Local

Know: In addition to Prop T, voters decided three RSD Board of Education directors, April 4.

Inform: Five candidates sought to fill three positions. Lynne Midyett, Randy Kirk Miller and Leonard Keith Kinder won the seats.

Care: The superintendent reports directly to the elected board of education, so these people supervise the most powerful position in the district. However, since these people are voted in, turnover can be an issue. School districts are unique in how they are structured and run. Experience is key. The election results will maintain some consistency since Keith Kinder will now serve his third term and Matt Doell has filled a one-year uncontested vacancy. Both have the most experience being on the board with two three-year terms each. These directors are the people who are in charge of the person who runs the district, and their decisions will impact each and every student.

National

Know: In order for Neil Gorsuch to be confirmed as the next Supreme Court Justice–which Republicans have made it clear is going to be made possible despite Democrats efforts–the Senate Republicans will have to deploy the nuclear option.

Inform: Judge Neil Gorsuch’s nomination is currently in front of the Judiciary Committee. The Senate Democrats have enough votes to filibuster his nomination; however, Senate Republicans have threatened to respond with a “nuclear option”– a parliamentary procedure allowing the Senate to override a rule by a simple majority of 51 votes rather than a supermajority of 60 votes. The nuclear option has been referred to as a rule change; however it is actually a change in Senate precedent. Congress operates on complex parliamentary law. To explore the intricacies, check out Robert’s Rules of Order. To quickly and absurdly summarize, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will use the rules to workaround the required supermajority of 60 votes to a reduced simple majority of 51 votes (not a problem with 52 Republican Senators).

Care: With politics so divided, the country in turn is divided. How the country can move forward if its citizens cannot work together is unclear. Change often starts at the local level: neighbor helping neighbor. Even the smallest of decisions can have the biggest impact.

International

Know: A devastating chemical attack hit Northwestern Syria, April 4, causing uproar across the war-torn country and internationally.

Inform: A United Kingdom official stated that the incident was a war crime. Activists in rebel-held areas accused the Syrian regime for the atrocity that caused numerous deaths, including those of children. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his army denied accusations of using chemical weapons and instead blamed rebels for the destruction.

Care: In April of 2002, the U.S. had disposed of its chemical warfare under the UN-sponsored Chemical Weapons Convention. Governments that do not have the global presence that countries such as the United States–and other Group of Eight countries have–threaten the safety of the rest of the world.

The developing powers that don’t necessarily play by the rules of other countries jeopardize the order and “peace” of students’ worlds.

The on-going Syrian civil war has resulted in American leaders, such as Barack Obama and President Donald Trump, threatening to take action. America’s safety is determined by much of what goes on outside of its borders.