Over the past several weeks, a fire has raged on the east side of Athens. The Cedar Shoals rape tragedy and the ensuing response by school and law enforcement personnel have shed light on some daunting problems in our community. Like many people, I have followed news accounts closely. What I’ve read in the newspapers, social media and online comment sections indicates a very real sense of crisis in our school district. And it goes beyond the tragedy at Cedar Shoals. The choice we face is pretty straightforward: put out the fire and rebuild, correcting the mistakes that contributed to this disaster, or continue to fan the flames and burn our school district, doing further damage. I hope we choose the former—I hope Athens can find a way to turn this terrible negative event into a catalyst for lasting positive change.
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BERTIS DOWNS 