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Letters to the Editor

An Open Letter to Sen. Shelley Capito

Editor, News-Register: In light of the president’s signed Executive Order pledging to do everything in his power to demolish the Department of Education, I’m wondering how you plan to vote when this is put before Congress. On March 16th, you were quoted in a WTRF article by Steven Moore as saying, “Hopefully this will all iron out and it will be better. It will be better for the local educator, the local principal, the local county board to be able to deliver to those localities a higher quality, more efficient (education), and the dollars will go farther, because they won’t ...

West Virginia’s in a State of Confusion

Editor, News-Register: Never have I felt safer in West Virginia than I have since the West Virginia Legislature passed legislation defining a “male” and a “female” and including an Anti-Transgender Bathroom bill. Kudos to the Legislature for not allowing West Virginia’s other pressing issues to get in the way of this important work! I have lived in West Virginia for more than 25 years and am embarrassed to say I was completely unaware of any confusion surrounding this issue. I am certain this clarifying legislation will quickly propel West Virginia to the top of “most ...

Athletic Training Bill Would Be Good Start

Editor, News-Register: The West Virginia Senate has before it a bill, Senate Bill 755, that creates the West Virginia Secondary School Athletic Trainer and Career Technical Education Program Act through career and technical education (CTE) programs. This is much needed in the Mountain State with a trainer’s shortage. The bill said the state’s Underwood-Smith Teacher Loan can be used to help students pay for the training in exchange for them agreeing to stay in West Virginia after they are trained In the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference on the West Virginia side, most of the ...

Time To Speak Out Against Injustices

Editor, News-Register: March 31st marks Transgender Day of Visibility, a day to recognize the resilience, strength, and contributions of transgender people in our communities. But this year, as we take pride in our visibility, we must also confront the stark reality that transgender West Virginians are under direct attack from policies that seek to erase, endanger, and discriminate against us. The Trump and Morrisey administrations have relentlessly targeted transgender people, rolling back hard-fought rights and protections. From banning transgender individuals from serving in the ...

West Virginia’s Vaccine Debate

Editor, News-Register: West Virginia’s government is currently discussing the issue of school vaccine mandates, debating personal freedoms against the health and safety of children. But, what will Gov. Patrick Morrisey do if his leadership results in a measles outbreak in West Virginia? In February, the West Virginia Senate passed Senate Bill 460, allowing parents to use philosophical or religious beliefs to avoid the state’s mandatory immunizations requirements for both public and private schools. The bill would permit unvaccinated children to participate in extracurricular ...

Public Funds Should Go to Public Schools

Editor, News-Register: The concept of “School Choice” and voucher programs is a sham that jeopardizes the integrity of our public education system. While supporters argue that these initiatives empower parents and enhance educational outcomes, the reality tells a different story. These programs merely serve as vehicles to redirect public funds from our community schools to private and charter institutions that do not comply with the same regulations or accountability standards as public schools. Public schools operate under strict federal and state laws to ensure equity, ...