Opinion Roundup: Addressing the Charlottesville violence in the classroom

Friday, Aug. 18, 2017 -- A roundup of opinion, commentary and analysis on how schools are preparing to discuss what happened in Charlottesville, Va., why the GenX chemical leak investigation should be free from political questions, how employer health care costs evolved over the last year and more.

LAURA LESLIE: Schools develop plan to discuss race, equality with students (WRAL-TV analysis) -- With school starting across the Triangle, educators are trying to figure out how to talk with their students about what happened in Charlottesville and the larger questions of race, equality and respect.

Not being racist is not enough (Charlotte Observer) -- Charlottesville reminds us that we need to oppose racism instead of just being offended by it. Here’s how.

PHIL BERGER: Removing all Confederate statues would be unwise (Winston-Salem Journal column) -- Over the past few days, my office has been inundated with media requests for immediate comment on the recent events in Charlottesville and Durham followed by Gov. Roy Cooper's call to remove public monuments related to the Civil War. Greater minds than mine may be able to elucidate quick and simple responses that fit neatly into a 20-second TV soundbite or a 140-character Tweet while still adequately reflecting on the complex issues driving each of these events.

JONATHAN M. KATZ: 4 Surrender in Toppling of Confederate Statue in North Carolina (New York Times analysis) -- Demonstrators facing arrest in the toppling of a Confederate statue surrendered to the sheriff in Durham in a show of solidarity with four others who were taken into custody this week. Dozens of protesters in black T-shirts converged on the Durham County Justice Center before 9 a.m., holding signs reading “Drop the charges” and “Tear down white supremacy.”

Map outlines favor Dems, but Wilson should be bipartisan (Wilson Times) -- Not only have North Carolina's new legislative districts not been set in stone, they're yet to be inked in. But the framework lawmakers will use to draw the maps suggests a lurch to the left for Wilson County.

SUSAN LADD: North Korean crisis shows how easily Trump can be manipulated (Greensboro News & Record column) -- The escalation of threats between President Trump and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un displays the subtle dynamics of a stand-off between third-grade bullies.

Don’t make chemical leak political (Jacksonville Daily News) -- The emission of the possible carcinogen GenX from the Chemours plant on the Cumberland-Bladen county line tinto the Cape Fear River raises a host of questions. For longtime residents of the region, the concerns are especially troubling. The chemical has apparently flowed into the the Cape Fear from the plant, formerly DuPont, since around 1980. Chemours only recently agreed to prevent GenX from entering the river.

The eclipse is coming (Winston-Salem Journal) -- Don’t be surprised when the light dims a bit Monday afternoon. It’ll just be that solar eclipse everyone’s been talking about.

ROSE HOBAN: Employer Cost Increases for Health Insurance Stay on Low Growth Trend for 2016 (N.C. Health News analysis) -- Year-over-year increases in health insurance premiums for employers stayed below 4 percent in 2016. But workers are picking up more of the tab.

FERREL GUILLORY: Football, high schools, and elevating the education of boys (EdNC column) -- Let the boys enjoy their adrenaline rush as they gallop onto the gridirons for opening night. But also let North Carolina put its collective mind to deploying high schools that propel young men, and women, toward winning in economic and civic life in adulthood.

Is this card a key? (Greensboro News & Record) -- Public education is at its very foundation a business of question and answer. The idea that Guilford County Schools would issue identification cards for all of its students certainly raises many questions.