Wednesday's letters: Speakers are crossing the line at School Board meetings

School Board must lay down the law

Sarasota County School Board meetings have become synonymous with the word “contentious.”

One could argue this is due to the input of those in attendance: There are audience members who come prepared with inflammatory comments – some factual, some opinion and some simply performative.

From personal attacks on board members to attacks on “this side” or “that side,” you can be assured there will be a “grab-the-popcorn” moment. So much so that our school district is now both notorious and infamous for being one of the ground zeros in the fight over public education and parental rights.

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Is that the fault of the speakers or the utter lack of leadership within the chamber? Just as parents should model the behaviors they wish to see in their children, so, too, is it imperative that they establish constructive, productive boundaries.

That is something that this School Board, under the eye of the board chair, has been remiss in accomplishing since its seating.

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It’s no wonder then that speakers feel entitled, under the First Amendment, to push their luck. The amendment only goes so far and to date those boundaries have not been a priority. One has to wonder if that’s the intention.

Shannon Clement, Sarasota

‘Outermost limits’ of human stupidity

Just when I had begun to hope that by now the human race must have fully explored the outermost limits and manifestations of human stupidity, along comes the Florida Board of Education with a formal proposal that our high school curriculum be altered to require that students be taught the beneficial aspects of chattel slavery upon America's enslaved Africans.

This is because, as the board points out, “slaves developed skills which in some instances could be applied for their personal benefit.”

Yeah, because if left alone in their native land, Africans would almost certainly never have acquired the skills of crop cultivation, animal husbandry, trade or artistic expression. Really?

And the fact that at the time various African tribes were also enslaving weaker neighboring tribes in no way provides moral cover or justification for the practice.

Any attempt by the board to mitigate or burnish the image of this grotesque practice should be grounds for summary dismissal.Michael Kurtz, Sarasota

More people, businesses going vegan

If you’ve shopped at a local grocery store recently, you probably noticed an array of vegan options.

That’s because more consumers are realizing that the best way to help animals, combat climate change and reduce their risk of suffering from life-threatening diseases is by eating vegan, rather than animal-based food.

The number of American vegans increased 300% (about 9.6 million) from 2004 to 2019, and new vegans are sprouting up every day. Because of this, more stores and restaurants on the Suncoast and around the country have started offering more vegan options.

When I went vegan 31 years ago, you had to explain what “vegan” meant. But now there is plenty to eat when you don’t consume meat, eggs, dairy or seafood.

In 2019, Rent.com named Sarasota the nation’s best city for vegans, an honor that usually goes to well-known vegan havens like Portland, San Francisco and New York.

With an ever-growing number of vegan-friendly places on the Suncoast, there’s no excuse not to eat vegan.

Heather Moore, Sarasota, senior writer, PETA Foundation

Owners have right to choose customers

After reading Ingrid Jacques’ July 20 column (“Salon owner’s anti-trans rant crossed line that conservatives should avoid”), I feel the stylist’s rant was ill-conceived.

However, common sense should steer you away from trying to force hairstylists (and/or bakers) to serve you against their wishes. Any kitchen worker will tell you it’s not smart to irk the cook (or just watch the film “The Help”).

Clients who force business owners with opposing views to work for them will not be happy with their cake – or their haircut. Owners should be able to turn down work because they are too busy to take it on, or for personal reasons.

Should a chef or stylist whose principles dictate his refusal to decorate a cake with a swastika – or to cut one into a hairstyle – be sued?

Carol DeChant, Sarasota

Increased traffic no surprise

“More residents mean more traffic” read the headline in the Herald-Tribune on July 21.

Really? No one saw that coming!

Next will we hear that beach parking spaces are harder to find?

Or that the water shortages that we have been hearing about for decades now have become more severe?

Or am I getting ahead of things?

Jim Dellecker, Venice

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: School Board lacks leadership at meetings