Monticello religious leaders release statement of concerns

Religious leaders have released a joint statement outlining their shared concerns and values in an attempt to begin the process of identifying community standards in the Monticello area.

While laws often give leeway to community standards, until now, a clear statement of community standards has not been outlined. A number of law enforcement officials have expressed hope that a statement of shared community values and standards may help them in their positions.

The religious leaders hope that the statement will help begin a community-wide process that will increase awareness of problems and help develop possible solutions to the challenges facing the residents of Monticello.

The statement includes the signatures of David Arnegard, Pastor of the San Juan Community Church; Scott Boyle, President of the Monticello Utah Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Ian Getter, a deacon in the Seventh-day Adventist Church; and John Williams, Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Monticello.

In addition to the signators on the statement, representatives from St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Monticello participated in the development of the statement and expressed their support for the principles outlined in the statement.

The statement outlines a number of shared concerns, including the impact of national culture and media, electronic communication and substance abuse.

A series of shared values are outlined and the statement closes with a request that a variety of groups take action, including parents, schools, youth, elected officials and government agencies.

The statement will be presented to area elected officials and representatives of government agencies.

The schools in Monticello are in the final stages of developing a curriculum for students to deal with bullying, intimidation and sexual harrassment in the school and community.

All students in the high school will be involved in the curriculum, which is similar to efforts already in place in several other schools in the San Juan School District.

The curriculum will be introduced to parents via a letter from the school. It will include information about the course and resources that parents can use to talk to their children.