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Letters to the Editor

Who’s Really Grandstanding?

It’s disappointing to see Alpena Public Schools Board President Eric Lawson accusing members of the public of “grandstanding” when they choose to speak up at board meetings. The truth is, it appears Mr. Lawson himself is the one engaging in the very behavior he criticizes. At a recent meeting, he attempted to stifle public expression by banning applause, an announcement that came with the unnecessary presence of county deputies, presumably to intimidate citizens exercising their First Amendment rights. Ironically, Mr. Lawson spent more time reading his prepared speech about ...

Puzzle Solved!

It was always a puzzle. Why would school board members Eric Lawson, Monica Dziesinski, Sarah Costain and AJ MacArthur seek to bankrupt our school system by implementing, what has become known as, the Potty Policy. They were advised by Thrun Law and the ACLU that the policy would incite an expensive lawsuit. These four board members claimed the policy was necessary for safety and dignity reasons.This claim was shown to be disingenuous when it was revealed the private school where Dziesinski and Costain’s children are enrolled has no Potty Policy. If they were sincere about their ...

It’s time for fairness on the school board

I’m really worried about how some of our school board’s conservative members are being treated. These are good people who stepped up to serve our community — and instead of support, they’re getting constant attacks and harassment, with their words twisted and their intentions misrepresented, all because of their beliefs. It’s always the same group of Democrats behind it — you can even see their names in the paper. They make it their full-time job to show up at every meeting, write angry letters, and they were at the “No Kings” rally recently. They’re still hung up on ...

Keep Church and State Separate—Especially in Our Schools

A group calling itself Voice of the North has appeared online, demanding that religion be brought “back” into our public schools. They claim moral authority while hiding behind anonymity—and they’ve crossed a line our Constitution drew for a reason. Public schools exist for all children, not just those who share one group’s faith or beliefs. Forcing religion into classrooms violates the First Amendment and undermines the very foundation of religious freedom. True freedom of religion also means freedom from religious imposition. When the state promotes one faith over others, ...

Please, stop the nonsense

Alpena School Board President Eric Lawson has decided that clapping in support of people speaking during public comment time will not be allowed and may result in attendees being physically removed from the meetings by law enforcement. Lawson now has two Sheriff Deputies in attendance at the school board meetings and has threatened to use them for this purpose. It seems like this issue is something Lawson should just let pass. Clapping is a First Amendment Right and removing people for exercising this right would create quite a disturbance. Likely it would just result in more clapping, ...

I don’t recall

Have you heard APS trustees Lawson, MacArthur, Hansen, Dziesnski, and Costain defending their decisions based on a mandate of the electorate? In recent elections I don’t recall any of those APS trustees mentioning they would go “rogue”, do you? “Rogue” is defined as a person that behaves in an aberrant or unpredictable way, typically with damaging or dangerous effects. These Board members disregard Board governance by prioritizing personal agendas over those of APS and the community. This is evidenced by a pattern of ignoring the superintendent's guidance and recommendations, ...