By Jennifer Hiller
Advertiser Education Writer

Where has the Board of Education gone?

It seems it's in hiding for election season.

The board, which found itself immersed in controversy during elections two years ago, seems to have learned a political lesson.

Recent board agendas have been downright sparse and absent of controversy. Candidates apparently have been left to debate the issues.

In 2000, the state school board, people speaking at its meetings, all of the candidates running for office and the media could hardly talk about anything other than Chapter 19, the schools' anti-harassment rules.

At the time, the board was considering rewriting the rules to bar students from harassing others because of their gender, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation.

It was the words "sexual orientation" that drew a reaction.

Crowds turned out at meetings to support or protest the change. Then-candidate Carol Gabbard became embroiled in a heated debate about whether gay students should be given specific protection. There were street demonstrations both opposing and supporting Gabbard, and clashes with other candidates over the question of specifically supporting gay students.

Gabbard was elected. And eventually the board rewrote Chapter 19 to include sexual orientation.

But this year, board members aren't saying a word. They've even questioned whether they should hold a goal-setting workshop, and have worried about whether the media will appear at public meetings to listen to their conversations.

The board recently sidestepped one unpopular proposal to raise school bus fares after lengthy public testimony against the idea.

Board members know that the Department of Education sees no other alternative than to increase the fares. But members also know how unpopular the idea is.

Instead of taking action for or against the fare increase, the board sent the issue back to committee.

When the committee met again, its members also did not take action on the measure.

That ensures that at least one controversy is unlikely to return to the BOE until after the November elections.

On Tuesday, many Hawai'i schools celebrated "Constitution Day," the 215th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution.

Children across the country were joined by the president and U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige as they recited a synchronized Pledge of Allegiance at 8 a.m. Hawai'i time.

Speaking of democracy and freedom, the American Library Association has an excellent Web site in honor of Banned Books Week, next week.

Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to express your opinion even if that opinion might be considered unpopular, and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them.

Among the nation's most frequently challenged books are the Harry Potter series, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou and "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier.