summit Residents for years and will be a much needed advocate for the Latino Community. Surette has a no-nonsense approach that I’m a big fan of. Atkinson is bringing a strong counseling and kindness-to-all mentality. And Sargent is a big advocate of the trades.
Our board needs some diversity of thought. Please consider these independent candidates: Jenniffer Gonzalez, Danielle Surette, Mike Atkinson, and Leigh Sargent have my vote.
As a retired teacher, elementary school counselor as well as having a master’s degree in family counseling, I am concerned about the direction that previous school board members are leading our students. It is time for some new leadership, fresh ideas and getting back to the “three R’s.”
While I don’t have children in Summit School District any longer, I still follow how our schools are doing. From what I can tell, the school has a budget of about $63M and gave the teachers a big raise this year. That’s great. Unfortunately, it also seems that test scores keep falling. The entire district is now just barely accredited.
I believe we need a change on the board. There are seven members so anyone with a different view is needed. All the board members seem to have the same policies, and I haven’t heard anything new from them — just more of the same things that don’t seem to be working.
I’m voting for the Independent candidates: Gonzalez, Surette, Atkinson and Sargent. Gonzalez has been helping Summit Residents for years and will be a much needed advocate for the Latino Community. Surette has a no-nonsense approach that I’m a big fan of. Atkinson is bringing a strong counseling and kindness-to-all mentality. And Sargent is a big advocate of the trades.
Our board needs some diversity of thought. Please consider these independent candidates: Jenniffer Gonzalez, Danielle Surette, Mike Atkinson, and Leigh Sargent have my vote.
In the upcoming election of Summit School Board members, remember these names: Danielle Surette, Jenniffer Gonzalez, Mike Atkinson, Leigh Sargent. They should get your votes.
All other candidates are either current board members or apparent policy clones of those current board members. These “others” are getting much praise in the Summit Daily News letters to the editor section. The letter-writers gush about them as being “thoughtful collaborators,” “transparent,” “accessible,” etc. Oddly, no one talks much about academic excellence.
Why don’t they bring this up? It might be because the district’s accreditation and test scores have fallen steadily since 2014. Or that the gap between Hispanic student achievement and that of other students seems to be widening. Or that around 60 percent of students perform below grade level in reading and 70 percent in mathematics.
No one denies the old guard wants to remedy this situation. Yet the record of the past decade should make it glaringly apparent to anyone with an honest doubt that their approach does not work. And their solutions today seem to be just more of what hasn’t worked in the past.
This election presents a clear choice: Go with the old guard, who will give you more of the same, or give a chance to Surrette, Gonzalez, Atkinson and Sargent — all of whom are capable individuals. They will increase the emphasis on academics, focus on teaching to standards and reduce classroom distractions. They want to give real support to teachers and make sure parents have a voice in the education of their children. Summit students don’t have years for us to get things turned around.
In this election, try something different. Give your votes to Surette, Gonzalez, Atkinson and Sargent.
There are four candidates for Summit County School Board who keep rising to the top in my book. They are Danielle Surette, Michael Atkinson, Jenniffer Gonzalez and Leigh Sargent.
Academics is top of their priority lists, and I, too, feel there are things that can be done to make a big difference in our students’ education. An educated citizen must be able to read, gather information and do basic math (and pass proficiency exams.)
These four candidates are not currently on the board but bring many ideas for improving Summit County education. They envision board meetings where parents will be listened to and their ideas considered in the decision making. Knowing that progressive ideology is not always helpful, I believe these four will welcome discussions on what is healthy and beneficial for our children in the classroom. I would like to see more diversity on the school board so all in the county can be represented.
Education.
Not just education for our community’s youth, but quality education.
It may sound cliche’ to note that our children are our future, but they definitely are.
Our children require the tools and knowledge to give them a solid base to enter the world prepared and with confidence.
Whether a high school student decides to go on to college, trade school or directly into the workforce, guidance and an exceptional education are necessary.
Politics has, sadly, attached itself to education, including school board campaigns.
This election, keeping our students in mind, I firmly put my support behind the following school board candidates: Danielle Surette, Michael Atkinson, Jenniffer Gonzalez and Leigh Sargent.
Summit School District schools have been declining for eight years and are on state-mandated improvement plans.
Show me a failing school district, and I’ll show you a teacher’s union that is contributing. This is an alarming statement, but a documented fact.
Do not misunderstand or associate good teachers with a labor organization. Quite the contrary, good teachers are our most valuable and precious asset and must be protected.
A teacher’s union’s sole purpose is to represent the teacher, i.e., pay, benefits and working conditions. Sounds noble, but their purpose is not about education. Unions inhibit a teacher’s incentive to teach and excel. They prevent ongoing education and training for our teachers. They prevent incentives, merit pay and bonus’ for excellence. They protect poorly performing teachers. The school board can’t terminate, discipline, or retrain substandard teachers at their discretion. In addition, the teachers’ union is now a political organization. Much of the teachers’ union dues go to political programs, not the benefit of the teacher or education.
There are four candidates claiming to be the “teachers’ choice.” This is untrue. The candidates are interviewed by a panel of four union representatives. The 350 member teachers have no say in this decision. The union responds with the union endorsement. The endorsement is consistent along party lines with no apparent consideration to qualification.
Why attack the independent candidates? These candidates refuse to be anything but independent. Candidates that put education, students, teachers and parents foremost. Candidates that don’t answer to a political party or union. They believe the school board answers to our community. They have specific plans to improve education and our teacher’s performance, resources and compensation.
Our school district needs leaders with solutions that improve the quality of education and represent our children and community.
