Stuff you need to know, 1.4.24

Statement of principles from former school board member Barbara Pearlman
January 3, 2023

Longtime Truth or Consequences Municipal Schools teacher Barbara Pearlman has chosen to break the silence she observed during last November’s school board race, in which the retired educator lost relection to a second term on the board. Yesterday, on her Facebook page, Pearlman responded to ugly and unfounded personal attacks made against her during the election and restated the philosophy of education for which she was viciously denounced. She has granted the Citizen permission to repost her statement of principles, which follows.

I am no longer a member of the School Board so I feel free to post this:

I remained quiet when a man in Walmart came up to me and said “commmie Jew.”

I remained quiet when multiple ads in the local paper said I was a “danger to children.”

I didn’t say a thing when Julie Stroup’s dogs were poisoned.

I didn’t say a thing when at a school board meeting it was shouted that I would “burn in hell” and “we’re gonna get you.”

I didn’t comment when an editorial in the Sentinel said that “Jews who didn’t accept Jesus as their savior should not be allowed in Israel.”

I didn’t correct the information handed out about the curriculum was for California and not New Mexico.

I didn’t call out the fact that Mr. Norris’s Mary’s Little Ranch is a cult of Holocaust deniers, antisemitic white supremacists.

And I will not mention the ultimate hypocrisy that the co-founder of “Mothers for Liberty,” a group that is calling for banning of books that call for acceptance of all people and the white washing of history has been involved in what their own members have considered sexual scandals.

And I could go on…

But now I will briefly say:

We should never call for banning books and intimidating educators that call for inclusion.

That there is a difference between free speech and hate speech.

All America’s history is important to understand, the good and the bad, if we don’t than we are bound to never evolve into a truly free and equal society.

We can’t forget that we are a nation of immigrants.

Where else but in public school can we investigate things that might make us uncomfortable with the guidance not only of parents but of caring and responsible educators.

We trust teachers and administrators with the lives of our children, their safety and health, we need to trust and respect that they would never harm students or impose values that go against parent’s wishes.

If there are objections to the curriculum, highlight those concerns and open a civil discourse for discussion.

Understand that when you are a member of a school board decisions are sometimes made based on information that cannot be shared because of legal restrictions and privacy issues.

I congratulate the new School Board members and hope they will never have to contend with the abuse that both Julie and I have dealt with.

Finally, I have been proud to serve with this school board who I trust and admire, whose diversity has been an asset that we believe in. I believe in superintendent Nichole Burgen’s integrity and best practices for our schools. And that we are fortunate to have a central service staff that is so very competent and will continue to make TorC schools financially and educationally secure.

“Spaceport America holding public comment meetings on growth at the facility”
by Gabriel Chavez, KRQE News 13
January 3, 2023

Members of the public can weigh in on the future of Spaceport America at an evening meeting to be held in Albuquerque on Wednesday, January 10.

Click on the above link to read this free-access article.