| This day, April 29, 2008, I spot a front page headline | | | | requirements to run for student government, no |
| in my local New Jersey paper, The Trenton Times | | | | need for prior participation in anything at all, only |
| that reads: Students kept off ballot: District to | | | | current enrollment. We don't ask adult politicians to |
| explore race factor while rescheduling vote. Our local | | | | have prior electoral experience, why would it be |
| races for school board took place last week, so I | | | | asked of student leaders who must listen to their |
| thought this was an aftermath. | | | | teachers? |
| I was wrong: It was a story about a high school | | | | It would be one thing if the individual students had |
| student government election in Ewing, the town | | | | some serious blots on their records: academic |
| where I live. Seven students, one black and Hispanic, | | | | probations, multiple suspensions or incidents where |
| five black and one white, were barred from running in | | | | they broke a law and law enforcement became |
| their senior class elections the previous week - and | | | | involved. Even concerns about a platform to |
| no one told them why. An assistant superintendent | | | | encourage an illegal act, such as legalization of |
| told the reporter in an e-mail that the decision to bar | | | | marijuana are legitimate concerns for parents and |
| the candidates was based on a "procedural review" | | | | teachers. But no evidence of misconduct was |
| by the principal. The quote marks are from the | | | | brought forward to the students, their parents and |
| assistant superintendent, not me. | | | | the press. That suggests either arrogance or |
| Neither the principal nor the faculty advisors for the | | | | foolishness; you, the reader can make that call. |
| election offered comment to the paper; the reporter | | | | The combination of "no comments" and ambiguous |
| had to rely on an e-mail to one of the parents to get | | | | rules in a public school in New Jersey is scary. Parents |
| clarification on why her daughter couldn't run for | | | | and students still consider teachers authority figures, |
| office. That e-mail from the teachers mentioned that | | | | but not authoritarian and divine; there is a huge |
| she was ineligible to run because she had not | | | | difference - and parents know it. |
| participated in enough class meetings or fund raisers. | | | | Ewing High's principal is trying to make things right by |
| One teacher later added, according to the mother, | | | | calling for new senior class elections. However, all of |
| that her daughter used foul language when she | | | | the "no comments" leave this school system open to |
| questioned her ruling on the election. | | | | embarrassment, innuendo, investigation by a state |
| This appears to be a scene from Election, a Tom | | | | affirmative action agency, and possibly legal action. If |
| Perrotta novel and movie starring Matthew Broderick | | | | an investigation found legitimate rationale for bias, |
| and Reese Witherspoon where an idealistic teacher | | | | then two teachers and a principal have put their |
| deliberately tries to rig a student election and keep | | | | careers at risk over nothing. |
| the "do it all" girl from winning. Only racism never | | | | (Originally published at Educated Quest blog and |
| entered in that movie; it has in the Ewing story, | | | | reprinted with permission of the author, Stuart |
| although no one knows for sure. | | | | Nachbar). |
| When I was in high school there were no | | | | |