News-Record.com

Guilford County Board of Education members take a lot of heat for the decisions they make. But here's one decision everyone can get behind.

At Thursday night's meeting, the school board was recognized for supporting school district employees who also serve in the National Guard or military Reserves. The board received a plaque from North Carolina chapter of the National Committee for Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve, as well as a letter of thanks from the U.S. Department of Defense.

If a school district employee makes less in the military than they would in their civilian job, the district makes up the difference in pay while the employee is on active duty. Also, employees serving in the military are guaranteed a job when they return.

Guilford County Schools currently has five employees on active duty. Nearly 300,000 Guardsmen and Reservists have been called up nation-wide since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

On a personal note, I've always been grateful for the freedoms we enjoy in America, including freedom of the press. But those liberties wouldn't be possible without the service and sacrifice of our brave men and women in uniform.

So here's a sincere "Thank you" from The Chalkboard to citizen-soldiers everywhere.