Thanks to all the parents, teachers and staff who make our schools centers of learning and love and the true center of our community.

Those who cynically sow division will not succeed in their efforts to tear our schools and communities apart with lies and fear. Mainers aren’t going to fall for the misinformation they are being blasted with on social media and political mailers that something nefarious is happening in our schools, and parents have no idea what’s going on. It’s frankly an insult to all the parents who regularly engage in our schools and volunteer and join committees.

The people who work in our schools are often parents themselves, and to kids with an absent parent, they are often second parents as well.

We ask a lot of our schools. They have never been just about reading, writing and arithmetic. They are health clinics, food pantries, centers for sports, art and entertainment and so much more. They are places where we meet our friends and learn how to be good neighbors, or meet our neighbors and learn how to be good friends.

The pandemic has been incredibly hard on both parents and teachers; both need more support. There will always be tough conversations in our schools about how we are going to make sure every child has the resources and support they need to succeed.

But Mainers have always known that parents and teachers working together is what our kids need for a great education.

Orion Breen, Pownal

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