I continue to be disappointed that on an island as politically correct as Vashon, residents continue to discriminate against an entire sector of McMurray and Vashon High School students — those who turn out for track.

This was the case when I graduated from Vashon High School in 2000, and it has only gotten worse. Even though the school board made it unlikely we will get a new track by tying the funding and building of it to Proposition 2, I can only hope the rest of the Island will correct this inequity.

The facts are clear. VHS has not had a home track meet for over five years. Why? Because the present track is unsafe! And yet numerous school boards have done nothing to correct this inequity. For the record, VHS had at least one member of the track qualify for state every year during the 33 years Russ Brazill coached the team, with many returning with medals. Only the wrestling team has been more successful. Despite this success, past school boards have failed to support these students.

Could you image this would have happened to any other major sport? How fast would such a situation be corrected if the football team had to play all its “home” games, including homecoming, in West Seattle? What about the basketball team? I am sure corrective action would have occurred years ago if the basketball teams had to practice and play all their home games in Tacoma, like the track team does today. I question how many of these team members even would have turned out for those sports if they knew they would never have the opportunity to play in front of a home crowd on Friday nights.

This inequity can finally be corrected with the passage of Proposition 2. I hope Islanders will recognize this is not about having “the best athletic fields,” as one person was quoted as saying in The Beachcomber. It is about long overdue fairness.

— Stephen Harvey