Do you have one of those friends that continually finds himself in a mess? As time goes on you start wondering, “Does he just enjoy the drama, is he just unlucky, or is there something about the way he acts that continually brings on issues?”

I’m starting to ask myself that question of the Park City School District. There are many historical examples, from a former Park City Principal who sued the district, to firing of employees, to the recent bond process, to the fact we have over $8 million in deferred maintenance (not done) that stretches back almost a decade on TMJH, and culminating in this week’s (or perhaps better said… Last October’s) security incident at Park City High School.

Don’t get me wrong, I know school systems are complicated, especially with all the kids, parents, teachers, and administrators that often have different objectives and methods. Yet, if we take the example of this week’s “terrorist threat” to Park City High School, the mess surrounding it was avoidable. How? Be Transparent. ALL THE TIME.

And when I say BE TRANSPARENT ALL THE TIME, I don’t mean the lip service we often get that “we are trying to be more transparent.” That’s not acceptable. True transparency is a way of thought and being. It’s a default stance on EVERY issue, and only when transparency is impossible due to legal or safety issues, do you do it differently.

In this case, back in October the district could have notified parents of the threat. I have seen some claims that the district thought the issue was handled, that information couldn’t be released due to FERPA laws (student records release laws), that the district was doing everything necessary by working with the police and internal teams, and that the system worked like it should.

Yet what happened? The issue spun out of control led by students, then parents, and maybe even some teachers. Was the uproar unwarranted? No. It’s what happens when information is withheld and then people find out about an event of serious nature. They become angry because they weren’t told about what is going on … and especially about a subject (their kids) that is of utmost importance.

If the district had notified everyone of what happened in October (in real time), parents would have been concerned. They would have contacted the district. They may have held their kids out of school for a day or two. However, their ire would be directed at the person making the threats, instead of the school district. The district would be the good guy — the entity protecting our kids!

Instead, the school district is the villain. People ask questions about why the district “covered up” the incident and didn’t tell people about May 3. Rumors start and take on a life of their own. People (like me) demand to know that the person(s) making threats was/were punished per school policy. People question both the capability and decisioning making of school district administrators and the school board.

Perhaps worse, it causes people to act out of character. In response to the public’s outcry over the security issue, Park City School Board Member Julie Eihausen wrote on Facebook:

FERPA is a Federal Law. While many see flaws, it is a law and the District must abide by it, even at the dismay and anger of our community. There is/was no cover up-our District deals with this crap every day. Kids are STUPID. They say things they don’t mean. We engage law enforcement and other professionals and negate threats EVERY day.

-Julie Eihausen on Facebook 5/3/2016

Kids are Stupid? Our schools are threatened every day? I don’t know Ms. Eihausen personally. However, I have emailed her about school district issues. I have spoken with her on the phone a few times. One thing I know for certain is that Ms. Eihausen cares for our kids. If your kid was standing out in the rain after a football game, Ms Eihausen would pick her up and take her home. That’s just who she is.

Yet she unfortunately uses the STUPID word. I correct my 4 year old when he calls his fellow 4-year-olds stupid… She then says that the district deals with this crap every day. That may be true, but in reality, our district is the Goldman Sachs of school districts. Our District is paid better to BE BETTER. Our Superintendent’s total compensation is $245,000 a year. So, if everything isn’t perfect, our district has a problem. Yet, our school board members appear to feel they have to come to the district’s defense… and in turn may say unfortunate things.

Had the district disclosed the issue last October, it wouldn’t be an issue now.

Had the district disclosed the issue last October, our high school parking lot, on an AP test day, wouldn’t be filled with Police Cruisers and Fire Department personnel.

Had the district disclosed the issue last October, I wouldn’t have to write an article like this.

Transparency.

You may be saying, “It seems like transparency is a no-brainer.” Yeah!

But the school district still fights us. I’ve been pushing to find out whether the student that committed the crime of threatening the school, threatening teacher, and threatening an administrator was suspended for 10 days and then was referred to the Superintendent for a year-long supsnesion per our school policies.

The district won’t comment, so they say, due to FERPA laws (Family Educational Privacy Laws Act). Yet FERPA laws are about personally identifiable student records … and my request is about general punishment for “whoever” committed the crime. They likely could tell us what punishment they levied, but they won’t, which leaves me to surmise that the student wasn’t punished per policy. Why?