In 2012, the Oregon Constitution was amended to eliminate an elected Chief of Public Instruction and put that authority directly in the governor’s office. Gov. Kate Brown has been Oregon governor since 2015. Gov. Brown has taken many actions that have undermined the public’s trust in public schooling while simultaneously causing many Oregon parents to consider homeschooling. In 2016, she …
By Richard Emmons “You were fired but not for misconduct with work.” Thus read the Oct. 28, 2021, legal conclusion of the Oregon Employment Department in its ruling for Katie Medart’s unemployment claim against the Grants Pass School District 7. Rachel Damiano’s unemployment claim against District 7 was denied on Aug. 9, 2021. However, on Oct. 8, that denial was …
By Teacher X Editor’s note: The Eagle posed the following questions to a Grants Pass area teacher we are calling “Teacher X.” He or she is not sharing any information that isn’t public but hopes to give clarification and focus to current issues facing students and staff in the public schools. Describe the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on teacher and …
By Richard Emmons My family has gone without health insurance for 17 of the 23 years we’ve lived in Oregon. Did I worry about this? Not at all. Instead of traditional health insurance, we have been members of Samaritan Ministries, a health care sharing program. Each month we get the name and address of a Samaritan Ministries member who has …
By Richard Emmons Josephine County Eagle, July 29, 2021 Yesterday, the Three Rivers School District board held its last meeting before the start of school in September. The room was setup for 35 members of the community and every seat was filled. There were another 40 more people outside. The meeting was led by board chair Jennifer Johnstun. She announced …
On Thursday, July 15, I had a front-row seat at the four-hour Grants Pass School District 7 termination hearings for North Middle School Assistant Principal Rachel Damiano and science teacher Katie Medart, who were put on leave earlier this year after recording a video in support of the I Resolve movement, which offers alternatives to “transgender equity” policies in schools. …
By Constance Bradley Josephine County Eagle (7/15/2021, p. 1) There is currently no Grants Pass School District 7, board-approved policy for gender identity decisions. The district has hidden from the general public a memo that outlines a procedure to address the issues. Administrators have even gone so far as to not send it out or make it available to district …
(The following Grants Pass School District 7 administrative policy was published in the Josephine County Eagle on 7/15/2021, p. 6.) Administrative Memorandum (Gender Identity, Transgender, Name and Pronoun Guidance) Dated February 5, 2021 1. Grants Pass School District prohibits discrimination or harassment on any basis protected by law, including sexual orientation and gender identity. See Policy AC, JB, JF/JFA, GBEA, …
By Rob Pell Josephine County Eagle (6/15/2021, p. 1) Since the coronavirus pandemic was declared by government officials in early 2020, lawmakers have been persuaded to build the global pandemic response around a single class of experimental vaccines. These products are generating billions of dollars in liability-free profits for drug companies and their partners, while the mainstream media bombard us …