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Editorial

Self-fulfilling prophecy of ‘bad schools’

Monongalia and Preston county schools received devastating financial news this past week. Mon County is expected to lose 350 students to charter schools, many of them to the new in-person charter, while Preston will likely lose 44 — to the tune of $1.9 million and $272,000 respectively. Because of legislation passed in the last few years, parents can now choose to enroll their kids in “public” charter schools. We use the term “public” loosely, because charters are not obligated to accept every child the way real public schools do, nor do charters have to hire certified ...

Is this the end of classroom libraries?

Schools must now contend with the practical effects of one of the Legislature’s many culture war bills. This one, Senate Bill 704, requires educators to provide a syllabus of all literature to be used during lessons and gives parents the ability to audit books available to their kids in each classroom. The bill says parents can make an appointment to review the books, which wouldn’t be unreasonable — if that was all. However, as the Preston County Board of Education realized this week, it’s not so simple. Under the requirement to make all literature available for ...

Got an incompetent lawyer? Sucks to be you

Amidst all the other turmoil of the last couple weeks, the Supreme Court delivered another blow to Americans’ rights. On May 23, the six-member conservative super-majority ruled in Shinn v. Ramirez and Jones that, in essence, defendants cannot introduce evidence in a federal habeas court (challenging a conviction or imprisonment) that was not already introduced into the state courts’ records, including when the evidence is that the defendants’ post-conviction counsel (lawyer at time of sentencing or appeal) was incompetent. Shinn v. Ramirez was the case against two Arizona ...

Editorial Encore: We don’t all observe Memorial Day the same way

EDITOR'S NOTE: Today’s editorial has been adapted from a previous year’s musings on Memorial Day. Two years into a pandemic, some still can’t observe Memorial Day the way they usually would; others have found ways to make their Memorial Day traditions work. Some will hold somber remembrances, some will gather for cook-outs and fun. Lately, we’ve seen a lot of pushback against the commercialization of Memorial Day and joyful celebrations on a national day of mourning. Which is certainly fair. For those who lost a loved one to war, Memorial Day has a special poignancy and ...

Will the cycle end?

Another mass shooting. Another school shooting. Another senseless tragedy. What is there left for us to say that someone else hasn’t already said? Thirty-one people, including more than a dozen children, can be gunned down in less than two weeks, and yet nothing will change. America is well-practiced in offering the symbolic “thoughts and prayers” — so overused now that the once sincere condolences ring hollow — and then doing nothing. Well, not exactly nothing. There will be heated debates, occasionally bordering on vicious arguments, about how to stop the next ...

A few words of wisdom for the Classes of 2022

West Virginia University sent off its graduates a couple weeks ago, and this weekend, area high schools will be sending off their graduates with much pomp and circumstance. So we have some words for them: Life is a journey with many destinations. Each milestone is a stepping stone to the next phase. Some phases last longer than others. Some are more pleasant than others. Some phases end with a bang, while others transition so seamlessly you don’t even realize you’re onto the next part of your journey. For high school and college graduates alike, leaving school is your first ...