School district made the right call …

Frontiersman editorial board

Members of the Mat-Su Borough School District had a hard call to make, and we applaud them for making it.

Earlier this month, in light of terrorist attacks on the East Coast, the district banned all out-of-state travel for students for the school year. Last week, the school board overturned the ban and reauthorized travel.

The process worked exactly as it should have. The district reacted quickly and decisively to a difficult, if not dangerous, situation. As time went by, the public process kicked in, Valley residents had their say and our elected officials did what they thought was best.

While we agree that banning travel for the entire year may have been excessive, the school district acted with the students' best interest in mind.

Some parents complained the ban was a knee-jerk overreaction. But how can we ever accuse the district of being too cautious when it comes to the safety of our children?

In light of thousands of people being killed by terrorist attacks in our country and dozens of others being exposed to a potentially deadly virus, the superintendent and other central administrators took steps to keep our children out of harm's way.

One parent said that during the more than 20-year history of her student group in Mat-Su, out-of-state travel had never been banned. But during that time, has there ever been such a devastating attack committed on U.S. soil?

Many other speakers at last week's school board meeting said it was time for us to get on with our lives, not to let terrorism win. While we agree, we also recognize that what is normal today is entirely different from what was normal before Sept. 11.

We are at war. It may not be the kind of war with which any of us are familiar, but it is war all the same. During such troubled times, we hope the school administration continues its dedication to the well-being of our students. Never do we want the district to hesitate to protect them.