[Shadow_Group] Fw: Campaign literature mistakenly sent home with third graders

[shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca]

Here is a Drudge site news item from Montana -- where a school "apologized"
for the "mistake" in sending home flyers with the children, advocating
electing Democratic candidates.  The material was "meant for teachers" and
"shouldn't have been sent home with students."
 (It certainly doesn't make me feel any better that this was intended for
teachers.  It's apparently necessary to keep God out of our schools, but
slanted politics is OK.  Somehow we have our values eschewed.  cr) 


How about the media there questioning why the school had all those flyers
meant for teachers -- no separation of politics and education needed if it
involves the candidates the unions favor??

How much subtle influencing of students goes on at that school -- beyond
the mistake that sent political material home with the 3rd graders?  How
much in other schools across the country -- even in places where it is
supposedly concerned just with educating students about the political
process, using today's candidates and today's issues as a sounding board to
influence thinking?

Joan

http://www.ktvq.com/global/story.asp?s=2432330&ClientType=Printable<http://www.ktvq.com/global/story.asp?s=2432330&ClientType=Printable>

Campaign literature mistakenly sent home with third graders

Presidential debate number three is in the books, and most polls show the
race a dead heat. Thursday, the Missoula School District studied how
documents promoting the democratic ticket ended up going home to parents of
third-graders at Hawthorne Elementary. 

School officials are already apologizing for what they call an honest
mistake. Hawthorne Principal Steve McHugh: "It's a whoops, it's a mistake.
We're sorry -- Missoula, we're sorry." This was not meant for parent's
eyes. But, pro-Democrat literature accidentally went home with third-grade
students from Hawthorne Elementary. 

McHugh: "It was definitely a mistake. Certainly we're sorry that it
happened, we're certainly not trying as a school district or Hawthorne
school to tell people who to vote for." The paperwork is from the Missoula
Unified Political Action Committee for Education. It supports state and
national democratic candidates for office. Officials say the information
was intended for teachers, not students. 

McHugh: "It is very clear to people in the district that work for the
district that you are not to do anything that will try to persuade anybody
when you're working for the school district during the day."    It's a
simple error that shows how careful educators have to be to keep political
views out of school discussion. Both parents and school officials say they
understand why this happened, and believe there was no intentional
wrongdoing.    (Ha.  either way it is wrong-doing. cr) Principal McHugh
says he apologized to the 14 families that received the paperwork. 

Reporter: John Langeler
  

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