I have noticed an interesting trend with the Alpena Public School Board. There could be 12 people speaking during public comment or via email, in support of the rain garden, or in support of LGBTQ students or for any number of other issues that have come before this Board in the past eight months. Those comments fall on deaf ears!

But if they receive “one” email or “one” person speaking in opposition to one of those topics, the Trustees hyper-focus on that comment and want immediate change. One email suggesting that Pride Month is a religion, stimulated an immediate rewrite of the social media policy. Surprise — they heard that!

I fear that decisions made by this Board will lead to potential discrimination lawsuits for APS, putting an unnecessary financial burden on our school system. Thrun, ACLU and the community has warned this Board, but those comments fall on deaf ears!

The Board should be listening and acting on ALL public comments. Personal, religious and political agendas have no place on our “nonpartisan” Public School Board, nor do they belong on the backs of our children. But our concerns fall on deaf ears!

The July vote on Kallman Law has been rescinded due to parliamentary procedures and a search for loopholes. Our voices fall on deaf ears!

If you needed a criminal defense attorney, you would research and hire a law firm that specializes in criminal defense. You would NOT open your personal checkbook to pay for two lawyers. I don’t understand how the Board can justify using taxpayers’ money to pay Kallman, a second law firm, when Thurn has more experience with public school law. It’s the taxpayers money — not the Board’s. Our voices fall on deaf ears!

The Board is NOT listening — they have deaf ears!

BARBARA BEAMISH

Alpena