Expletive Deleted

A few weeks ago State Representative Tamara Le (D-Rockingham 31) posted to social media a profane slang for a sexual act to vent her frustration with private and religious schools (and by implication, thousands of NH parents who send their children to those schools). I can’t gaze into Rep. Le’s heart to know if this public lack of graciousness was a distressing one-off or a fundamental part of her character. Her constituents can decide that for themselves next year.
What I do know is that reaction to her unfortunate word choice was swift and partisan: Republicans condemned; Democrats excused. By excused, I mean Rep. Le was merely suspended for three months from the House Education Committee where she oversees “subjects relating to the regulation of school districts and schools…matters concerning education…” That hollow punishment means she’ll be back in January, attitude intact, as the committee takes up its important work.
Compare that tap on the wrist with the punishment dropped on Republican Representative John Burt. He was permanently removed from a committee after publicly disparaging a state official in an office that was not part of his committee’s oversight.
But criticizing state Democrats for their hypocrisy and double standards is like disparaging a dog for not dancing very well. Really, what were you expecting?
Leaving aside the hypocrisy and foul language, let’s focus on the main points of Rep. Le’s social media rant. The disrespect to private and religious schools and the citizens who choose them was point 5 of 5. Her opening statement and points 1-4 truly show her thought process, and it isn’t pretty. In fact, describing it as petty wouldn’t go far enough. Laced with half-truths and inaccuracies, it appears the product of a febrile mind.
Rep. Le lays the groundwork: “And then it happened. The Sunday afternoon my 8th grade daughter who is getting A-/B+ in 8th grade had to learn – while her friends were applying to private high schools – we would not be.”
I suspect that happens to a lot of children. It happened to me. Some of my friends went to preparatory or parochial schools while my parents and I decided to stick with our local high school. Despite that dreadful disappointment, I managed to go on to a top-flight engineering school and get jobs at Fortune 100 companies. Public school isn’t the end of the line, unless you make it so.
Then came her numbered list. Let the bile begin.

1. “Her public high school kicks butt.” Pardon me for asking, but if it’s so good, why would she look elsewhere? Of course, “kicks butt” is relative. I’ve sat through more annual school district meetings than I care to remember, hearing parents sing the praises of our schools…schools that consistently place in the lower-third of NH school systems based on all the academic measures that count.
2. “Private and religious schools do not have anti-discrimination policies that protect students with disabilities.” That’s simply not true. Some private schools cater to kids with disabilities. And while mandates differ, private school students can still access public funds to support special needs. According to Understood, an organization dedicated to helping parents of students with “learning and thinking differences,” if a child qualifies for special education, he may qualify for publicly funded “equitable services” while attending private schools.
3. “The supports her IEP provides her are not a right at private or religious schools. Despite her 10 years of success.” Despite the non sequitur, rights aren’t based on needs, and rights aren’t guarantees even in public institutions. Only a cynic could fail to see how often private organizations provide accommodation not because it’s a right but because it’s the right thing to do.
4. “Her father and I would not give money to any high school that discriminated against people who experience disabilities.” That is certainly their right. But not providing something is not the same as discriminating, and to say so is to denigrate the harms of real discrimination.

Rep. Le ended with the infamous “(Expletive) private and religious schools.” That from a woman who will be voting on education policy issues come January.
I’ve experienced first-hand the disparities in special education services between districts as a state-certified Education Surrogate Parent. I’ve likely participated in more IEP meetings covering more disabilities in more schools than Rep. Le and have had to fight harder for services in some districts than in others. Rep. Le’s characterization of public vs. private school special-needs accommodations was simplistic and inflammatory.
What does it say about a person that she could think that just because an option might not meet her needs – while it clearly meets the needs of others – it should be maligned in vile terms? House Democrat leadership should find a different committee for Representative Le.

Ken Gorrell can be reached at kengorrell@gmail.com