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homerhorizon.com SOUND OFF
the Homer Horizon | March 22, 2018 | 17
Social snapshot
Top stories
From HomerHorizon.com from Monday,
March 19
1. BREAKING: Duo charged for armed robbery at
Homer Glen gas station
2. Homer man leads planning for Cruise for a
Cause
3. Adventure seekers to have new conquest in
Lockport
4. Will County Department of Transportation
elaborates on 143rd Street widening
5. Homer Jr. High wrestling wins state title
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“Together, our schools raised a staggering
$94,882 for the American Heart Association
and helped save 1,897 lives!!!! INCRED-
IBLE!!!! Tonight, our Board of Education
recognized the students who raised the
most money at each school.”
Homer Community Consolidated School
District 33C, from March 14.
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“Man them juco days turned ya boy into an
animal”
@Rich_Holmes22, Philadelphia 76ers
forward and LTHS graduate Richaun
Holmes, from March 14.
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From the Managing Editor
Inside voices, demonstrations at a distance
Bill Jones
Managing Editor
Around our office, it
started with Lincoln-
Way Community
High School District 210.
Days before a national
walkout from schools
planned by students across
the country, to take place on
the one-month anniversary
(March 14) of a shooting at
Marjory Stoneman Douglas
High School in Parkland,
Florida, that claimed 17 lives,
we learned administrators
were communicating with
students in at least one of the
district’s three high schools
regarding their plans. Those
choosing to participate would
leave their classrooms but
stay inside the building — as
all three schools ended up
doing. Safety was cited as the
primary concern.
We then learned that all
campuses would be closed
during the walkout. No one,
including members of the
press, would be able to see
what transpired. We asked
then if students might be
made available for interviews
but were denied by district
administration. This time,
some students being minors
and the divisive nature of
debate surrounding gun
control issues were offered as
explanation. Again, it was to
protect students.
Both concerns are fair.
School administrators are
responsible for students when
they step on campus. They
should care about student
safety. And students opining
on the issues at hand
undoubtedly are subjected
to what passes for discourse
online nowadays.
But we would have worked
with the district. We planned
to stay true to our values as a
company in how we portray
minors. We offered to meet
with 18-year-olds or work directly
with parents to include
their children in our coverage.
The district wanted nothing
to do with it. That’s no longer
a safety concern; that’s something
else.
Next up was Lockport
Township. Mere hours after
receiving word from the
district that students were
going to walk to the East
Campus football field, and
we were welcome to cover it,
we got another call. The story
changed. We were no longer
welcome.
So while LTHS students
ultimately walked out, the
football field demonstration
was not seen easily from any
public right-of-way.
Consolidated High School
District 230 posted a public
letter noting that while
administrators would not be
involved directly in planning
any walkout, students would
not be penalized for preannounced
and orderly participation.
The letter also showed
support for the students’ right
to have a voice.
It was a nice sentiment,
a public self high-five. But,
behind the scenes, some
administrators were only OK
with students having a voice
so long as it was not loud
enough for anyone to actually
hear (or see). A call to
Sandburg’s principal made it
clear press would not be welcome,
and she did not return
requests to help to facilitate
interviews regarding March
14. Students themselves
opted to demonstrate on the
football field, where many
school functions take place,
and were once again not easily
visible to the public eye.
For a minute, it looked
like Tinley Park High might
be the most accessible of the
bunch. Our editor was welcomed
into the building the
day before the event to speak
with student organizers. He
left with the impression he
was welcome back the next
morning. He returned to find
out otherwise.
So, we started using social
media in an attempt to reach
students. What we got was
a conversation dominated
by adults. People shared
links to articles with which
they agreed. They supported
student demonstrations. They
protested protests. They
offered alternatives to the
walkout. They delved into
the topics of gun control and
school shootings and what it
means to be American. They
talked liberals and conservatives.
They argued over tax
dollars and how schools use
them. They knew what would
and would not solve our
country’s social issues.
They missed the point.
Often left the predominant
victims of school shootings
and at the mercy of decisions
made by adults for whom
many cannot vote, students
organized an event to make
their voices heard. While
adults argue the issues 365
days a year, students asked to
be part of the conversation for
17 minutes.
That made a lot of adults
really nervous. And, almost
universally, we failed these
children.
Our schools — undoubtedly
facing pressure from angry
parents/voters, and legal
issues tied to public schools
and political agendas — suppressed
the impact students
could make. Online commenters,
ever-convinced of
their self-importance, would
not cede the conversation for
any length of time.
To paraphrase one Facebook
comment that truly got
it: This was a teachable moment
for these students. All
we ended up teaching them
was that a lot of us weren’t
very interested in listening to
what they had to say. Many
apparently still live by the old
adage that children are better
seen (albeit from a distance)
and not heard.
No matter our political
stances, no matter our opinions
regarding walkouts, we
should have let them lead the
conversation — if only for 17
minutes. It wasn’t a lot to ask.
And while our staff worked
tirelessly to make sure the
discussion did not end where
some might have preferred,
we, like everyone else, can
do better.
While these students
probably don’t even need
us — in an age that sees them
mobilizing on their own,
with the social media tools to
reach the world, in their own
words — these papers still
can be powerful in reaching
the teachers, administrators,
politicians and voters. To that
end, I personally welcome
student voices to these Sound
Off pages.
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