The School Board’s fat is in the fire

I’ll leave off tonight with the news that the legal war that my colleagues on the School Board have been itching to start has begun. There is no mention of it yet in our School Board email from our administration giving board members the details. That’s just as well. There’s already plenty of unhappy email today about a picture depicting a student of color being lynched and of a dangerous traffic situation at East High. The news of a lawsuit against most of the School Board can wait until tomorrow.

This case has the legs to dance with the Duluth School District for many years. Only Kevin Rupp and his industrious and litigious law partners have much to cheer about.

My computer’s printer is still spitting out a ream of paperwork filed in Art’s case. He promises that he will be sending me the really long piece in a few days. That one must be a doozey. I don’t have the endurance to read what has been printed out tonight and I’ve got to drive Art to St. Paul tomorrow for my testimony before a legislative hearing on a law that would prevent any carnival like this being repeated again in any other Minnesota School District.

Remember that the basis for removing Art Johnston is his violence and the danger he poses to his fearful colleagues. I think the best observation I’ve heard anyone make about that threat comes from this series of comments on the blog Perfect Duluth Day:

As for the sheer terror Annie felt toward Art then, why she appears in the above video looking fairly relaxed sitting next to him for hours of meetings on end afterward is curious given her stated level of fear Art would cause her irreparable harm.

Alas, the damage to be feared is to our school district brought about by a poorly advised school board majority who wishfully embarked on an “expeditious” method of removing an irritant by slandering his name. It will be more like an expedition.

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