Investigation was hard on teachers, good for district

An independent investigation of teachers’ practices in administering state standardized tests at Sisters Elementary School has cleared the teachers of any deliberate wrongdoing (see story, page 1).

The past several weeks since the matter came under scrutiny have been tough ones for the teachers involved. Honest, honorable and dedicated people have felt their integrity called into question. Some feel they have let their colleagues down by calling into question Sisters Elementary School’s status as a school of excellence.

The teachers involved can hold their heads up, knowing that they have the support of the Sisters community. Everybody connected with this case or familiar with it believed from the beginning that the teachers’ allowing the use of reference books on state tests was — as the report determined — an honest mistake.

It seems that no one in Sisters believed this was a case of “cheating.”

But the school district and the school board did the right thing in conducting a vigorous internal inquiry and providing for an independent investigation. Wrongdoing, intentional or not, must be investigated and those responsible held accountable.

Accountability is the critical element in instilling a sense of trust in the public toward its institutions. Because of the investigation of this incident, any suspicions about actions or intent have been dealt with. We know a mistake was made, how it must be corrected and we can move on.

Jim Cornelius, News Editor

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

• Email: editor@nuggetnews.com
• Phone: 5415499941