Recent editorials from Kentucky newspapers:
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July 17
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The Ashland Independent on back-to-school plans for Kentucky districts amid the pandemic:
Educators across the country are mulling over tough situations and making challenging decisions as back-to-school dates inch closer on the calendar.
Area administrators have done a fine job of outlining and communicating plans to families of students.
Some schools went a seemingly simpler route, offering fewer options. But even then, it will be much more complicated than what’s currently visible on the surface.
Some schools are offering a smorgasbord of options. While it may appear convoluted, each course of action has been meticulously planned out and penned by superintendents.
This will be a stressful August for teachers as they prepare for something totally different. Students must adapt, too, of course, but most children - at least before teenage years - are malleable.
Principals, teachers, coaches and counselors will be the role models setting examples - by enforcing and practicing social distancing, wearing masks, etc. The pressure is on them. Most students will follow their lead.
Northeastern Kentucky is fortunate to have such a large group of caring administrators and teachers eager to instruct the area’s children during unprecedented times.
The ball is in the parents’ and guardians’ courts (homes) now. Will they keep that ball at home or pass it back to the schools? There may be several families who, for instance in Carter County, try a hybrid plan that involves certain days at home and some at school. That may work for some, but others need more consistency, routine and structure.
Best of luck, parents, as you make decisions for your children during these strange times. Best of luck, educators, as you work diligently to make it the safest, best experience for these students, all the while attempting to do what you set out to do - teach.
Online: https://www.dailyindependent.com
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July 16
The State Journal on a security fence being built around the Governor’s Mansion:
The news that a security fence will be built around the Governor’s Mansion is both troubling - due to the fact that there is even a need for one - and reassuring - because it will provide the first family the privacy and safety they deserve.
The “People’s House,” as it is affectionately known, has been a part of our community for more than a century, and while its residents come and go, it’s a special place to those of us who call the capital city home. It’s a place South Frankfort neighbors pass on their after-dinner evening walks and parents snap pre-prom photos.
For 106 years, a security fence around the mansion has not been necessary because we are good neighbors. In fact, on the morning before a new governor is sworn in it is a Frankfort tradition for townsfolk to welcome him with a tray full of food on a silver platter.
It’s a tragedy that due to the disrespectfulness of a few out-of-towners, whose actions were fueled by a heated political climate and pure stupidity, the Governor’s Mansion must now be enclosed.
Two months ago, following a Second Amendment rights rally on the back Capitol lawn, demonstrators - some of whom were armed -hung Gov. Andy Beshear in effigy from a tree on the grounds, but also marched past security signs to the front porch of the mansion, chanting for the governor to come outside.
“Crossing over barriers, standing on the other side of the glass from where I raise my kids and hanging me in an effigy, that’s an action intended to use fear to get their way,” Beshear said in the days following the protest.
Fortunately, the governor, first lady and their two young children were not at the residence at the time. But Kentucky State Police, charged with protecting the family, recommended adding the fence as a security precaution.
According to Jill Midkiff, a spokeswoman for the state Finance and Administration Cabinet, the fencing will be 4-5 feet high and “maintain the integrity” of the mansion’s exterior.
While it’s sad and we hate to see the Governor’s Mansion fenced in, we understand that the first family’s safety is paramount. They have every right to feel as protected in their home as we do in ours.
Online: https://www.state-journal.com
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