Superintendent Update:  Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Wishes for a Prosperous New Year; Amazing Performances; and an update on pending legal action

Dear Parents and Members of the ESD community,

First, let me wish all of you a very Merry Christmas, a happy and joyous holiday season, and my sincere wishes to you and your family that the new year ahead will be prosperous and fulfilling.  It's been a busy few weeks here in Elizabeth Schools and one that has had many celebrations of student and staff talent.  It is always great to see and participate in the many activities that happen around the district during November and December. 

I’d like to extend a sincere thank you to our staff who have led many of those events. We are so fortunate to have amazing staff who show tireless commitment to our children. In November, our Elizabeth High School Theatre team put on an amazing performance of The Hound of the Baskervilles.  Ms. Jennifer Barclay not only directs the play, but does set design, costume development and almost every other aspect of these performances.   The middle school theatre team also did an amazing job with Annie Jr.  Melanie Kaumeyer, our theatre director at EMS works tirelessly on these performances each year.  Of course, both Melanie and Jennifer get help and support from their respective school teams. 

We also were treated to a number of musical performances led by Carson Powell (EHS Band & Orchestra Director), Melanie Kaumeyer (EMS & EHS Choir Director) and David Goldscheid (EMS Band & Orchestra Director). We have such talented students and these staff members really assist our students in bringing out their best.  I am such a strong believer in the arts.  Research shows that children who are engaged in the arts outperform their peers academically.  A huge thank you to our Elizabeth Performing Arts team for their amazing work and dedication to our children.

Finally, I do want to address something that hit the news yesterday.  The Elizabeth School District has committed to supporting parental rights and keeping controversial issues out of our schools and classrooms.  As you know, our Board displayed for public viewing and feedback 18 books in August that were identified in our libraries as having inappropriate content, mostly sexual in nature, and sought community feedback on how to handle these materials.  Overwhelmingly, parents who reviewed these materials requested they be removed from the library as they lacked educational value.  Yesterday, in cooperation with two parents in our community, the American Civil Liberty Union (ACLU) filed a legal claim against the district seeking to force Elizabeth School District to place these materials back into our school libraries.  It is sad that some want to force their political agenda on the district and cause parents to worry about what their children might check out from school.

I find it odd that the Federal government requires us to have internet filters in place to prevent students from accessing inappropriate content - much of what is present in these books, however there is a question when a school district takes action to prevent students from accessing it in print.  Know that we will vigorously defend our actions that protect students.  For parents who wish to have their children access such materials, our public library is always available and such books can be purchased through other resources.  While there are only 18 books that were removed, there are many books in our library labeled as sensitive content that students can still check out providing that parents have not taken steps to opt them out.  The categories of sensitive content include sexual content, graphic violence, racism/discrimination, religious viewpoints, or profanity/obscenity.  For parents who don’t opt out of their child’s access, parents do receive an email when books identified with such content are checked out.  This continues to be an ongoing process to identify all books in these content areas.

Our board and I continue to stand behind your rights as parents to make important decisions about your children and will continue to use a common sense approach in selecting materials that are available in our schools.  No one should have the right to take that away from you because their values may differ from yours. 

Again, I do hope you will have a chance this holiday season to enjoy those special to you.  It is an honor to serve as your superintendent and I look forward to an exciting and learning packed semester ahead.  Happy New Year!

Sincerely,

Dan Snowberger, Superintendent