Communication is Important and Critical and Difficult

Getting the word out is always difficult if not completely impossible.  You never tell the right people, in the right way, in the right manner, at the right time, or enough.  That is especially true over the past 48 hours.

When ever there are children involved we are dealing with the most precious part of any community.  There is a mother, father, loved one, caring person or interested party who cannot get any information regardless of the topic.  If you are talking about my kid, I want to know more.

The robo calls are great but the telephone numbers need to be correct.  The person picking up the message needs to listen even after the first greeting of "This is a message from the Minneapolis Schools."  It needs to be in a language the listener understands.  It does not reach everyone.  This blog can only send out written words and people have to know about the blog, read it from time to time and be comfortable with the information contained.

The District sends out robo calls and press releases.  The radio and TV stations receive information from a variety of sources and then edits and does with it as it makes sense to them.  Sometimes this happens in the middle of the night.  Sometimes it works perfectly with scheduled broadcasts and sometimes not.

Regardless of how much anyone wants to share there is some information that should not be broadcast, some can't be explained and some is very difficult to explain.  All parties involved also have rights that must be protected.  Some information needs to be protected due to investigations.  Some information is in development and can be premature.  The desire to communicate can be there but limited by law, common sense and reasonableness.

Every decision made at Southwest High School and throughout the school system is dictated by what is best for children.  We do not ignore safety or common sense.  When in doubt, don't.  Sometimes those decisions are obvious and popular.  Sometimes they are less obvious and sometimes questioned.   There is never an attempt to hide or confuse.  Even though that sometimes happens.  The well being of our children must be a given.  We must have faith in one another.

Our society needs to be less fearful and violent.  Our city needs to be safer for our children.  Our neighborhoods need to be more protective and supportive of one another.