NJROTC bill dies after principal, student testify

Published 2:26 pm Friday, February 5, 2016

A state bill that would have curtailed Oak Harbor High School’s military science program died in committee Thursday, and the testimony of one local high school student may have helped make a difference.

Senior Jared Hunt, a cadet in the high school’s Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program, traveled with Principal Dwight Lundstrom earlier this week to Olympia to testify in front of the house Committee on Education.

They were concerned a proposed bill would inadvertently make it more difficult for students to participate in military science classes because it would have done away with the school district’s authority to let students waive gym if they take NJROTC.

“I am very pleased,” the principal said. “This is about allowing students flexibility in their course selections in high school so they can choose programs that most suit their goals and passions.”

The problem is students have to take so many required classes for graduation, there isn’t much wiggle room for electives, he said.

The bill, if passed, would have made students who want to take NJROTC drop honors classes or other electives such as music or drama.

On Friday, Cmdr. Mike Black, a naval science instructor at the high school, used what happened as an example to his students of how citizens can affect government.

“This is a good lesson in citizenship,” he said. “This is what we are all about.”