Is it ok or even allowed?

[Ted]

 Your notes are inaccurate Ted. The statement did not say made aware by teachers. It implied anyone in the future must notify the administration. You can read the correct wording in the minutes on the district web site.

   My notes are accurate.  Here is the text of the letter read at the board meeting.

   The letter does NOT use the phrase "must notify the administration".  

   The letter says "In the future, any such involvement, which is originated at one of our schools, should be known to the administration in advance". 

   What I wrote in my notes was  "In the future, the administration would like to be made aware of these activities by teachers ahead of time".


 I think what I wrote in my notes was accurate, contrary to what Mustang54 says.  My notes are not a word for word transcription but I believe what I wrote in the notes are an accurate representation of what was said at the board meeting.

 Here is the text of the letter:

  Let me begin by thanking Berwyn CARES for submitting its Open Letter at the May 2009 Board of Education meeting and for presenting it to the public. The board of Education encourages all members of the community, including parents, students and community organizations to notify the Board of their concerns, cares and yes, even compliments. Such sharing allows the Board to remain in touch with the immediate needs and desires of all stakeholders concerning education while the Board tackles the daily, yearly and long term planning on behalf of its residents, especially the students.

  Please know that the Board was aware of and had received reports regarding the events of February 24th well in advance of receiving this letter. While the process could have been better organized and more open by the staff and organizations who recruited students to help, it should also be noted that no evidence of coercion, intimidation or wrongdoing was discovered after conversations with staff and students involved in the election day activities were conducted. It also should be noted that students did not miss any instructional time or extracurricular events, as February 24th was a non-attendance day.

  The Board feels that student rights, staff rights and 1st amendment rights must be appropriately encouraged and balanced because all are sacred. The Board believes that involvement in the electoral process by anyone with any organization, regardless of who it supports, should not be discouraged. However, the Board further believes that participation in the electoral process should not be perceived as coerced or mandatory.

  In the future, any such involvement, which is originated at one of our schools, should be known to the administration in advance so that there is no confusion as to the appropriateness of the activity or terms with which participation is predicated upon. It is my hope and the hope of the Board that more students will become involved in the electoral process and community affairs in the future and that there is more cooperation between the community, its organizations and our local governments to strengthen the ties between the District and its stakeholders.

Through this event, the Board seeks to make the District stronger and to continue to learn from the events of the day as it focuses on continuing to improve the education it provides.

[The Jackal]

So Mustang, you're attmepting to vitiate the Ist Amendment by an "implication" in the minutes of a monthly school board meeting?

[mustang54]

So Mustang, you're attmepting to vitiate the Ist Amendment by an "implication" in the minutes of a monthly school board meeting?

Please don't try and misconstrude what I said. His post used the word teachers, I checked the minutes and it did not say teachers. I understand the 1st amendment, and I did not even attend law school.

[OakParkSpartan]

So you think that anyone that wants to campaign needs to notify the school board?  Another local yokel rule.

[Ted]

...   His post used the word teachers, I checked the minutes and it did not say teachers....

 Context is worth 50 IQ points.

First the letter was in response to an incident involving TEACHERS!.

 Second, the statement in paragraph 4 about the administration wanting to know about electioneering in advance was in the context of paragraph 3, which spoke of staff rights and student rights.

 So, the context of the statement of the administration wanting to know in advance was in reference to staff and students from the previous paragraph, not every person in the whole wide world.

 As I said, my notes are not and were never meant to be a word for word transcript but I do think what I posted captured the jist of the letter when it was read and what it was in reference to.

The letter was in response to an incident involving TEACHERS and the advance notice was obviously addressed toward teachers and other employees.

 In addition, no staff appear to have been reprimanded or disciplined because of the Larry Dominick electioneering incident. The letter implies that the administration cannot prohibit electioneering activity on school grounds because of the 1st amendment rights.

If those 1st amendment rights apply to staff and students, then I would think it would also apply to candidates running for office.


