MAJ 3 – Remorse

Young Annie Harala asked one question of District officials at our closed meeting yesterday. Were the students subject to expulsion remorseful for their actions. I’ll only say that the response was what the person putting such a question might hope for.

It is the second time Annie Harala has asked this question in my hearing. The first was at the meeting in which she joined the majority to vote for a hearing that would preceed Art Johnston’s removal from the Duluth School Board. She asked attorney, Mary Rice, if at any time Art Johnston has expressed remorse for shoving the Superintendent for which she was virtually the sole witness. The answer did not satisfy Ms. Harala.

Of course, if Art believed that he did not shove the Superintendent he should not be expected to be remorseful.

I’m close to describing the particulars leading up to Art’s antics and they will portray a very different picture which I was unable to divulge to the rest of the Board because of the damned laws on data privacy. Some months ago I did share a more candid description of these mitigating actions with Annie in writing but my explanation obviously failed to change her mind.

Annie is the primary reason that the Board has an excuse to remove Art Johnston. Had she detected remorse in him she might have relented. She did not. As a result we are about to go to court and the reputation of the School Board has been unmercifully sullied and our supervision over our children’s schools deeply unsettled.

I would turn the question on Annie. Is she felling any remorse for the part she played in letting these events get out of control? I don’t know but like her I’d like to think she is suffering some remorse whether she admits to to it or not.

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