Schoolhouse Brass
Sometimes an adult demonstrates that education and common sense are two entirely different subjects, and often taught in separate buildings.
The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office says Steven Ray Farwell, a 61-year-old teacher at Yerington Intermediate School, was arrested Friday Oct. 16 after an investigation led to allegations that he used the school’s address as his residence on various government documents, including his driver’s license and voter registration. It was a bold administrative innovation, letting a man live wherever he pleased while his paperwork enjoyed the benefits of a school district.
The arrangement might have escaped notice had not a package containing approximately 400 rounds of rifle ammunition arrived at the school addressed to him. It's a lot of mail for an establishment whose usual deliveries are textbooks, pencils, and parent complaints about homework.
School officials had previously instructed Farwell not to use the school’s address for personal mail or deliveries. Apparently, the government has a complicated system for determining where a person lives, but the school administration had settled the matter with a simpler approach: not here!
Investigators say Farwell acknowledged using the school’s address but declined to provide a verifiable residence. He reportedly said he lived in the Topaz area of Douglas County without specifying precisely where.
This leaves the authorities with a geographical mystery worthy of Sherlock Holmes, although Holmes might have preferred a quieter case involving a missing umbrella.
Farwell was booked into the Lyon County Jail on felony charges including forgery, perjury, and unlawful acts regarding voter registration, along with a misdemeanor charge of obstructing a public officer. These are allegations, and the courts will have to sort them out.
Meanwhile, two Fernley schools briefly entered lockout status Friday because of an unrelated police response involving domestic violence and a firearm. Authorities subsequently ended the lockout and reported no continuing threat.
Thus, Nevada schools have reminded us that education is important, security is essential, and a schoolhouse is a mighty poor substitute for a home address. Even the most imaginative bureaucrat ought to know that children need teachers, not 400 rounds of administrative confusion.
