The following is a copy of a letter sent to Linda Storli, president of the governing board of the William S. Hart Union High School District.
I am deeply concerned about your continuing disregard for board policy while executing your privilege as a board member and president. Your (letter) to The Signal on April 6 serves as an excellent example.
The text of your contribution did not clearly identify whether you were expressing your opinion as a singular board member, or in the position as president on behalf of the board in toto.
The title of the piece was in all likelihood selected by the editor and it includes the word “president,” which implies that you are speaking on behalf of the board. Is that the case? If so, when did the board authorize you to express those opinions on multiple issues?
I am particularly concerned about your tendency to shade the truth when addressing the Indian wordmark issue. To my memory, the reveal of a “beautiful hawk” was not part of the Hart High program that evening. You simply announced to a lightly attended event that the Hawk received more votes than Bison in a campus vote based upon a deceitful nomination process.
The very fact that you placed the word Indian in scare quotation marks is indicative of your personal disdain for the word Indian and your agenda to eradicate the word Indian from the lexicon of the Hart district.
Stop gaslighting the community with insistence that you retired the wordmark/moniker “Indian” with respect. You did not.
To the other trustees: It is your duty and obligation to ensure and if necessary censure President Storli when she fails to comply with the bylaws. Your continued silence is agreement and reflects poorly on the position of trust that you hold.
Steve Petzold
Santa Clarita
