By Lynn Steenblock, Superintendent of Schools

For the past several days, our school district has been at the center of a controversy over a decision to cancel Tuesday's Veterans for Freedom event at Forest Lake Area High School.
 
Despite what is being circulated via the Internet, local and national media, and even gossip around town, the real reason for the cancellation of this event came down to student safety and maintaining our educational mission.
 
The original event was structured to be an academic classroom discussion around military service. We had a wonderfully structured, educational event planned that would have offered an opportunity to present current military heroes as role models for our students.
 
As the event drew nearer, however, the media interest around the Vets for Freedom visit increased. A news conference was planned on our campus by the Vets for Freedom group, and both individuals and anti-war groups were threatening to bring hundreds of people to demonstrate.

While peaceful protests are a proud part of our country's tradition, and may have been a teachable moment for students, we take any potential threat to student safety very seriously. It is our priority to protect our students. As the event began to grow into a potential political demonstration about the war, we felt it best to cancel in order to maintain the security of our students and staff.
 
As a result of that decision, public perception suggests our schools are "anti-American," "unpatriotic," and "anti-veteran." It is unfortunate that this one event can tarnish the reputation of a school, and a community, with a long history of recognizing and celebrating what veterans have done for our country.

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