Did The Autistic Muscle Shoals Child Have Rights?

We've certainly had some interesting comments on yesterday's blog and we believe this is the proper venue to answer them rather than on Facebook:

1. Please remember, any comments with vulgarities will be deleted. We've tried several ways to counter this tendency in certain posters and have failed miserably. No more warnings. Your comment will be deleted. Feel free to scream. If you can't comment without using "dirty words," what is your comment worth?

2. We've had a private comment about Dr. Conner's job title. After looking at it again, we agree with our reader that the title is nebulous. We at first thought it simply lacked an Oxford comma, but that would still not make the title any less nebulous.

3. For those who mentioned it's not unusual that a wife and husband work in the same system, we agree--we've stated so before. Dr. Dennis Conner is more than husband to an elementary school teacher; he's also the brother-in-law to Supt. Brian Lindsey.

4. One reader said we should ask the Muscle Shoals board to answer our questions, but in almost the same breath stated they were above such questions. Nevertheless, we're preparing some questions. The board may answer or not--it's up to them.

5. For those who say we shouldn't have reported on the case of the autistic student being forced from the only school she had ever known, we ask what if it had been your child? What if you had tried everything; wouldn't you seek an advocate anywhere you could find one, especially one that reaches thousands each day?

6. Does the mother of the autistic child have any legal recourse against the Muscle Shoals school system? We're not attorneys here. It may well be that she has none. We are fairly sure that any attorney would argue the board waited two years into the new policy to force the child out. What if a court says the board was still within its rights to do so? So be it, but remember, just because you can do something, it doesn't mean you should.

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Now, turning to Lauderdale County, we're always amazed at how some perceive "the county." A recent comment in the TimesDaily remarked that Dewey Mitchell needed to be unseated. We agree totally--he should never have been elected in the first place, but the voters spoke, very ill informed voters.

This Lauderdale citizen continued that he/she wanted someone from "the county" in the position and was glad that Danny Pettus is running. We are too, but he isn't from the county anymore than Dewey Mitchell is. According to records, Mr. Pettus lives in Killen. Killen is a town just like Rogersville, Florence, etc. What the commenter obviously meant was that he/she wanted someone who didn't live in Florence.

What we want is someone who will do the job honestly and fairly, no matter where they live in Lauderdale County. This is what every concerned citizen should want.



Shoalanda