I attended the open public hearing for the firing of school teacher Pam Aister on Friday, Sept. 12.

This supposedly public hearing was the biggest farce I have seen in my 80 years and was in our high tech Learning Center. It started at 9:30 a.m. and lasted until about 3:10 p.m. The room was set up with tables near the front of the room with chairs starting about half way towards the rear.

When the hearing started the public asked the speakers to speak up so that they could hear them. Then the School Board attorney started to mumble his opening. The audience asked for him to speak louder. The audience was told by the chair to keep quiet or they would be removed. A brave soul moved his chair close to the hearing table and the audience followed suit.

At this point the speakers went private to hear the child witnesses and their parents give testimony.

I thought the parents should speak in public.

The hearing was on hold for about three hours. Because the speakers returned about 1 p.m. coming in different doors, I wonder if they left the building.

For the rest of the hearing the speakers had microphones but spoke amongst each other in low tones away from the mics when planning how to proceed.

The public was informed that it was very important the public not know who the children involved were so they were given numbers. The school attorney then made sure the public knew that students 2, 7 and 11 were fourth graders of the same ethnicity.

Fountain Hills must be careful whom you elect for the School Board as the present School Board was responsible for this farce.