Dear Editor,
My husband and I are both Tucson natives and we moved to Vail about 20 years ago. When we first arrived in Vail we could really feel the sense of community. This feeling of community and belonging has continued over the years, even as the area has expanded. The community members and variety of restaurants and stores have made it an inclusive and appealing place to be. I do, however, believe that much of that sense of community is rooted within the Vail School District. The members of the school district pride themselves on going above and beyond to benefit the Vail community. The work that the staff and community members put into building relationships with the students and their families is what makes Vail incredible.
Each of my children have attended Vail schools and have either graduated or are still currently enrolled. They have all received opportunities in academic programs and extracurricular activities that neither my husband or I had received in the districts that we attended. There are programs in Vail ranging from a wide array of athletics to robotics to even an innovative early college program, in which students can obtain college credits while being a high school senior. For theses opportunities, I am grateful. I am grateful for the teachers that go the extra mile to help my kids, and for an administration that puts in the extra hours to make sure the schools are running smoothly. I am even grateful for those at the very top of the district that have continued to make tough decisions to keep my kids in school during these unprecedented times.
I appreciate you all for your hard work and dedication to the children.
Many of the community members in Vail volunteer to help at district events. There are also many businesses that support our schools, whether it be with donations or resources that the schools can utilize. It takes a village, and Vail has amazing residents throughout its village. I know as parents we all just want the best for our kids. Vail is truly a place that offers countless opportunities to the families that they serve, and as you probably already know it is the place “Where Education is a Community Effort”.
Tracy Teece
Dear Editor,
Empathy and Equity Make a Difference in Vail.
Recently there have been several statements, through social media posts, or at district board meetings, that have been disappointing. Individuals have stated that our district’s practices of inclusion, including empathy and equity, result in the loss of freedom for parents or the brainwashing of children. As an elementary school teacher, I’m irritated. As a special education professional, I’m frustrated. As someone who has seen the results when neither are practiced, I’m saddened.
In Vail, children practice empathy and equity almost reflexively. It is a wonderful byproduct of our inclusion practices. Our students are taught that in order to thrive in our community we must help one other. Help each other read, move across campus, listen when feelings are hurt or lend a hand when one falls. They grow up doing these things, because unlike other districts, our children develop empathy and equity naturally.
I have experienced teaching in other Tucson School Districts. There, students with disabilities aren’t included. They are ostracized, taught in separate classrooms. Typical peers do not help them, and on multiple occasions I’ve seen them avoided on playgrounds. Without empathy and equity, it is a loss and a heartbreak for both atypical and typical students.
Despite how certain media outlets want to define “empathy”, “equity” or “social emotional learning”, the fact is, these are not scary words or practices. Fear of a loss of control is driving misinformation, and it is ridiculous. They are the foundation of someone wanting to make the world a better, more inclusive place.
Empathy is defined as “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.” Meaning, being able to put yourself in the shoes of another. Equity is defined as “justice according to natural law or right – specifically : freedom from bias or favoritism”. This means that there should be no favoritism or obstacles. Things should be done that are “right”, not easy, not equal, but right.
Below is a visual for equity. Three people watching a game have natural advantages and disadvantages. If they are all treated equally, the experiences aren’t equal. However, if they are all treated equitably then experiences are equal. For equity, you must start with empathy. Our students deserve a world with equity and empathy, with everyone included, not a world of division and callousness. When everyone is included, we have stronger schools, and Stronger Schools = Stronger Community.
Shannon Jelle
Dear Editor,
Sadly, I believe that the Vail School District’s guiding principal should be about protecting, educating, and advocating for our children’s health and safety–NOT “We respect parents.”
Public health measures require that regulations protect the health and well-being of our entire community–not the wishes of the individuals.
We require our students to get vaccinated against chicken pox, and the current COVID-19 Delta variant has been shown to be as contagious as chicken pox.
So, why on earth would anyone dispute a mask mandate while indoors at school? In fact, we should really be requiring Vail parents to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination just as we require proof of vaccinations against other deadly, and oftentimes less contagious viruses, in order to attend school in-person.
In addition, the governor’s mask mandate directive does not go into effect until September 29th, so YOU have the power to require masks while indoors in the Vail School District between now and then, which should help stop the deadly spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant.
Heidi I. Martell, MA, BSN, BA, RN
Dear Editor,
We moved to Vail in 2001 because of the schools. ONLY because of the schools. It was a twenty minute drive to get gas or groceries, but we wanted our kids to have the opportunity to get a great education. Since that time we have sent our children to five different school in Vail from Preschool to high school. Each of my kids have their own unique skills and challenges and, while no solutions are perfect, I have always felt that the uniqueness of each of them has been taken into account in the Vail Schools and that they have always received the great academic and extracurricular opportunities that we came here for. I appreciate all that our schools have done and continue to do for my kids!
Last year was extremely difficult on many of us, but I appreciated how the schools constantly adjusted and continued to create opportunities for my kids to learn in an unprecedented time. I knew that this year was not going to be perfect, but I have been very pleased with how school has gone so far. I have received extra communications from our kids’ schools about safety protocols, COVID cases, extracurriculars, and academic supports available. I appreciate the frequency and transparency those communications provide. It is reassuring to see how the schools are looking out for the academics and safety of our kids!
I have students in advanced classes, special education programs, and involved in athletics; all of which were difficult to do last year. I wanted to acknowledge the hard work our schools have done to make those opportunities available this year. It was amazing to hear our youngest talk with excitement about meeting her new special education teacher, to have the advanced math teacher reach out to offer extra tutoring before school to help get our kiddo caught up, and to watch our middle schooler run in a cross country meet…what a blessing! I know that these things aren’t easy and are taking a massive amount of work to make happen.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart, your efforts are making a difference in our house! I know that this has been an unbelievably difficult year and a half on our schools, but we just wanted you to know that our kids are thriving because of the work that you do.
I love our Vail schools!
Keeley Hurley
Dear Editor,
My husband Alex and I have been living at our home on 12770 E Wentworth Ct, Vail, AZ for 36 years. South Wentworth Rd and other major roads in the area are in need of new paving, and in need of a couple of overpasses to divert the monsoon rain from flooding so that the roads are passable especially during an emergency. Last Sunday morning I experienced a medical emergency, and couldn’t get emergency services until hours later. Our high property taxes pay only for schools, and no other services? Where does the remainder of our tax dollars go? Now that our property taxes have crept up very high, we should demand services like fire, emergency services, law enforcement, higher speed internet and phone service, garbage pickup, gas utilities, and road maintenance. But we live in an unincorporated area so our property taxes should be low. We would be very happy that some of our high tax dollars are used to have good passable roads out here.
Filis Cardieri
