Elections: They aren't really supposed to reflect the will of the people?
Published May 20, 2004
In a move reminiscent of Soviet era thuggery, a high school in Delaware county in Pennsylvania has used its iron fist to control the elections for student government.
A Chichester High School student tried to run for Vice-President of the student government. But half way through the process the school raised the GPA requirements. The new requirements excluded him from running, so he decided to launch a write-in campaign.
From The Delaware County Times:
But, when an eleventh-grader wanted to run for vice president of his senior class, he was told his 2.2 GPA wasn't sufficient and his name could not be on the ballot. Sometime, somewhere the administration had raised the required GPA to 2.5.
Since the young man could not find that new requirement written anywhere, he scattered posters throughout the school proclaiming his write-in candidacy.
School officials confiscated the posters and suspended the would-be class officer. But it didn't end there.
Six students who disagreed with the school's action, six students who supported the candidacy of the suspended student, wore their feelings on their shirts the next day. And that illustration of freedom of expression got those six students the right to join their favored candidate in suspension.
Too bad he wasn't on drugs or something, the school would have given him counseling and tried to understand him. All he tried to do was run for office. How dare he. It's no wonder kids give up on politics. They are discouraged.
The big thing in schools and communities now is to promote positive activities like sports or groups like student government. The thinking is that if kids have positive things to do which promote values and positive reinforcement, kids will be less likely to be into negative activities.
It's good to see that schools practice what they preach.
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- Elections: They aren't really supposed to reflect the will of the people?
- Published: May 20, 2004
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- Section: Culture
- Writer: Tom Bux
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Elections: They aren't really supposed to reflect the will of the people?
HAHAH!!!!
HAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!
I dunno, ask the population of United States back after the election of 2000.
Well if the kid had put some of that passion he has for running for student government into improving his gpa, there wouldn't be a problem. Does the kid really need another distraction from his actual schoolwork? I think the school did go overboard with the suspensions though.
"This will be going on your permanent record young man!!!"
If you ask me, a GPA of 2.5 is still too low to be an elected official.
and I totally agree that any suspension is completely wrong, it's not realistic, as we can't suspend Nader.
If you ask me, a GPA of 2.5 is still too low to be an elected official.
So a person can't "govern" because he couldn't get a B on his multiple choice Biology midterm? What could happen? Some poor choices made by the VP of the student body?
"VP DECRIES LOVE BOAT THEME FOR SADIE HAWKINS DANCE"
Then the students suffer for it and learn a good lesson about responsible voting. Then they might think twice about electing inarticulate idiots when they get to vote in presidential elections.
well, duane, at the risk of starting off a firestorm on this blog about the educational system, to me getting good grades primarily falls back onto the basic skills needed by a leader. Primarily responsibility. Somebody with good grades has 'done their homework' so to speak.
Similiarly, I would't want the yearbook editor to be someone who can't spell, just so we can give all students a chance. Just my opinion.
I do get your presidential analogy, but I'd hate to have had my senior year fucked up just so I could learn the lesson of how to responsibly vote. I wouldn't let my child burn her hand on the oven, just so she can learn to not do it again.
Good point, boomCB. I was just playing Devil's advocate - well, just playing, period.
At the high school level, being a member of student government is supposed to serve as a kind of reward for being engaged and responsible. Skippy and Melissa garner respect and support from their peers and from the administration by doing good work. So Ernie and June decide that they want to do good work, too. I think that's how it's supposed to work.
And I think that setting off a firestorm about the educational system would be good fun.
I think I meant
"VP DECREES LOVE BOAT THEME FOR SADIE HAWKINS DANCE"
(Former 2.5 GPA student)
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I fully support the actions of the school.
The school is only preparing the students for adult life in contemporary American society, but it would have been more educational if they had let the kid get elected by a majority and then overruled his election using a "supreme court" of teachers and administrators.
Find some hanging chads, that sort of thing...
And have you seen the latest news story from Chichester High School!?
"New Student President Invades Cross-Town Rival: Alleges Hidden Cache of Spitballs and Water Balloons"
Apparently, it's a 'preemptive' measure meant to prevent another 'columbine'.