Letters - Feb. 11, 2010

Sovereignty

The people of this state do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies that serve them. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so that they may maintain control over the instruments that they have created. RCW 42.56.030 - Public Records Act

Jim Farr, Palouse

Clarification

We, the Sprague and Lamont School Directors, wish to clarify our position as it relates to the Sprague-Harrington-Lamont Sports Co-op. Recent newspaper articles and discussions held by the public have misrepresented our position.

The Sprague and Lamont School Districts have and will continue to support the Falcon Sports Co-op that has been in existence for 25 years. We have not pursued a sports cooperative relationship with any other districts. The Sprague-Harrington-Lamont Co-op has given each community’s students the opportunity to compete at a high level and we wish to continue the tradition.

Our commitment is to continue an open and honest dialogue that would serve the best interest of all our students. We have welcomed and do support an ongoing discussion with Harrington directors regarding shared student academic programs and organizations.

The Falcon Sports Co-op committee, in the 1990s, chose to offer only individual sports in the spring. (The last Falcon spring team was 1996 with baseball). Therefore, since the co-op does not offer a spring team sports like softball and baseball, students have been given permission to play in another district. The Sprague and Lamont Districts continue to allow their students to go to Ritzville to play softball and baseball much like Harrington has done with Davenport.

This spring several students are interested in participating in the two sports from Sprague and Lamont. Sprague and Lamont have received approval to participate with Lind-Ritzville for baseball and softball for spring 2010. Combination agreements like this must be approved each year by the districts involved and submitted to the WIAA.

Please call or e-mail Sprague Board Chair Doug Shields, 991-6316, or Lamont Board Chair Jon Courneya, 995-3723, with any questions about the Sprague or Lamont directors’ position regarding the Sprague-Harrington-Lamont Sports Co-op.

Doug Shields, Sprague

Jon Courneya, Lamont

(Respective chairs representing directors for the Sprague and Lamont School Districts)