To The Plaintiffs Who Stood Up Against The Enfield Board Of Education

by Ryan McKeen

I applaud your bravery in standing up for all of our civil rights. What you did could not have been easy. I read the comments on the Courant and I’m appalled at the outrage directed at you. All blame for this debacle falls squarely on the shoulders of the Board of Education which failed you and the town in so many ways.

I know that you are anonymous plaintiffs in theory. However, Enfield is a small town and I find it hard to believe that your identities are truly anonymous. You’ve likely read the same comments that I have. At a time that should be one of the happiest few weeks of your life, you are forced to deal with what I’m sure are hard and sometimes conflicting emotions.

Standing up for something that is right and unpopular is hard but it’s necessary in a vibrant and full democracy.

Further, your victory was a victory for religious freedom. Under no circumstance should government ever be allowed to dictate what must be covered up or hidden in a church. None. Not now. Not ever. Our country was founded on the mistakes of governments in Europe controlling religion. The framers of our constitution were well aware of the consequences of government controlling religion and sought not to repeat their mistakes. The Enfield Board of Education members who supported holding graduation in a church either didn’t take a class on the history of modern Europe or didn’t understand what they were taught.

Twelve years ago, I graduated from Fermi High School. I was president of my senior class. Our graduation was held in a hot and crowded gym.  The general thrust of my speech was that this was a night to celebrate our class. The ceremony was short but it was nice. It was our last night together.  That’s what graduation should be about. A small minority with a political agenda has robbed you of this. They choose to use your graduation and your civil rights as pawns in what they perceive as a larger fight.

It is a shame that the Board of Education choose to use your graduation to try and make political point that was clearly illegal to any objective observer.  This is the Board’s fault and not yours.

The other day I was talking to a teacher in Enfield. He said that his school was out of paper towels, hand soap, cleaning spray and mops. There’s no question that a time when Enfield can least afford it, the actions of the Board’s actions needlessly created hundreds of thousands of dollars in liability pursuant to U.S.C. Sec. 1988.

I don’t know who you are but you are graduating at the very top of your class.

You’re smarter and braver than some of the people entrusted with your education.