NY schools should be free to choose their own symbols (Your Letters)

To the Editor:

Communities should be free to choose their schools’ preferred names and symbols that reflect their unique experiences, histories and deeply-felt identities without fear of government punishment. In the editorial board’s opinion against the Liverpool school board (”A bad campaign finance bill, Liverpool school board overreach, win for Lysander taxpayers,” June 25, 2023), you denigrate them for not conforming to Albany’s commandment to change Liverpool’s identity. Your stance against freedom of speech is surprising.

Liverpool voluntarily changed its symbol decades ago, after the suggestion of the state education commissioner (his stances were often against local democratic choice, too). But no good deed goes unpunished and no change will ever be good enough.

Regular citizens are tired of this. The Board of Regents’ unconscious bias toward our local cultures is neocolonial, as insidiously oppressive toward diversity while cloaked in good intentions as the old colonialists.

Once upon a time, there might have been reasoning for the status quo, but the board needs elections by and for the people. Allowing the state legislature to continue appointing board members while students’ grades and mental health outcomes continue to fall is no longer tenable. Decades of plummeting results, disrespect, and increasing centralization of power is all the proof we need that the board is ineffective, if not harmful.

Fundamentally, underlying this school identity issue is the principle of free expression. Warriors throughout our history courageously fought and died so the government couldn’t impose speech or order us like pieces on their chess board, as Albany has done accompanied by your applause.

Democratize or dissolve the Board of Regents.

Matt Weinerth

Weedsport

Related: With little faith it’ll work, Liverpool school board votes to keep ‘Warriors’ nickname