Editorial: It’s time to move forward

Monday, Aug. 14, 2000 | 9:53 a.m.

There were calls for the resignation or firing of the new Clark County School District superintendent, Carlos Garcia, who recently used the N-word. But the School Board on Thursday wisely decided to reprimand Garcia -- not fire him -- for using the slur. Ironically Garcia made the remarks in an interview with high school interns at a local radio station in an effort to demonstrate his opposition to racism. Garcia apologized repeatedly for offending valley residents but, needless to say, the controversy kept simmering.

So at Thursday evening's School Board meeting, the members held a closed session and talked with Garcia about his use of the N-word. The School Board made it clear -- to Garcia and the public -- after its closed-door session that such language simply isn't acceptable. Indeed, Garcia's remarks should have been condemned, but we don't believe he is a racist. Now is the time to move forward and let Garcia do his job, which is difficult enough without such a continuing distraction.

It should not go unmentioned, though, that one of the most divisive issues is race and how we confront this topic in a nation that truly is a melting pot. It's a subject that unfortunately many find uncomfortable talking about, but it is this silence that can create even more mistrust among different races. So in that regard it was encouraging that prior to Thursday's School Board meeting black and Hispanic leaders met, agreeing to move beyond Garcia's remarks and try to work together on ways to eliminate what they view as inequities in the school district. It shouldn't be forgotten that the most important task at hand for Garcia is putting in place new strategies to improve our public schools, so that all students have a chance to succeed.