Board member sees the world in black and white

Regarding Mike Dunn's letter "Embattled trustee attacks the teachers union" in the July 27 Thousand Oaks Acorn, Mr. Dunn's allegation that the Unified Association of Conejo Teachers (UACT) is out to "destroy me" is overly dramatic if not paranoid.

The school district is made up of many committees that have input into school board business. The union doesn't have nearly the degree of power that he professes.

Once again Mr. Dunn raises the health textbook issue and somehow reaches the conclusion that the union promotes homosexuality despite the fact that this book was approved by the state of California. His incredible leap of logic that ties the use of the Glencoe health textbook to promoting homosexuality is at the crux of Mr. Dunn's agenda.

His proclivity for applying hot-button appellations that are patently false demonstrates his desperate nature. This is a part of the simple-minded "either/or" "good or evil" mentality that has been his encumbrance throughout his term.

Mr. Dunn has repeatedly shown that he perceives the world through polarities.

Whether he is lambasting the board for being critical of the Republican governor or saying the board listens to one "liberal point of view" and suggesting that the board should be nonpartisan, Mr. Dunn's actions are the epitome of hypocrisy.

In his letter, he states that UACT "suppress(es) the public expression of religion." I'd like to suggest that Mr. Dunn read (perhaps for the first time), the mission statement for Conejo Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) of which he is a trustee.

It states: "The mission of the CVUSD is to meet the academic, cultural, social and individual needs of students in order to prepare them to make a meaningful contribution to a democratic society." Nowhere in this statement does it mention religion.

Religion is often a component of a private school education, but because there is a separation between church and state, it shouldn't be expressed in a public school setting.

Clearly Mr. Dunn sees himself as a victim, but it is he that has brought on the whole mess that measures his time as a trustee.

We need critical thinkers, not people that see every issue as a dichotomy. Dave Dolnick Thousand Oaks