Dr David Ohrt is a member of the Greene County Community Schools board of education and a mental health counselor in local practice.
He made extended, heartfelt comments at the Dec. 16 board meeting during the portion of the meeting reserved for board committee reports.
Earlier in the meeting the board unanimously approved a revision of the school’s activity eligibility/good conduct policy in response to a violation by a high profile athlete and the ensuing public discussion of how the policy allowed the student to minimize the impact to his high school sports career. The student was charged in Greene County district court in September with sex abuse-third degree, a Class D felony. The case was waived back to juvenile court earlier this month.
Speaking from notes, Ohrt said:
“I feel vulnerable right now, afraid things will be taken the wrong way, but then again, that’s the whole issue here, isn’t it? All of us feel vulnerable.
“My first reaction to what happened was probably like yours. I was pretty upset. And in my job, I teach people that anger has something else underneath it. As I sat with that, the feeling underneath it is incredible sadness.
“What I invite you to do is take a look in the mirror tonight. These kids involved are my son and my daughter, not somebody else’s. They’re mine. We’re a community, and a community is a family.
“I want to suggest something, and part of this comes out of my roles. I’m a father. I’ve raised two adolescent boys and I’m in the process of raising another one. I’ve been a mental health counselor in this community for 13 years. I’ve seen more than my share of women who have been assaulted, men who have been assaulted, and folks, this is not Lake Woebegone. It never was Lake Woebegone.
“It’s difficult. It’s easy to point fingers and blame other people. Looking at ourselves in the mirror, the first question I have to ask is, ‘Have I instructed my sons on how to treat other people, all people and those who are more vulnerable?’ It’s hard, but as parents, that’s our job. It’s an important job.
“’How have my sons seen me interact with my significant other? What kind of role model have I showed them?’
“The next issue: the media. You have a powerful influence in this community, the power to pull people together, and the power to tear them asunder. When we have power, the first ethical responsibility is ‘do no harm.’ And that needs to be looked at seriously. I think when you look in the mirror you need to pull this community together.
“We also need to take a look at the adults in this community who have taken the power to profit from our kids by throwing parties with drugs and alcohol, creating a danger that most parents cringe to think about.
“When kids get into adolescence it’s scary, and parents are afraid even to look at that possibility. That needs to be looked at, and I think the board of supervisors has started the process, but more needs to be done.
“Parents, when we look in the mirror do we talk to our sons and daughters about respect and kindness and responsibility? As coaches, when we tell our kids to be more aggressive on the court, do we tell them there’s a difference between aggression on the court and aggression in relationships? That’s an important thing to teach.
“Are we doing the best we can as a school to prevent bullying and teaching our kids how to live in a community, a school system. Are we teaching them about empathy and how to be safe in our world?
“Finally, I’d like to challenge everybody: Don’t step away, step into it, to things we can do. And I have suggestions: Don’t boycott. Contribute money to ACCESS. Mentor a kid. Teach him. Work in the school helping to tutor students.
“Yes, there are things we can do, but this takes more self-investment than pointing and blaming.
“Hopefully we can learn to pull together. I spend time every week in the middle school, and you go to any of the schools in this county and you’ll see this is where the vitality of the county is. You’ll see teachers who care about these students, who say ‘hi’ to them in the hall and are supporting them. That’s the least we can do as adults.
“The other issue: there’s a lot of ambiguity, unknowns. In my profession, one of the signs of mental health is the ability to tolerate ambiguity, to live with unanswered questions.
“So I entreat you, treat one another as kin.
“Thank you.”