 

[mustang54]

So you think that anyone that wants to campaign needs to notify the school board?  Another local yokel rule.

Not just a person campaigning, anyone who wants to pass out there literature of any kind on school property during a school event. Let me ask you this,IF it wasn't Rita doing this and it was lets say a board member from Cicero would you have the same opinion?

[OakParkSpartan]

So you think that anyone that wants to campaign needs to notify the school board?  Another local yokel rule.

Not just a person campaigning, anyone who wants to pass out there literature of any kind on school property during a school event. Let me ask you this,IF it wasn't Rita doing this and it was lets say a board member from Cicero would you have the same opinion?

I don't think you'd have brought it up if it was the Cicero machine.

I guess I wouldn't think that it is too unusual to have candidates introducing themselves to parents.  It wasn't as though she had a flock of thugs trying to intimidate voters.

[mustang54]

So you think that anyone that wants to campaign needs to notify the school board?  Another local yokel rule.

Not just a person campaigning, anyone who wants to pass out there literature of any kind on school property during a school event. Let me ask you this,IF it wasn't Rita doing this and it was lets say a board member from Cicero would you have the same opinion?

I don't think you'd have brought it up if it was the Cicero machine.

I guess I wouldn't think that it is too unusual to have candidates introducing themselves to parents.  It wasn't as though she had a flock of thugs trying to intimidate voters.

You avoided the question. I probably wouldn't have to bring it up someone else would have I'm sure. Now answer the question please.

[Shelley]

So you think that anyone that wants to campaign needs to notify the school board?  Another local yokel rule.

Not just a person campaigning, anyone who wants to pass out there literature of any kind on school property during a school event. Let me ask you this,IF it wasn't Rita doing this and it was lets say a board member from Cicero would you have the same opinion?

I, for one, would not have minded if any candidate was taking the time to talk to parents/campaign at a school event.  I also welcome the opportunity to question and learn about candidates at candidate forums or if they knock on my door.  I prefer these exchanges over glossy mailings that are a one-sided communication. 

[mustang54]

So you think that anyone that wants to campaign needs to notify the school board?  Another local yokel rule.

Not just a person campaigning, anyone who wants to pass out there literature of any kind on school property during a school event. Let me ask you this,IF it wasn't Rita doing this and it was lets say a board member from Cicero would you have the same opinion?

I, for one, would not have minded if any candidate was taking the time to talk to parents/campaign at a school event.  I also welcome the opportunity to question and learn about candidates at candidate forums or if they knock on my door.  I prefer these exchanges over glossy mailings that are a one-sided communication. 

Shelley I agree with you 100%. And I know you would not have minded. Years ago it was easier for and voters to know where people stood. It was much easier for candidates to get their message out. We had a real local newspaper that came out 3 times a week and covered everything in town. They were heavily involved in the election process. And more importantly lots of people actually read the paper because it had information.
I think it should be allowed before or after school events. Especially for elections for board members of that schools district.

[OakParkSpartan]

Candidates talking to voters is fine.  What  is not fine is coercing students.

[The Jackal]

Mustang,

I just reread this thread and a few things jump out at me.

#1 You honestly don't believe that a school board rule or local ordinance trumps the Constitution, do you?

#2 Read and STUDY the constitution a bit. Familiarize yourself with what rights it guarantees citizens and what govt action it protects citizens from.

#3 Learn the actual meaning of terms like free speech, political speech, state action, etc......

#4 Comprehend the limited scope of exceptions to the US Const.....and how, when, where they apply.....

#5 Learn to make distinctions between a candidate, on her own time, distributing political literature to eligible voters, and dist 201 PUBLIC employees, on TAXPAYER time and money, coercing students who do not even have voting privileges, into working on a political campaign via the "authoritative" nature of their position(s).

[fututum]

either way, there needs to be a change at the school board.  no way around that. 

it was a smart move on her part to generate discussion of her candidacy! true, sometimes it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission.

read her answers on BERWYNCARES.org