Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
ODESSA – The local high school principal has taken Gov. Jay Inslee to task for the unfair treatment of local student athletes.
Principal Jamie Nelson spelled out local frustrations in a letter on the inequities being imposed on schools in violation of the state Constitution.
Nelson sent the letter to the governor, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal and Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Executive Director Mick Hoffman last week.
Nelson said the decision to allow schools in the Puget Sound, Olympia and Grays Harbor areas but not Lincoln County "stunned" her.
"Every message that has come from your offices pertaining to schools has preached equity," Nelson wrote. "As I listened to the rationale for those school districts to be permitted to participate and compete, I was astonished at the hypocrisy."
Nelson pointed out that students here and in surrounding towns have had in-person learning since Sept. 1.
She noted that local communities have been successful in keeping any spread of coronavirus at bay.
Indeed, state Department of Health figures show Lincoln County, which includes Odessa, Davenport, Harrington, and other communities, has had a total of 309 coronavirus cases over the last 11 months.
Meanwhile, King County has had 78,010 cases, Thurston County 6,380 cases, Pierce County 33,995 cases, Snohomish County 27,744 cases, Grays Harbor County 3,012 cases and Pacific County 662 cases.
Under the governor's newest phased in plan, schools in those communities were allowed to resume sports Monday, Feb. 1.
Nelson said students and faculty "have obediently followed the guidelines" issued by the governor himself.
"I have been telling my students, who have been waiting for the opportunity to participate in activities, that if they continue to follow the guidelines, they will be permitted to play," she wrote. "With each change of the sport season start dates, my students have grown more and more frustrated; classroom grades are dropping and attitudes are getting hardened and cynical."
The governor's unfair treatment of rural athletes is contributing to apathy and depression, she wrote, noting she now has no idea what to tell students about if and when they'll be able to compete in sports.
Sports are a big factor in schools here, with the boys football team the defending state 1B champion after an 80-26 trouncing of Naselle in the 2019 title game. The boys basketball team is also the defending state 1B champion, having topped Yakima Nation, 62-36, last March at the beginning of the pandemic.
"COVID case-rates in our county are far below those of school districts along the I-5 corridor," Nelson wrote.
Since the gubernatorial shutdowns began Feb. 29, the governor has used a variety of phased-in approaches to keep businesses, sports and even schools shuttered across the state. Each time portions of the state reach some of those data set benchmarks, he's changed the phased in process.
Then on Nov. 16, he ordered the complete shutdown of inside services at numerous businesses, halted all sports and more, even in counties — like Lincoln County — where his metrics had been met.
The governor's newest plan attempts to create new health regions outside of any statutory authority.
Here the so-called "East" region lumps Lincoln and seven other rural counties in with the much more populated Spokane County, which has yet to meet any of the governor's mandated minimums to reopen. The net result is that rural communities with little-to-no coronavirus activity are forced to remain closed.
Meanwhile, King County alone has more coronavirus cases that all of the "East" region combined. More over the so-called "Puget Sound" region has approximately 140,000 cases, and yet schools there are allowed to resume sports.
"I am astounded by the nonsensical nature of your decision and the message that you are sending to all students and their families," Nelson wrote. That message is not one of equity. If you are going to preach equity for all students, then I ask that you make your decisions according to your words.
"I am asking you to open up the opportunity for all students in all school districts in Washington state to participate and compete in athletics beginning Monday, Feb. 1."
Nelson's letter follows another letter signed by more than 70 officials from small schools in December demanding school activities resume.
Nelson signed onto that letter, as did Superintendent Daniel Read and Athletic Director Bruce Todd.
Roger Harnack is the owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. Having grown up Benton City, Roger is an award-winning journalist, photographer, editor and publisher. He's one of only two editorial/commentary writers from Washington state to ever receive the international Golden Quill. Roger is dedicated to the preservation of local media, and the voice it retains for Eastern Washington.
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