Schools don鈥檛 teach 鈥榝ringe ideologies鈥�
I deplore the shooting death of Charlie Kirk but the fact that he was lying about transgender people in the seconds before he was shot reminded me of how disgusted I was with Matthew Dowling’s commentary Sept. 4.
Trans people are estimated to make up 1-2% of the U.S. population and less than 0.002% of college athletes. Out of 510,000 athletes competing at the collegiate level, there are fewer than 10 who are transgender.
Transgender athletes have competed for decades under existing guidelines. Why is it suddenly more important than resolving the real issues harming women in sports: inequitable pay and facilities, abusive coaches, and sexual harassment to name a few? Mr. Dowling and others have jumped on this political bandwagon to create fear and division.
I don’t know if there are any transgender athletes in the schools in our area, and despite his claims I doubt Mr. Dowling does either. If there are, so what? Sports can offer many benefits to all children socially, emotionally and academically.
Mr. Dowling obviously didn’t fact check his divisive comments. As a former state representative, shouldn’t Mr. Dowling be aware of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment? Public schools are prohibited from teaching religion as a matter of doctrine. They are however allowed to teach about religion and promote religious liberty without promoting any particular faith. Prayer activities organized by students are and have always been permitted. I know from my grandchildren that Connellsville Area School District has a very active Bible Club.
I also don’t know if local schools still participate in starting the day with the Pledge Of Allegiance. Fifty-plus years after graduating from high school, I have one memory of the pledge: trying not to laugh while a fellow student who stood beside me danced to it every day. Who, including Mr. Dowling, has a memory of saying the pledge in school as a “powerful reminder” of anything?
He laments that classrooms are “no longer just for reading, writing, and arithmetic” and ends up asserting that stronger schools give God and country their rightful place in classrooms. As a retired teacher who comes from a family of teachers past and present, I assure Mr. Dowling that our schools are not a “battleground for fringe ideologies.” Educators’ duties include creating lessons that align with educational standards while keeping the interest of the students and meeting individual needs, maintaining discipline, mentoring, counseling, communicating with parents, and on and on with the ultimate goal of encouraging students in critical thinking and nurturing their ability to draw their own conclusions, including on commentary in the local newspaper.
Maureen Coldren
Vanderbilt