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Fifth Column
Principal rejects anti-war assignment
2005-11-23
The principal at a Madison elementary school where teachers assigned third-graders to write a dozen letters urging an end to the war in Iraq sent a letter of apology to parents and ordered teachers to rescind the assignment Tuesday. A letter sent home Friday with third-graders at Frank Allis Elementary School explaining the assignment to parents said students would be assigned 12 letters to write to third-graders at other Wisconsin and out-of-state schools, federal lawmakers, the media and President Bush.

If the war hadn't ended by the 12th day of letter writing, students would have had to start the process all over again. The letter gave parents an opt-out option and said the assignment was intended to teach civic responsibility, composition and handwriting skills.
Yeah, right.
The assignment irked U.S. Rep. Mark Green (R-Wis.), who sent a letter to the school's principal. "It's a profound misjudgment to use third-grade students as political pawns regardless of the issue," said Green. "If I received letters from third-grade students saying, 'Dear Congressman Green, please vote for the war,' I would be equally as disturbed."

School Principal Chris Hodge said the third-grade teachers came to her with the proposal last week. She believed it violated district policy but wanted to check with administration officials first. Hodge said the teachers misinterpreted her comments and sent a letter about the campaign to parents anyway. She immediately canceled the project after finding out.
Or after the parents, the press and the congressman found out
The campaign violated two district policies: one that bans teachers from promoting their personal political beliefs to students; and another that requires teachers to address opposing views when presenting controversial topics, said district spokesman Joe Quick. "It was a mistake on the teachers' part," Quick said. "They were very enthusiastic about what they were trying to do and didn't realize it violated School Board policy."
Or didn't think it applied to them, being lefties and all
Most of the calls made to the district about the assignment were from media outlets, not angry parents, Quick said. "This was kind of a moot point by 10 o'clock this morning," Quick said.

The teachers won't face any disciplinary measures, Hodge said, but she planned to remind staff at their December meeting of district policies.
Several of the teachers who signed the letter did not return calls to their home or office phone numbers; another teacher reached at home declined to comment.

Sharon Johnson, Frank Allis Elementary PTA president, said she was disappointed to see that the envelopes and stamps she sent to school with her daughter, as requested in the assignment, were returned Tuesday. "I got the letter, and I had no objection," Johnson said. "Her world is pretty much made up of the Cartoon Network. I thought it was a good idea to get kids to open up their eyes." Johnson, a Democrat, had no problem with the assignment but admitted that it if the campaign had promoted the war she would have.
Gee, this surprise meter must still be broken, it didn't twitch
Green sent another letter to Hodge after she canceled the assignment suggesting students write letters to troops thanking them for their service, which he described as a non-political cause that everyone could get behind.
Don't count on it
Hodge had not responded to that letter late Tuesday.
Stuff like this makes me glad we only have cats, not kids in public school.
Posted by:Steve

#9  Frank Allis Elementary School
3rd Grade Teachers (from it's website)
Bakken, Mira
Brown, Saundra
Ecker, Rosemary
Files, Shirley
Posted by: Jomoting Angong8706   2005-11-23 18:06  

#8  "Her world is pretty much made up of the Cartoon Network. I thought it was a good idea to get kids to open up their eyes."

Well, of course we can't expect the MOTHER to get this kid off their ass and away from the boob-tube, can we? God knows we're powerless when it comes to teaching our kids about the world...

Television... the opiate of the masses...
Posted by: Hyper   2005-11-23 17:20  

#7  When ever things like this happen the citizens of the state have a responsibility to make sure the law is followed. If the teachers broke policys or regulations then the legal action required must be carried out. Letting them slide or sweep it under the rug doesn't cut it.

There is no excuse for the public not being involved in public education.
Posted by: Mahou Sensei Negi-bozu   2005-11-23 16:47  

#6  Just to balance this Madison story, I was shopping at the Michael's craft store in Montgomery County (MD) recently. MoCo is a very blue county in an increasingly red state. Some parent had dropped her third grader's school supply list (the one the teacher handed out in class). One of the class projects was letters to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. I was quite pleased to see that.
Posted by: Seafarious   2005-11-23 14:52  

#5  The teachers won't face any disciplinary measures

They openly state they violated school policy, then openly state there won't be any penalty for it. If the political slant had been the opposite, those teachers would have been blackballed by the union and out of the school so fast they'd leave a trail of fire.
Posted by: Robert Crawford   2005-11-23 12:01  

#4  "It was a mistake on the teachers' part," Quick said. "They were very enthusiastic about what they were trying to do and didn't realize it violated School Board policy."

Yeah, sure. A mistake.

Johnson, a Democrat, had no problem with the assignment but admitted that it if the campaign had promoted the war she would have.

And had that been the case, would've no doubt raised one hell of a big stink about it, too.
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama   2005-11-23 11:45  

#3  Just what would anybody expect in PROM (the People's Republic of Madison)
Posted by: Creart Thart5123   2005-11-23 11:32  

#2  403-3. I'll bet even third graders can count that high, even though their teachers apparently can't. Or don't want to.
Posted by: tu3031   2005-11-23 11:30  

#1  I am so home schooling my kids. Public schools nowdays are nothing more than indoctrination camps for the left.
Posted by: mmurray821   2005-11-23 11:27  

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