Playing Politics With Education
Cheri e-mails on my post last Friday concerning the struggles of Parents for Truth in Education in Colorado:
Regarding your post on teachers' union activities -
Take a look at this report - it shows how, across the country, taxpayer dollars are being misused for political advocacy. HF 1948 was introduced in the MN House this session as a result of this report. (Unfortunately, there was no companion bill in the Senate so it may go nowhere this session.)
Here is a just a small sample from the report itself:
A number of incidents occurred in Minnesota during the 2004 campaign cycle that highlight the importance of clear policies regarding the ethical issues of using publicly funded resources or school children to promote political causes:
* In Lakeville (ISD 194), the teachers' union sued the district in an attempt to force the use of teachers' mailboxes for the distribution of material endorsing John Kerry for president.
* Controversy swelled over the opportunity for high school bands in both Lakeville (ISD 194) and Robbinsdale (ISD 281) to perform during a presidential campaign visit.
* In North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale (ISD 622), fliers advertising a political fundraiser for a state House candidate were sent home in the backpacks of third graders.
* Anecdotal stories of teachers expressing their political views in the classroom abounded, culminating with a letter to the editor by a seventeen-year-old student from Woodbury (ISD 833) decrying what she saw as political advocacy by teachers.
These issues are not isolated to Minnesota. Similar examples can be found across the country.
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