Bullying in Brunswick
We are perplexed by the news of a lawsuit against Brunswick Junior High School under the leadership of Principal Walter Wallace. In our experience, the administration sets the tone of a school and its staff. The overarching atmosphere at BJHS is warm, encouraging and supportive, a reflection of Wallaceʼs own character and demeanor.
During their years there, our children did witness occasional incidences of bullying. When reported, they were handled in a timely way, with respect, authority and confidentiality. None of their complaints were disregarded or treated dismissively by the administration.
The case brings to mind the issue of what we expect of our schools and their administrations. The steps that were taken in response to an exceptional experience of bullying seem to go well beyond taking responsibility. The steps to accommodate the victim sound well above average. They match our sense of what the staff at BJHS would develop as objective responses to that studentʼs distress. They reflect our own impressions of how staff under Wallaceʼs administration responded to examples of bullying during our kidsʼ time there. It also makes clear that each accommodation and the constellation of them does not guarantee that the bullied student will actually feel safe.
The goal of nourishing that studentʼs confidence falls on everyone who cares about him, as much out of school as in it.
Claudia Brzoza
David Nagler
Brunswick
Bernie 2016
The man I’ve known since the early 1970s, Bernie Sanders, has an infectious smile. He inspires hope wherever he goes. I was, therefore, very disappointed to see the Bangor Daily News’ July 7 front-page photo of Bernie at the Portland rally. With all the photos that must have been taken, could you not find one that shows what a great leader Bernie will be? Surely you can do better.
Roxanne Munksgaard
Bangor
Remove rainbow flag
I’m appalled by the movement by some uninformed or deliberately destructive liberals in our country to remove all semblance of our country’s southern heritage. This is as much a part of our history as the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.
Because of the outcry of some liberals, everything that has to do with the Confederate flag is being removed from many of our retail outlets. If this is what we are doing, then I, too, want get on the bandwagon and cry for the removal of the rainbow flag. This flag with its many colors is used to represent a lifestyle that is wrong. I am offended by their language and activities. I am calling for the removal of all rainbow flags from all retail establishments across our nation.
Stephen Nissley
Sherman
Rosen thanks
Thank you, Sen. Kimberly Rosen, for supporting LD 1378. The governor has vetoed the bill, and I encourage you and Rep. Peter Lyford to override his veto.
The governor is holding the Land for Maine’s Future bonds hostage as a political bargaining chip, putting 30 projects at risk. Recently, both the Senate and House voted by over two-thirds in favor of LD 1378. This bill would require the governor to release voter-approved bonds unless there are legitimate, nonpolitical reasons for holding them.
Maine voters have spoken. Sixty percent of Maine voters in 2010 and 2012 voted to invest these conservation funds. Failure to override the veto would devastate conservation activities locally and statewide.
Local projects are at risk. Close to my home is a project in jeopardy: the Caribou Bog Conservation Area. If it moves forward, it would include a 300-acre addition to a large regional conservation project protecting key habitats in the 5,500-acre Caribou Bog complex for rare plants, wildlife, ecological communities and recreation. It includes a very popular rail trail.
I urge Sen. Rosen and Rep. Lyford to vote in support of overriding the veto and support the will of Maine’s people.
Ellen Campbell
Holden