Senator Lance Russell wants to ensure teachers can talk about creationism and other religious hokum in science class, but by gum, if we teachers open our mouths about politics in school, he’ll fine and sue us!
Such is the apparent thrust of Senate Bill 134, freshly filed this a.m., to “prohibit the expenditure of certain public school resources for political purposes and to provide a penalty therefor.”
Section 1 says, “No public school resources, including personnel time, supplies, communication systems, or facilities may be used to affect the outcome of any political vote.” That would seem to outlaw any election-season candidate meetings, forums, or debates on school grounds. It could ban holding crackerbarrels at your local school auditorium or cafeteria, since plenty of citizens come to those events hoping to influence their legislators’ votes on bills.
And if you want to get technical—or cosmic!—SB 134 bans any civics education, since the whole point of government class, and arguably of the entire public K-12 curriculum, is to shape our kids into responsible, literate citizens, thus affecting the outcome of every political vote for the better.
SB 134 would punish public school politickers with a $250 civil fine, plus a possible fine for the school that would host such nefarious activity. SB 134 would also authorize any taxpayer in the school district to file suit to recover “recover funds misused under section 1 of this Act,” plus reimbursement for expenses.
Senator Russell is just jerking teachers’ chains here, trying to scare them into absolute silence about political matters. Teachers might not even dare talk about current events or assign students to write papers or make speeches about any current or recent election, for fear that partisan hacks around town might perceive even student speech about Trump, Noem, Jackley, or the Legislature may affect the outcome of a political vote.
I’ve been in several school buildings. I haven’t seen whatever problem Senator Russell thinks SB 134 will solve. Local school boards already have clear policies about political activity by staff on school time and use of facilities for political events. We already have SDCL 12-27-20 prohibiting the expenditure of public funds (school, city, county, state, conservation district…) to influence elections. We don’t need SB 134.
Russell’s bill to ban free speech in schools sounds like tRump wanting to ban protests in the mall in front of the White House.
We’re going to ban political speech in schools here in a conservative state? Those kids in the blue states are probably getting plenty of information on liberal issues. We’ve got to fight fire with fire. Just kidding.
Shutting down freedom of speech is liking squeezing a balloon–press down on the balloon in one area and the balloon expands in another area.
Having just re-read 1984 and Brave New World just recently, this hunk of phwee does not surprise me. Time to go all in and join the resistance! Sure glad Sen. Russell is not from District 18!
Every time I see him or even a picture of him it makes me want to take a shower. I live in the same town as this smarmy piece of cat dung.
Unconstitutional to prohibit freedom of speach. This will render our kids incompetent to listen to a debate. They should have some experience listening to discussion between opinions of political issues.
Kim,
Since the election of that president, Orwell’s ‘1984’ is selling out at Amazon and another printing has been ordered.
My friend Bob hangs out at the same country club as that handsome devil every day in the summer, although I hear they rarely ride in the same cart.
I think this will have ZERO action. This would prevent legislature from speaking in the classroom. This will prevent the governor from talking to schools about civics, because that could influence a person to vote for him.
I guess the only good thing is that HS policy debaters won’t be able to run politics DAs anymore.
I’m not sure what this is about. It almost sounds like an ALEC bill. I’ll do a little research.
Just knowing the history of Russell’s opinions of education, I think it might be more directed to opt-out elections, rather than forums, crackerbarrels, etc. He could have his panties in a bundle over some such issue.
PTO/PTAs, booster clubs, student governments, student organizations that may meet in school buildings often are in favor of opt outs. Generally, however, these organizations meet after the instructional day, and any organization could probably use the facilities. Schools have usually encouraged greater community use of school facilities after hours and that includes student political groups. I don’t see that as critical. However, teachers under contract to supervise student organizations may have some minor role. I suppose teachers could just vacate the room when discussion turned to obvious electioneering. Districts already have policies about this stuff as necessary.
It could be Russell has plagiarized this from Arizona, which has a very similar on the books. Here is a legal opinion written by some attorneys for the Arizona School Boards Association.
http://www.azsba.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Thursday-BR11-The-Use-of-School-resources-to-Influence-an-Election-08.24.15.pdf
Build a wall around Fall River County to keep the dung from infesting the rest of the state.
