It’s all political. What’s wrong with that?

Apparently there is another sub-controversy swirling around our school board’s consideration of a proposed diversity policy: whether the proposal is “political.” “Charges of politicking are going both directions,” one article reported. “Many people see an ulterior motive at play, one that is more political in nature.”

When people complained that the school board was moving too fast on the policy, the board chair said

that although she wants an expedited process, it’s not a political issue for her, and she’s disappointed it may be for some people.

“Because when you’re talking about students’ education, it should not be political,” said [board chair Marla] Swesey, a retired teacher. “It should be what is right for student achievement and what’s not.”

Some parents “view the diversity policy as a political document as much as an educational plan,” one administrator said; another said “he did not see politics at play.” A parent who supports the policy said that

it was wrong to suggest it’s a political tool.

“That’s offensive to me,” she said. “I think that there are a lot of people in this district who aren’t thinking globally. They’re only thinking about their selfish interests.”

It’s perfectly reasonable for people to disagree and to criticize opposing viewpoints. But to suggest that some views on a policy issue are “political,” while others are not, is just a semantic attempt to glorify one’s own viewpoint at the expense of others’, and a nonsensical one to boot. “Political” is not a pejorative term. Politics is the only (non-violent) means we have to work out clashes between different sets of values and interests. It inevitably involves disagreement and conflict, and that’s good. To say that education should not “be political” is to come awfully close to saying that it should not be democratically controlled—a sentiment that seems to be more widespread every day, and that is reflected in the board’s apparent willingness to delegate policy questions to an unelected administrator. I’d much rather have school policy decided by politics than by any alternative I can think of.
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