TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) – The Vigo County Library hosted the 2022 Legislative Crackerbarrel on Saturday.
This is a forum for legislators and community members to discuss issues facing Vigo County and the state.
Several topics were discussed during the forum including medical marijuana and the potential of school board candidates declaring a political affiliation.
Indiana State Senator Jon Ford (R-Terre Haute) said that he’s heard concerns from constituents regarding a lack of transparency in schools.
“A lot of the decisions that are made are behind closed doors and not in the public meeting,” Ford said. “So I think there’s really a lot of parents that want more transparency in schools.”
Representative Tonya Pfaff (D-Terre Haute) said that she would not support such legislation. She said that she wants to keep politics out of schools.
“Let’s keep as much politics out of schools as we can,” Pfaff said. “We shouldn’t have democrat or republican school boards.”
Medical marijuana was also a topic of interest amongst the community members in attendances. However, any discussions or actions taken on this topic at the statehouse is highly unlikely.
“I think our Governor has been very clear that until the federal government lowers it from a level one narcotic to a level two that he’s not interested in talking about it,” Ford said.
Pfaff said that these open forums are one of the best ways for legislators to connect with their constituents.
“There are a lot of things going on in the state of Indiana and this is the best way to hear from our community members,” Pfaff said.