Coronavirus and canceled school: Letters to the editor, March 18, 2020

Canceling school not great to this 6th grader

I was wondering if you think your readers would like to hear about how I, a 6th grader, do not think school should be canceled due to the corona outbreak? Well, I do.

I am Amelia Kinton, a current sixth grader at Copper Hills Elementary School. I think that school is very important and home schooling is the wrong idea. For one, it is hard for parents to work while kids are all suddenly home all day. Also, parents have the choice to pull their child out of school if they do not think it is safe.

Although the coronavirus is dangerous, Fresno has had minimal cases, and kids are less affected by the virus. Another point is students will fall behind in schoolwork and will not get the necessary requirements of their grade level. In fact, just by missing one month of school, 11% of the school year is gone, including weekends and breaks. Take it from a sixth grader — school should not be canceled.

North-south divide lives on in Fresno

Having read the article by Marek Warszawaski about the closure of the Milburn Overlook, it just shows which side in Fresno gets things done. This closure must have taken about two weeks to happen. But the rendering plant relocation is once again in limbo. Let’s see, this has been going on for a few decades, even though the stench at times can be cut with a knife. To be truthful I have not visited that side of town in a couple of years, so I hope the smell is not as bad. But I do remember reading that the moving of the rendering plant hit another snag.

I lived there as a child. I remember as a teenager a black lady asking my mother to sign a petition about doing something to alleviate the smell or asking the plant to move. It seemed that every few years some group or person who lived in that “Golden side of West Fresno” would be asking to have something done. And that side of town is still asking to have something done. But the other side of town, to the north, no problem. Lock that gate.

Providing care a key moral belief

As a minister, I have a different interpretation of “religious and moral beliefs” as described in an op-ed published last month. The author argues the Trump administration is right to withhold federal funding from California if the state follows the law and requires health plans to cover abortion services, even when some employers object to abortion-care based on religious beliefs.

The question of how we support people living out their consciences is an important one. I know from my ministry that people who share the same faith make different ethical decisions, including the decision to have an abortion. California law makes it more likely that people will exercise their conscience, instead of being forced to continue a pregnancy because of their employer's interpretation of religious teachings.

Providing care for the vulnerable is a religious priority. Most patients served at Planned Parenthood earn less than $11,770 a year. California courts have repeatedly ruled that abortion should not be segregated from other health care. This means families are protected to exercise their personal faith and conscience, instead of having an employer exercising an interpretation of faith upon them.

Glad for Calwa park renewal

Reading the news about the funds made available to the Calwa Park renovation filled me with joy. The park was the place to go as a teenager for many young people in the ‘60s. Living in Calwa was often looked down upon as an undesirable part of Fresno. The park gave us a great sense of pride.

Thanks to leaders like Miss B, Brian, Reggie, and Walt Byrd Jr.., it created a positive environment for all of us. It was a major hub for fast pitch softball, soccer and swimming. Hopefully we can help bring back the glory days.

Maybe this will give the mayor and other civic leaders a push to move toward improving other parks in the city. I'm proud to say I was raised in Calwa.

This story was originally published March 18, 2020 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Coronavirus and canceled school: Letters to the editor, March 18, 2020."