Oyster River resident Tom Bebbington submitted this letter to the Fosters Editor Monday evening in response to two recent letters to the editor (quoted below) by Kay Morgan and David Taylor. He also asked that it be published here.
Conspiracy Theories Abound
To the editor: In recent months, I have read with interest the numerous articles, editorials, and letters to the editor regarding the Oyster River School District. However, this past Saturday's crop of letters compels me to write.
Kay Morgan claims that "much of what is 'discussed' at board meetings seems...to have been decided well in advance of the meeting, and not in public" but also accuses the Board of holding meetings that are too long, and with much disagreement.
Well, which is it? If all topics have been decided in advance, would it not follow that discussion would be minimal and debate nonexistent? With that clearly not being the case, her unsubstantiated assertion that the Board meets in secret conclave--and in violation of state law--can only be termed pure hogwash.
If Ms. Morgan's letter represents nonsense, then David K. Taylor's is nonsense on stilts. Upping the paranoia quotient, he propounds the notion that a "group that doesn't like the long-standing philosophy of differentiated instruction and heterogeneous grouping" has stacked the Board with members that "long for tracking and accelerated programs like those they had thrived under a generation ago" and that these Board members have moved to "fire the defenders of the old philosophy".
Like all conspiracy theories, this one doesn't stand up to the facts. His claim that a secret cabal of elderly Oyster River community members is trying to drag our District back to the dunce cap era is absurd on its face, especially since no School Board member has ever advocated a return to tracking. And while it's true that three top administrators have left our District recently, not one was fired: one retired, one moved a step up the career ladder, and the third left to pursue a different career path entirely.
Like all conspiracy theorists, those who believe such foolishness would tell you that the lack of evidence of any connivance whatsoever is simply more proof that it is true. In Mr. Taylor's own words, these two writers are, indeed, "only seeing things that affirm what they want to see."
Tom Bebbington
Durham
Here are the opinion pieces by Kay Morgan [UPDATE: removed at Ms. Morgan's request] and David Taylor [UPDATE: removed to comply with DMCA Title II takedown notice] published in Fosters on the 25th of June:
Content removed.
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