Letter from David Foster
By NewsPress Now
Letter from David Foster
Being a School Board Member is a Privilege that Whitney Lanning Has Lost
By: David P. Foster
It has been an honor to serve on the St. Joseph School Board for the last three years. This responsibility holds significant weight as it directly impacts our community’s most precious assets: The children. I take this job seriously. I know that I will not always agree with my colleagues on the school board, or with my constituents, but I will always treat everyone with civility and respect.
Unfortunately, there is a member of our school board who has a history of attacking these very principles: Whitney Lanning. Ms. Lanning has shown a lack of ability for civil discourse on countless occasions, and that culminated in a recent altercation that led to her being charged with second-degree harassment. My colleague, Ms. Garcia summed it up perfectly, “Unfortunately, a member of our board of education has attacked dignity, respect, and acceptance of differing opinions.”
There have been many recent calls for Whitney to resign from her position as the Executive Director of Community Action Partnership of Greater St. Joseph (CAPSTJOE). Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer tweeted his thoughts, and Sen. Rusty Black posted his call for resignation on Facebook, for example. Today, I join their calls, and believe that Ms. Lanning needs to resign from her position on the St. Joseph School Board as well.
Our school district, like many throughout the state, have an endless amount of issues that we are trying to solve. Most importantly, in my opinion, is giving our teachers more resources. The issue is that having this kind of distraction only makes the bevy of challenges that we face more difficult to solve. The dignity and respect of the school board should never be in question by the public, and I fear that it now is.
I believe that everyone is innocent until proven guilty, and I support my colleague’s right to due process. However, we are in positions of leadership where the repercussions of our actions carry greater significance. We must be held to a higher standard. Whitney Lanning could be found innocent of the recent harassment charge, but it doesn’t change the fact that she has on numerous instances confronted her colleagues, and members of the public, in an unacceptable manner. Mrs. Lanning has also publicly stated that, it is ironic that she, being a white woman has to explain to me (obviously a Black man) and Mrs. Garcia (obviously a Hispanic woman) that we should not have our viewpoints on diversity and inclusion. This is highly unprofessional, degrading, and racially discriminatory. Such comments undermine the principles of equality, respect and perpetuates harmful stereotypes. We deserve to have better leadership in St. Joseph.
