Letters to the editor (Nov. 12, 2020)

School during COVID-19

It’s no surprise that as a high school senior I am rather disenchanted with the state of schooling this year. Staples of the high school experience have been taken from me after waiting practically my whole life to experience them. Homecoming, pep assemblies, extracurriculars, you name it — gone.

With that being said, it has never been more crucial to take in the bigger picture. COVID-19 has changed a lot of things, school included, but even though my senior year has been altered practically past recognition, hybrid schooling isn’t cutting it for the safety of students, staff or families. As positive testing rates rise in both Sedgwick and Butler counties, it is well past time to make the switch to online. The infrastructure is in place; it is at this point a matter of implementation. Despite further changing the landscape of learning through this pandemic, it is my belief that safety is paramount, and that the only way to ensure safety is by switching to online learning, at least until the positive test rate drops below the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s recommended 15%.

I write this not out of criticism, but as a plea for the safety of myself and my classmates.

Gregg Marshall

Like the people behind “Shockers for Coach Marshall,” I know the immense pride that WSU Coach Gregg Marshall has brought to our university and our community. We know the teams he has built. We know that Coach Marshall’s leadership at Wichita State has brought pride and national visibility to our community.

Having said that, unlike them, I am not willing to get out in front of a university-requested investigation, only to call the allegations “misleading hit pieces.“ I much prefer to wait for the investigation to conclude rather than offer a rush-to-judgment opinion. We must remember the university took these allegations seriously enough to request the investigation.

Investigations are conducted to gather evidence, conduct interviews and present facts, not biased opinions. To do otherwise undermines the guilt or innocence of both the plaintiff and the defendant. You say “We support the independent investigation that is being conducted to determine the veracity of these allegations.” But your actions certainly don’t match your words.

As I recall, there are at least five witnesses to the allegations. Are they all lying? What would they have to gain?

As for the “Shockers for Coach Marshall,” I have just two words for you: Jim Hershberger.

President-elect Biden

Thank you for prominently displaying a photo of our President-elect Joe Biden on your front page (Sunday, Nov. 8, 2020).

Thank God the people of the United States stood up and got out the vote and said we want kindness, respect and civility for our country.

Now we, the people, must hold our neighbors, friends and relatives accountable for their actions in order to suppress this hideous virus and stop the destruction of human life. Only then will we be able to rebuild our economy.

This story was originally published November 11, 2020 at 10:44 AM.