CMS should have one priority and it shouldn’t be phasing in high school athletics

Phasing in athletics isn’t the priority

As a CMS parent and working professional I am stunned by CMS’s decision to green light a “phased return” for high school athletics on Nov. 4.

To prioritize athletics (even on a small scale) over finding a way to facilitate in-person learning for the most vulnerable children, including students with disabilities, is enraging.

Does the district really not understand the struggle most CMS families are grappling with daily to support their child’s education with remote learning while also working from home? Does the district really not appreciate the burden on teachers to try to make teaching over Zoom meaningful?

CMS should have one priority: Ensuring the safe, sustainable “phased return” to school for its students and teachers ideally by Jan. 1.

Stacy Brink, Charlotte

Let’s also celebrate the nation’s progress

Regarding “Davidson College apologizes for support of slavery,” (Aug. 20):

It seems Davidson College was a microcosm of the South, from its inception up through the Jim Crow era. Indeed, there is a lot to study and much to regret. But America is not stuck in 1837, the year Davidson was founded. Since then, there have been the abolitionist movement, Civil War, Emancipation Proclamation, landmark court decisions, and numerous civil rights acts. There have also been countless heroes and martyrs.

This was an excruciating period to be sure, but we should all acknowledge and celebrate how far we’ve come as a nation toward realizing our founding principles. Let that be the foundation on which we address grievances going forward.

Rick Cornwell, Davidson

Focus on what’s right, not just on politics

I grew up thinking that America aspired to the highest ideals. Although we’ve had to evolve over the years to achieve these ideals, I thought we were heading for that “more perfect union.”

We now have a president who does not seek to address higher ideals, but instead claims that correcting some of the country’s glaring problems is all politics. Is correcting police violence political? Is racial profiling and all its consequences a matter of politics? Is justice for all something to be labeled as political?

No, in each of these cases it’s a matter of what’s right and what’s wrong. If America doesn’t see these problems as unacceptable and wrong, I have been disillusioned all my life.

Larry Bennett, Matthews

That’s not the Davidson that I knew

Regarding “How Maya Pillai became a rising GOP star — and one of Davidson’s most controversial students,” (Aug. 20):

I graduated from Davidson College in 1999. It made me sick to read the article about Maya Pillai. I don’t recognize what Davidson College has become under the leadership of President Carol Quillen.

As a conservative student in the late ‘90s, I never felt “ostracized” or “vilified” for my views. In fact, some of my best friends to this day are on the opposite end of the political spectrum from me. We spent countless late nights in the dorm fervently debating politics, and through it all we respected each other and learned from each other.

What happened to open dialogue, open-mindedness, and respecting people with opinions different from yours? Now, at my beloved alma mater, there appears to be an environment where certain viewpoints aren’t welcome.

Tripp Cherry, Matthews

Adams is right, DeJoy should resign

Regarding “7 mail sorting machines removed in Charlotte, official says, as protests continue,” (Aug. 18):

Not a good front page headline to wake up to — that one quarter of the sorting machines at a central distribution facility in Charlotte were removed two and a half months before the presidential election.

I am so proud that my U.S. representative, Alma Adams, called for Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s resignation on Aug. 8.

As a North Carolina businessman and major Republican donor, DeJoy is welcome to bolster Trump’s re-election effort — just not from the helm of the U.S. Postal Service.

Amy Lefkof, Charlotte

Cut senior golfers some slack

I run a seniors golf club two days a week. Since COVID we have seen a substantial increase in players during the week. Because all of us are seniors (many with preexisting conditions), we try to meet all social distancing guidelines.

But now the different courses we play have not only increased the cost to play by an average of $5, they’re also charging extra for individual carts, between $10 and $15 per person.

We don’t feel that’s right. It is forcing us to either not play if we can’t afford the extra $30 a week, or ride with someone where social distancing isn’t possible.

When social distancing and masks were first required, we where not charged extra. Now, we are. Seems to us like price gouging.

Scott Chapin, Charlotte