Anywhere but Here

By Coach Jesse Smith

In my opinion, the ruling by the judge was fair. By the time the case was presented to the judges, Monroe City School Board (MCSB) had already begin the building process of the New Martin Luther King Jr. High School. Because the community concerns were not properly heard and the lack of a thorough investigation, led to drastic measures. The Southside citizens were left with some great concerns and possibly deep regret if we didn't serve notice to the incident. The infrastructure and safety issues became of a great importance. The increased problems the community stands to face are, increased property flooding, sewer capacity, traffic volume, lack of sidewalks, baseball practice fields for Jr high, high school and elementary school and also the feature of little league football programs etc.. The area has served many activities with already some existing challenges. These emotional and stressful concerns led to the position of the strong disapproval by way of a lawsuit. It wasn't our desire to stop the school from being built, but rather, the concern surrounding the location. For me, like many others are excited about the new school and hope it doesn't present any problems. But just in case of any damages, suffering, etc., or events that are a direct result of the school location, the community's voice will no longer go unnoticed. Our focus in the lawsuit was on school board policy, to get rid of red tape in times of crisis. The decision to build could have some unfavorable effects on the normal daily activities and functions in the school community indefinitely. Political leaders and school officiasl that make decisions need to hear all respected communities' concerns, because when you are gone, the people will live with the results of your decisions.

Photo Coach Jesse Smith

Photo New MLK School