Teacher Voices Silenced

In a recent email sent to the staff by Superintendent Ann Pedersen, she reminded everyone that November is a great time to give thanks, whereupon she told us how grateful she is for us all. Following her lead, teachers likewise began sending heartfelt sentiments about what we have to be thankful for, both personally and professionally, during this holiday season. However, to our astonishment, a decision was made by the district to block our emails. We were shocked that the district decided to silence us, especially since the majority of what was written expressed why we are thankful to work in Lawrence. While it is true that portions of our emails expressed our unhappiness about working under an expired contract for the last decade, they were honest sentiments of a dedicated staff. It is sad that the district appears to be unable, or unwilling, to acknowledge that not only do we teachers have a right to express our feelings, but that our feelings deserve merit. Please scroll down to view some of the messages that were sent out before the order to block them went into effect. We would also like to take this time to wish everyone a happy, healthy and safe Thanksgiving!