At the Feb. 23 school board meeting, board president Eric Lawson said the quiet part out loud. If you haven’t noticed the board hasn’t been talking about the Fairview Bathroom Policy lately, now infamously known as the Potty Policy, that’s exactly what they were hoping for.

Eric Lawson along with Sarah Costain, Monica Dziesinski and AJ MacArthur made the Potty Policy a high priority on their personal agenda list early last year. This despite legal opinions from APS legal counsel, Thrun Law, and the ACLU saying instituting this policy would have devastating financial consequences for our school system. Similar legal actions in our state, and elsewhere, have resulted in legal expenses that push toward the MILLION DOLLAR MARK. These stark warnings from reputable legal sources, in addition to reports from school administrators that the bathroom procedure currently in place is working well for everyone, would suggest these board members should drop their Potty Policy aspirations.

However Lawson, likely inadvertently, signaled what their plans actually are. When the Potty Policy was brought into the1 conversation by a community member’s question during public comment time, Lawson said the board is not moving forward with the Potty Policy “at this time” but might choose to at a later time.

The Fairview Potty Policy should have been relegated to the circular file by now for the financial damage our school system would incur. But no, Lawson is keeping it as a possibility. It’s still in play and he spoke that quiet thing out loud.

Why later and not now? Lawson, Dziensinski and Costain are facing a recall and they know pushing the Potty Policy at this time would only fortify that effort. Should they survive recall, be assured, the Potty Policy will return as #1 on their personal priority list. Lawson made that clear.

Karen S. Hansen

Alpena