Dismissal without cause leads to speculation
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Editor,
I’m writing to publicly express my pride in the people of Polson, teachers, community members, and students who have demonstrated their dissatisfaction with the dismissal of vice principal Shawn Hendrickson.
I have not met Mr. Hendrickson but have read news articles which contain information demonstrating that he has been highly regarded within the district. That information makes the current situation even more painful. Here is a Native person, returning home to give back to his community, working hard for students, and he is asked to suffer the shame of dismissal before the school board and dissenting members of the community, for absolutely no stated reason.
This action may be allowable under current law in Montana but that does not make it an ethical way to treat a human being. The statement I read frequently in the news articles, “he is not a good fit,” concerns me. When no reason is given, this dismissal is left to speculation. One does not need to look back very far in American history to see a series of similar statements and resulting actions because people of color were declared to be “not a good fit” with their white counterparts. Wouldn’t it be better to be forthright, both with Mr. Hendrickson and the community, than to leave everyone guessing?
It seems the administrators and the school board hold all the power in this situation. I only hope that they might listen to their constituents, the students of Polson and their families, and reconsider this decision. What we allow, we teach … and as a teacher myself, allowing this dismissal to go undisputed is certainly a lesson I don’t want my students to learn.
Wendy Z. Warren
Whitefish
