A York Suburban School District School Board member created controversy when he wrote a recent op-ed to concerned parents and declared, “I don’t work for you.”
School board member Richard Robinson wrote a column for the York Dispatch, taking aim at parents who come to school board meetings to raise concerns and explaining why he believes board members are not beholden to taxpayers.
“Some members of my community appear to interpret (the public comment) part of board meetings as the occasion to tell board members why they have the collective intelligence of a village idiot and how the school district ought to be addressing real problems,” Robinson wrote in the column, which was published last week. “When the board does not fall in line with each and every demand, we are accused of ignoring the thoughtful, unbiased, sincere and righteous ultimatums of our community.
“For this reason, my comments are not coming from a member of a school board, but rather as a member of my community who serves on a school board,” he explained before airing a list of grievances with residents.
Robinson’s top complaint targeted folks who believe board members work for taxpayers.
“With all due respect to men and women who snarl, ‘I’m a taxpayer! You work for me!’ No, I don’t work for you,” Robinson wrote. “I was elected by people who voted to represent you. It is not the same thing. You may also be surprised to learn every member of a school board is a taxpayer, too. I come from a long line of taxpaying men and women.”
Robinson complained about doctors who speak up at board meetings without identifying their “specialties or credentials,” as well as those who threaten school boards with lawsuits over decisions they dislike.
Robinson also took issue with parents who threaten to remove their children from local schools over serious issues and those who believe parents know what’s best for their children.
“With all due respect to the parents who make the pretentious statement phrased as a foregone question, ‘Don’t parents always know what is best for their child? No, we don’t,” Robinson wrote. “Nevertheless, if you are offended because I don’t believe parents are infallible, you can always sue or take your child out of school. Your choice.”
Robinson concluded the column with direct insults to parents who are concerned over how schools’ health and safety measures such as masking and school closures affect their child’s mental health.
“Finally, with all due respect to the charlatans who claim health and safety measures are responsible for destroying the mental health of children simply to justify their own social agenda, you are the most offensive and vile of all,” he wrote.
The column comes as the federal government was asked to take steps to monitor parents as domestic terrorists at the behest of the National School Board Association. That request, in September, prompted numerous state organizations to consider leaving the national organization despite an apology from the NSBA.
Parents Defending Education President Nicole Neily responded to Robinson’s editorial in comments to Fox News.
“Far too many elected officials have shown over the past two years that the ‘consent of the governed’ is little more than an inconvenient speed bump on the road to advancing their unpopular agendas,” Neily said. “Mocking and dismissing the concerns of the community may be cathartic for petty dictators, but it is not a path to electoral success.”
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The arrogance and elitist views of this pizzwit mirrors the views of the NEA. Get rid of the NEA, and most of our problems with public education will go away. Then again, if EVERYONE took their children out of the public schools, and set up home school cooperatives based on Christian values, and the teaching of the BIBLE, the public schools would be left with only those who want their children to be raised by secular communists.
I fully agree. Well stated.
FOR a good decade now, i have said WE NEED TO UTTERLY and totally eliminate EVERY DAMN UNION Out there.
In Democrat run woke schools, the kids are taught it’s not the person who pays you that is who you work for, it is the party in power which is apparently managing to get other people to pay the salaries of the very people who scramble the brains of our kids. In this case the other people actor is George Soros who buys them their degrees and books, straight out of the Alinsky Library and the Sigmund Freud Library of sexual Congress.
Bingo!
Now that so many adults have decided to change lifestyles to be unemployed, would be the perfect time to remove their child from these schools to be home schooled, although I wonder if parents don’t want to work, is it a good idea to teach your children that if you don’t work someone will take care of you? Can anyone name a democrat that has helped anyone other than themselves? Who does this idiot think she’ll be working for if there are no longer any children being groomed for a life filled with hate, misery and stupidity?
The hell you don’t. I hope this parent enlists the support of other parents and gets rid of this idiot.
MORE and more i am leaning to EVERY SANE PERSON should just REFUSE TO PAY ANY STATE or property taxes ever again, and THEN SEE HOW LONG these overpaid traitors, keep getting their paychecks!
This “person” is one big DB. What an arrogant idiot.
RayMan: This is the character of socialist Democrats.
“The column comes as the federal government was asked to take steps to monitor parents as domestic terrorists at the behest of the National School Board Association.”
“Far too many elected officials have shown over the past two years that the ‘consent of the governed’ is little more than an inconvenient speed bump on the road to advancing their unpopular agendas,” Neily said. “Mocking and dismissing the concerns of the community may be cathartic for petty dictators, but it is not a path to electoral success.”
What will it take for people to wake up and destroy this treasonous, dishonest, destructive, unethical, immoral, socialist dictatorship that is this Democrat Party??
The reign of the Socialist Democrat Party State Dictatorship is just getting started.
The “Socialist Democrat Party State” political officers, Gestapo, Woke and Cancel Culture are just getting started.
You will obey, be loyal and support the policies of the “Socialist Democrat Party State” or you will be classified as “Enemies of the State” and “Domestic Terrorists”.
