Letter: Board member has respect for the uniform

I am writing as one member of the Iowa City Community School District board of directors and my comments do not represent the board's opinion.

Comments made in the Iowa City Press Citizen on Saturday have prompted me to make something clear: As an ICCSD board member, I will never ask a professional law enforcement officer, firefighter, EMT or any other community civil servant to remove their uniform or badge in order to enter one of our school buildings.

I agree with Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek's comment that it [is] 'offensive that anyone would say such a thing.” As school officials, we are charged with educating the next generation of community leaders and citizens. The program alluded to in the article was meant to counteract the negative stereotypes that some people may have toward law enforcement officers. It is vitally important that students recognize that the above-mentioned community civil servants are there to help and assist them.

Henri Harper, whose efforts to mentor and make students more comfortable with law enforcement, was inducted into the Iowa African American Hall of Fame on Friday and joins the ranks of George Washington Carver, Simon Estes and Phillip Hubbard. Harper's mentoring of our students was not paid for out of the ICCSD General Fund and I applaud the efforts of the Iowa City Police Department and the City of Iowa City Council in hiring Harper as a Community Liaison Officer. Instead of the program being 'suspended” or stopped, Harper's efforts should be supported and encouraged.

Phil Hemingway

ICCSD Board Director