Cory writes:
So if I comment on a political blog during my lunch break, the parent of the student who didn’t make the varsity basketball team has legal grounds to drag me into court.
This is the kind of arrogant micromanagement that drives good people out of education.
I am certain that creationism is 100% political and only a quasi-religious fringe belief – which masquerades around like a quasi-plausible science. Shame on the GOP for using the peoples’ God and religion against their very own selves! It is absolutely appalling! It is a SICK thing that a political party continues to perpetuate and massage the majority religion’s creationism stories for cheap political points. It is very disturbing. It stoops about as low as Vladimir Putin would.
It sort of seems like SB134 should actually prevent creationism from being taught in schools as: cheap political stunts intended to divide future voters at an early age by letting one political party trivialize certain science classes – would certainly be against the law.
In that sense, YES on SB134!
Kurt and MJL—double bingo!
MJL’s point in particular is important: Thune, Noem, Rounds, Daugaard—none of those pols could come speak at school assemblies under SB 134, since their appearances can influence outcomes of political votes. And if they put up photos or video of those appearances—holy cow! Bring on the lawsuits from the locals!
In the little reading I’ve done, it seems Arizona has had some sort of prohibition like this on the books for a while, but toughened up the regulations because of a ballot measure on pot. I guess they didn’t want high school seniors collecting pot signatures at school, or something.
Is this the guy who Lee alleges dated an intern? With all the GOP Party allegations out there I just can’t keep them all straight.
Kim, Did you slog through the last page? In High School, I tried, and thought: WTH?
Now I read it and think: This is great, the greatest, there has never been better writing in all of History.
Oh no, I have Trumpitus …and Ocare won’t cover it in the “replacement”!
I as opposing counsel on a divorce case with this guy one time years ago. Our clients were fairly young people and each of them had a parent who was paying for their divorce. My client was the Plaintiff. I watched in horror, disbelief and helplessness as Russell daily increased conflict in the case so he could milk his client’s mother for more money, more money, more money. One “conflict” was the location of a throw pillow that had sentimental value to his client. Letters, emails, faxes, phone calls back and forth, back and forth, over the location of this pillow which my client DID NOT HAVE, confirmed a second time later that my client DID NOT HAVE. He threatened to file a motion to inspect my client’s house (the marital home) for….a throw pillow. We probably charged our clients over $500 in billable hours to figure this issues about….a throw pillow. I was completely horrified bc my client was trapped bc we HAD to respond to this malarkey. He continued to do this kind of thing until his client’s mother, who was footing the bill, finally said “no more, I’m broke.” Then he settled immediately, for the same custodial and child support arrangement and property division that my client had proposed at the outset of the divorce proceedings. Horrifying (and yet another reason why I refuse to practice law anymore in this state). THAT’S the man’s character. I witnessed it first hand. He is dangerous and corrupt and in a very powerful position.
(And there are a couple of typos in that post which were unintentional, which bother me, and for which I apologize.)
Ummm anybody notice the resemblance to Uncle Fester of the Munsters??
KC-are you asking about Russell or Barry Freed looking like Uncle Fester? Just wondering. :)
Appears to me this could backfire on the conservatives who are trying to stifle the free speech of others! Love it when they shoot themselves in the foot!
GASP! No! No! No! Sorry Senator Russell, I can not support this atrocious piece of legislation! First we have the whole freedom of speech thing going on here but when it can interfere with the education process of an educator it is iniquitous. District 8, Madison School is where Mrs. Marletta Eich teaches. Mrs. Eich originated the “Little Legislators” project fifteen or so years ago. Students learn legislative research, are encouraged to write their State Legislators regarding certain pieces of legislation or with concerns of their own. In fact, during the 2000 and 2001 Legislative session, Mrs. Eich’s student’s played an important role in the State Legislature passing no smoking and seat belt laws. The students are encouraged to form their own mock legislature; take the same oath as the State Legislature, form committees, draft bills and assign bill numbers. Each Legislative session, students travel to Pierre to witness their elected officials at work.
Some of our smaller communities depend on the only large space they have available to them, their schools for many local functions.
Part of being a good legislator is being able to see beyond the now into the future and recognize how the consequences of legislative bills will affect every community, every person, every school community, etc. What may seem like a “good idea” can in fact backfire and cause more problems then if it were just left alone.