Oh dear. It’s mid-way through February and I haven’t yet written a blogpost. Let’s have at it, shall we? Let me spill the tea in all the ways about why I’ve refrained from writing, why I’ve abandoned the dear blog, and why I’ve put every ounce of my energy into things other than writing at the moment.

But first.

A celebration! Temper the Dark was selected as a finalist in the 2023 Ozma Fantasy Fiction Awards by the Chanticleer International Book Awards. My fierce dragon girl and her desire to change the world around her is near and dear to my heart. And…ironically, the situation at hand.

Storms! What’s the situation?

I’ve mentioned before that I was elected to our local school board. I love this job. With a passion. I love the children and the educators and the opportunity to be part of the change to make things better. But.

Board work has been all-consuming. In July, our district suffered a devastating flood which completely destroyed our middle school/high school, leaving our 7th through 12th graders without a building to call their own. This news hit more than just a little hard as my oldest child is a senior this year. This is the last year they get to spend in this district before moving on to new things. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. But when it comes to feeling the effects of losing a building, both of my children have had to make many concessions this year.

The good news? We found creative solutions. And we know where we’d like to be for next year. The bad news? The plan moving forward for next year and beyond requires the local borough to help rezone the school buildings we currently have. And rather than write a text amendment within their wheelhouse and allow everyone to move forward without further ado, they say they must “follow protocols” by insisting the district go before the zoning hearing board, adding an extra several months to the process.

Additionally? An extensive (and extremely expensive) traffic study is required. I’ll spare the details, but suffice it to say that very few people understand why these extra barriers are being required when the buildings in question are currently being used as schools within the district and are occupied *daily* by students. Changing grade configurations within the existing buildings is the only goal. (Disclosure: Renovations within the existing footprint of the buildings must be done in order to accommodate for grade changes.)

Bear with me. I’m bringing the entire story back around. I promise.

What so many of us cannot understand is that the borough council members who insist on laws and protocols being followed are the very people who can, quite literally, change the laws as needed. Of course I want our children safe. Of course I want inspections done and buildings up to code. But this is no normal situation where the school district is swapping grades because it feels like it might be fun to do or beneficial to the administration somehow.

The district is in a crisis and it seems to me like borough council doesn’t recognize the direness of the situation, like they can’t remember the natural disaster that was the heart of this entire set of circumstances.

Part of me wonders if they like hiding behind the laws they have the power to change. And part of me wonders if they maybe just don’t understand they have the power to change them…

How this relates to Temper the Dark. I told you I’d come back around. Remember that fierce dragon girl who wants to change her world? Our students want the same.

The only option the students grades 7 -12 have been given by the borough if the school isn’t allowed to rezone and renovate the buildings for appropriate grade levels is to “just go virtual.” (Yes, this was a statement shared by several of the council members, who apparently seem to have forgotten how much learning loss occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic, loss that still hasn’t been fully recovered.)

Our students are amazing and fierce and everything that’s right in this world. Unsatisfied with taking no for an answer, these kids have contacted news organizations and planned a walkout this week. They’ll visit borough hall with their signs and their chants and they’ll demand change. They’re standing up for their education, their lives, their futures. Our students are taking the civil rights lessons they’ve learned in the classroom and living them.

The word ‘proud’ doesn’t begin to cover what I feel for the children who are so much more mature than I ever needed to be at that age. These kids should be riding bikes and playing video games, hanging with their friends and watching soccer games.

Instead, they’re fighting for their future as fierce, independent teens who know their own worth.

So maybe my books aren’t fiction after all. Maybe there’s a bit of truth to be had.

Oh but wait…dragons.