I predict this guy won’t be working for anyone after the next school board election.
IF i had my way, SCREW ups like him, would NEVER EVER again, be allowed to work ANYWHERE kids are.. Teacher or not.
what a dirt bag this elitist puke is.
Hmm, how about this guy & the other school board members prove their medical credentials to know what is best for the physical / mental health of other people’s kids?
Regardless of elections, there should be laws that the citizens by petition majority is able to fire school board members without having to wait for another election & suffering irreversible damage in meantime.
Ditto for teachers. Parents by majority petition should be able to fire teachers. Let the dues paid to the teacher unions pay to support the fired teachers if they want to.
If enough teachers figure out that the majority vote of parents are their boss & can fire them then the unions, who only exist from.teacher dues, will no longer be able to kick the public around with the contempt they now show us.
As far as I know, elected school board members are not immune to recall.
If you don’t work for me, you are working against me, and I will do my utmost to limit you by taking my son out of your school, and either teaching him myself, or placing him in a school that employs teachers who are happy to work FOR me. Then, I will unseat you, so you are not debased by working FOR me. I don’t want you to feel ashamed by working for a village idiot. By the way, there are a LOT of village idiots in my area. But I will support the village idiots in those communities where you and your ilk work. NICE TRY!
Is this person serious? Where does he think his pay comes from? Does he understand the definition of the words, REPRESENT
and REPRESENTATIVE? As “a delegate who attends a conference, negotiations, legal hearing, etc., so as to represent the interests of another person or group:” NOT TO SUBJECT THOSE HE REPRESENTS TO HIS OWN OPINIONS.
I would suggest that the people of that community petition his removal, not for the way he votes, but for the arrogance and
for what he believes is his job. He clearly does not understand that he was not elected as the ruler over all he surveys, but to REPRESENT those in the community. Their benefit, not his ego.
I believe the FTK sign disguised as something innocent stands for F- The Kids,
Whether or not a parent always makes the best choices for their child is irrelevant. What IS relevant is that parents have the GOD GIVEN duty and responsibility to educate their children. Many parents, for many different reasons, opt to let others become part of fulfilling that duty and responsibility by sending their children to public, charter, or private schools. Sending your child to an institutional school versus home educating them does NOT remove the parents duty or responsibility, it only shares it.
This school board member does, if fact, work for the parents who have decided to relegate the teaching of their children to the public instititutional school system. If I lived in that district I expect I’d be doing my best to make sure that he ‘doesn’t work for the parents’ anymore.
Obviously, this mini-tyrant is not planning to run again and so is giving his vocal spout while he still has a platform. I can only hope that those who voted for him will make a firm decision to do a little investigation before turning over the position to the next “leader.” Every vote is important and should be decided with knowledge. There are too many people voting randomly on lower positions because they haven’t done their homework, and it can have crucial outcomes. This should be a lesson learned.
Thing is, unless you have kids at school, its RARE TO SEE ANY school board meeting advertised, LET ALONE the races for the schools..
I can’t even remember the last time i even saw a name for “franklin county board of education”, on the ballot…
This board member’s attitude is EXACTLY how the Left “thinks.” They see themselves as being above the populace, and are shocked and angered when anyone challenges them, hence as to why he lashed out.
This is not limited only to local bureauRats, but extends all the way to how your state and federal representatives and senators on the left see you as well.
In a nutshell: this is typical, and not surprising, though quite bold in that this knucklehead actually admitted to his elitism, though I’d like to see him try that with a bunch of disgruntled parents in the same room as he(without protection).
The people of this district really need to prove this ) 3 r k right, and fire his donkey…preferably before the next election.
AND the higher one goes, the MORE prevalent this attitude seems to be.
This is exactly why the 2022 elections need to be a total bloodbath for the Demoncratic party. Don’t like what they are doing to your kids? VOTE THEM OUT IN 2022.
I certainly HOPE its one.. BUT PITY it would only be a Proverbial one. AND NOT a litteral one!
I would venture to say, this character who thinks he/she doesn’t work for the everyday working taxpayers must have a job lined up elsewhere. If he/she were on the board in my community he would be advised to start seeking alternate work where he/she might be able to run his/her mouth with impunity.
Oh Richard….WE THE PEOPLE will be awaiting your LETTER OF RESIGNATION EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY!! This type of ELECTED official is the exact reason why we the People need to lobby for an IMPEACHMENT CLAUSE for EVERY ELECTED OFFICIAL which gives VOTERS the option to immediately remove ANYONE who does not adhere to their Oath of Office. This would cover ALL OF THE RICHARDS of the world who believes that they are in another stratosphere. Yes, Richard, YOU DO WORK FOR EVERY TAX PAYING CITIZEN! Contrary to every DEMONCRATIC BELIEF, the TRUTH is that YOU were hired to “serve” (as you call it) by the VOTERS and you can be FIRED by the same VOTERS!
IF i was a parent, id not even ALLOW HIM the blessing of being able to retire.. WE”D BE FIRING HIM!
It should be easy to see that this person does not work period.