Author: Laureen Boll

By Laureen Boll | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice As a long-term resident of Douglas County — and a parent who watched my children navigate K-12 education in Douglas County School District (DCSD) — I’ve witnessed the shift from community engagement to ideological battles. I was always an engaged parent, volunteering at my kids’ schools, knowing most teachers on a first-name basis, and voting in school board elections. However, my perspective on school governance dramatically changed with the onset of the COVID-19 crisis in 2020. As public schools remained closed, despite evidence suggesting low risk for children — while private schools just a few blocks away were re-opening — I began attending virtual school board meetings. The decisions made by the school board to keep the schools ...

By Laureen Boll | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice I’m a long-term resident of Douglas County and for the last three years have been a volunteer with FAIR (www.fairforall.org), a non-profit, grassroots organization that aims to overcome identity politics by nurturing a culture rooted in fairness, understanding and our common humanity. I expect our public education system to embrace these values. History curriculum, in particular, can and should present a balanced and truthful account of past events, the good and the bad, by ensuring elements of fairness (e.g., multiple perspectives, avoiding bias), understanding (e.g., contextualization, cause-and-effect) and our common humanity (e.g., shared experiences, empathy building) are woven into the curriculum. Douglas County School...