103 Administrators Press Inslee to Restart School Activities

A letter signed off on by 103 school district administrators was sent to Gov. Inslee on December 10th, pushing for resumption of extracurruicular activities (and for some Districts, hybrid).

The letter, according to scorebooklive.com, was co-written by Jim Kowalkowski and Eric Sobotta.They are the superintendents of the Davenport School District, and the superintendent of the Reardan-Edwall School District, respectively.

The letter reads in part:

“We have a moral obligation to take action for our students. ALL students deserve an opportunity and an outlet.”

It calls for the resumption of extracurricular activities, saying these lockdowns, and cancellations are hurting students in all grades. The letter went on to say (in part):

“We now have data that shows statewide and regionally that enrollment is down overall, D and F lists have never been higher, remote learning continues to prove difficult, students are struggling with their mental health, and the use of illegal substances appears to be on the rise as students grasp for things to help them cope."

The letter even 'uses' Inslee's pet argument of "equity" against his lockdowns. Inslee is fond of looking at everything through his "equity lens," meaning every decision he makes is done through social, racial and other 'bias'--even if it's not the most effective or sound method of action.

Reardan's Athletic Director Erik Nikkola, pointed out that unlike students in larger communities or those with more club or outside resources, rural students don't often have the options to play on a select team or travel out of state for tournaments.

The letter accurately shows that some students who are part of select teams have traveled to Idaho or other states and been able to play. But students who rely on the school districts for activities and athletics are being disadvantaged.

The letter says, in part, it is an issue of "equity" when it comes to all students. Below is the LONG list of educators and administrators who signed off on the letter, it's 103 total.

We have reached out to Kennewick, Richland and Pasco District officials for comment, will pass along input.

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