Dear Editor:I read with interest the well thought-out letter from Keith Covan-Rodriguez a few weeks ago and fully expected letters of praise and support to appear in the weeks that followed. I know that everyone was busy with holiday and end-of-year preparations, and even more time is being devoted to avoidance of the COVID virus. But this young person and the group of students show wisdom beyond their years and should be taken seriously by the Board of Education and administration and the entire community.Keith and the group did their research thoroughly and presented facts which one would have hoped the administrative staff would have checked and presented to the Board in depth. Instead, the powers that be indicated that this was a situation that wouldn’t cost anything – which planet are they living on? Any money put in accounts comes from hard-earned tax dollars, whether locally or from government sources. And I heard of no research into the philosophy of why and how we promote sports in the school. Nor did a thorough report of the accidents Astro-Turf cause appear. We pay for a public relations position. Did I miss such a report?I still remember the $1 million spent to move the football field one foot, I believe, in order to conform to town building regulations. We should be thankful that we have such thoughtful students and not only listen to them but follow through on their suggestions. What is our philosophy of education for sports in the school system – is it to promote health habits for life or winning teams and “show” to other communities?I personally had an experience recently which made me skeptical of how carefully things are researched at the Board of Ed. I have lived in my house for 60 years and seen many changes on my street and in the town. I know there was a Board of Education right of way for my children to walk to Burnet Hill because, even though I was PTA president, my children had to walk to school and go home for lunch or bring their lunch to eat outside the cafeteria because it was too crowded. Had it not existed, they would have been bused. As there are now many children on my street, I approached the Board of Ed and staff to thoroughly research this matter, using their legal contacts, on retainer, for adequate research.