Thanks, Mr Estill, for bringing readers’ attention to our Summit GOP Women’s website, https://summitgopwomen.org/, and our SummitUp newsletter. We have a great group of women who epitomize our tagline, “Conservatives Caring for Country and Community.” We hope others will visit our website as it contains a wealth of information, resources, and archived issues of SummitUP. One of our main focuses is education – local and national. That includes education about our great nation, its Founding Fathers, the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and why we celebrate Memorial Day and the 4th of July. The April issue lets everyone know of our scholarship awarded to local students.
We both agree that our students need to be educated without any political agenda. That’s not what is happening. A far-left agenda prevails today; according to student test scores, that doesn’t seem to be working out so well. Our educational focus, and that of some of the organizations mentioned, is not political – it’s helping our students learn without an agenda. Despite your claim, we do understand the meaning and harmful ramifications of critical race theory and loss of parental rights.
I also agree that we need two-party representation within our community. The paucity of Republican office holders locally is not due to lack of excellent fiscally conservative or socially moderate candidates. It would benefit everyone to carefully research all candidates and their qualifications before voting, rather than voting strict party lines. Opening the “marketplace of ideas” has many advantages.
Also, please check the accuracy of your reporting. We don’t have a “Donate” button on our Summit GOP Women’s website. Lastly, I’m confused by your column headline since you never really say why “Moms and Parents aren’t always right.” That sounds Orwellian to me and is an insult to every parent in Summit County.
I’d like to comment on Scott Estill’s recent opinion column “Old and Stupid,” where he rants against the alleged behavior of the unnamed 3rd Congressional District representative’s behavior in a theater.
Yes, she behaved inappropriately and obnoxiously by allegedly vaping in theater and by disrespecting those around her. She was removed and I totally agree. However, I feel Scott is making a “federal case” out of this and using total hyperbole to advance his own leftist ideas.
So allegedly there was also “inappropriate contact” in that dark theater between her and her companion. This was particularly heinous because it was during the performance of “Beetlejuice” (Oh my word, not “Beetlejuice!”) Except it was dark and no children could see them.
Secondly, he equates this behavior to children being made to attend drag shows which, incidentally, he thinks doesn’t even happen in the “real world.” I’m not sure what world he is living in, but these drag show events are going on all over the place and are constantly in the news. But regardless, how can you compare “affectionate behavior” of two consenting adults in the dark with forcing children to attend shows that are totally inappropriate for their age. To suggest that the representative’s behavior with an adult companion in a dark theater rises to the level of “child abuse” is beyond comprehension. Come on, man, don’t you think “groping” happens all the time in dark theaters?
For the record I’m not a “groper,” but when you are watching a dumb movie like “Beetlejuice” and you are out of popcorn…? Is this really the worst thing you can say about a politician you don’t like?
Why don’t you write about that Democratic candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates, who recently put sex videos on the internet?
This month, on September 17, we celebrate Constitution Day, the anniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution in 1787. This historic document was built on the ideals set forth in the Declaration of Independence – that all men are created equal and that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are unalienable rights bestowed on us by our Creator, not by governments.
For 236 years our citizens have enjoyed the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution, living in a country in which “We the People” rule through our consent. The first ten amendments, the Bill of Rights, clearly define our rights and the limits of government power.
Unfortunately, many of our Constitutional rights are in danger. Our cherished First Amendment rights – freedom of religion, speech, the press, the right of people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances – are repeatedly being threatened. This past week, the White House sent a letter directing the media how they should report the impeachment inquiry about Biden. Also, this month, the 5th Circuit Court ruled that the White House, Surgeon General, CDC, and FBI "likely coerced or significantly encouraged social media platforms to moderate content" in violation of the First Amendment. Journalists are being intimidated and asked to reveal their sources by members of Congress.
Last week, New Mexico Governor Grisham signed an emergency order suspending gun rights for 30 days, in violation of the Second Amendment. Lawyer/client privilege is under siege. Threats against Supreme Court justices were made by a prominent Senator, and many in Congress are threatening to pack the Supreme Court because it doesn’t rule the way they prefer.
The U.S. Constitution protects everyone’s God-given rights. We must honor it, uphold it, and show the courage to protect those rights.
Jini Clare
Silverthorne
As board chairman for STARRS.US, an organization battling the leftist indoctrination of our military, it is easy to see the similarities between what is happening in our military with what is occurring in education. Only 26% of Americans today (lowest score ever) trust public schools, according to a Gallup Poll.
The “Great Schools Initiative” lists likely causes: “concerns about the quality of education” and “rogue sex-ed.” Parents do not believe public schools are preparing students for college/workforce, and “There have been increasing clashes due to unwanted Sex-Education, purposeful denial of parental rights in matters of student gender identity, …”
Summit School District is not immune to these concerns.
Unfortunately, the district’s accreditation score sunk from 81.5% in 2014 to 56% in 21-22. The district’s education board is downplaying these abysmal scores and putting their eggs in the “equity/social justice” basket. They just eliminated three academic officers and hired multiple equity officers who are nonsensically charged with transforming the district into a school that turns out “curious” and “courageous” graduates. Academics seem clearly an afterthought.
Many residents spoke and presented a petition (now with over 2,000 signatures) at a January board meeting against LGBTQ curriculum in K-5. All said they supported this community but wanted to exercise their parental rights to introduce their 4-11 year olds to gender/sex when they (the parents) thought it was appropriate. These concerns fell on deaf ears, and a resolution was unanimously adopted without any debate about parental rights.
How should the district gain back trust? Easy. Focus all resources on basic academics. Start age-appropriate sex-ed in middle school. Teach basic respect and kindness for all. Ditch the Marxist-based indoctrination.
This is what parents expect when they turn over their children to the school each morning. Nothing is gained by devaluing academic achievement, pushing controversial social issues and ignoring parental rights!