Renee Bossert-Mitchell: Zero tolerance for bullying in Laconia schools should also apply to board

Dec 16, 2020
Dec 16, 2020 Updated Dec 16, 2020
2

To The Daily Sun,

First they came for the Communists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Communist

Then they came for the Socialists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Socialist

Then they came for the trade unionists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a trade unionist

Then they came for the Jews

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Jew

Then they came for me

And there was no one left

To speak out for me

— Martin Niemöller

Ms. Johnson's post is offensive, but she is within her first amendment right. My concern is that Ms. Johnson is not Jane Q. Citizen. She is a member of the Laconia School Board and a State Representative. Her posts do not represent my opinions, on the contrary I am horrified and appalled by their implication.

This defamatory mindset is poisonous. Her comments open the door to fall out at school, children learn from what they see and hear. Ms. Johnson is setting a precedent that unpalatable stereotypes are acceptable. If either of my children, students in the Laconia School District, posted the same comment on their respective social media platforms, drew a cartoon like that at school, brought it from home or made any type of racist or anti-Semitic comment, they would be expelled without question. Laconia School District has a Zero Tolerance Policy regarding bullying, which should include faculty and school board members.

Renee Bossert-Mitchell

Laconia

(2) comments

Reneembm Dec 17, 2020 4:06pm

Sir, please follow up your comment with your source. For example, I, too, am concerned about communism (Parcast Podcast series on Dictators has very interesting episodes on Mao and Pol Pot). My response to you is tri-fold; 1. As a parent I try to present both sides of a situation to my children and then have an honest and frank discussion about the pros and cons, what is ethically right and where do our moral obligations lie. 2. We need to hold elected officials to a higher standard. Personal biases and stereotypes do not belong on the social media of our elected officials. The Jewish stereotype portrayed by Ms Johnson's cartoon is opening the door to a slippery slope, a reminder of Germany in the 1930s. 3 The famous quote I shared to show solidarity with our local Jewish Community is not an endorsement of Communism, socialism or Labor Unions. Feel free to substitute homosexuals, Christians, Muslims and Buddhists, the point of the quote is that the privileged few have a moral obligation to support others. Your comment and any that are supporting, defending or excusing Ms Johnson's error are red herrings.