Children are often taught there aretwo answers to certain questions: yes or no. That’s not the case for elected officials, who have the ability to abstain from a vote on any given topic for any number of reasons. Often, the reason for an abstention vote is given; just as often, it is not.

That was the circumstance last week when William Fenimore, LBI Consolidated Board of Education president, abstained from a vote to move the district one step closer to rehabbing the LBI Grade School.