Last week, all of us were consumed with the election.
Trump and Clinton. Clinton and Trump. It led to an election result many of us never saw coming and a reaction none of us has ever seen.
Jay GreesonTo wit, protests ranged from city-wide vigils that were peaceful to outright rioting. There was a multitude of university- sponsored safe space get-togethers - some at places like the University of Michigan law school and Ivy League member Penn, which happens to be Donald Trump's alma mater - that included coloring books, Play-Doh and puppies. (And yes, I wish I was making that up, but sadly I am not.)
And while we are here, the reactions from the bottom 5 percent from each side - kids from pro-Trump families chanting "Build that wall" at their Hispanic classmates; anti-Trump Americans pulling people out of cars and beating them because of bumper stickers - should not be used to judge either side.
Plainly, there is a bottom rung to every society - even one as great as ours - that defies explanation.
Also of note, there were reports of public school kids out west planning to protest the results of Trump's election last week by walking out of school.
To that, I gladly say to those students to exercise your American rights of freedom of speech and take whatever steps you believe in. I also strongly hope the administrators of those schools enforce all rules and regulations for kids missing school and give zeros to every single student who protests.
In fact, that may be the most powerful and lasting civics lesson a lot of those protesting students could receive. Yes, you have the freedom to protest and speak your mind. But it is not a freedom from repercussions, and in this case the pain of stating your beliefs could be dropping your grade a letter or even failing a class, depending on the rules of the school.
Which leads us back to the reality before us: The rules of the school. For the vast majority of us, that means the ever-puzzling rules of operation at the Hamilton County Department of Education.
Think of the news that has circulated in the last week - big, eye-catching headlines, mind you - that has been lost in the coverage of the biggest upset in presidential politics.
First, interim school Superintendent Kirk Kelly asked that his hiring as permanent superintendent be taken off the agenda for this week's meeting. Kelly's presence on the order of business had the feeling of a rubber- stamp continuation of the old-school network that has failed to produce decent results in years.
Kelly rightly asked for thoroughness and transparency in the search. It is the most forward thinking move, at least in terms of public relations, the main office has made in awhile.
Maybe Kelly still will have the votes after the search is completed. Maybe the search rightly will point the board to a fresh start. Either way, Kelly's announcement deserves notice and congratulation.
It is well worth the $60,000-plus or so a search could cost - remember, that's a minuscule fraction of the annual Hamilton County Department of Education budget. Considering the $400 million-plus schools budget, that is way less than 0.25 percent of the annual expenditures, which seems like a paltry sum when trying to find the person to lead us from this malaise.
The other news items were the legal denials from the defendants in the Ooltewah rape case.
The school system said it didn't know. The three Ooltewah staff members blame the players who committed the act.
We understand the legal opposition. We understand the desire to fight to not pay substantial legal awards.
But, if not one of the former employees at the school or any of the members of the county school leadership were knowledgable or at fault, well, that's an even more powerful statement than Kelly's that a complete search must be conducted.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6343.