Confirming a report that went up on Twitter this afternoon, Occupy Portland members who had been invited for an afternoon teach-in by a sixth-grade teacher at Astor School told me they were asked to leave the building by administrators just 20 minutes into their presentation.
Raya Cooper, 23, said she was one of four occupiers who’d been invited for a 12:30 session by teacher James Clark. Cooper is part of an Occupy group that has gone before church groups, college classes, and others, to talk about the aims and goals and challenges of Occupy.
She said Clark’s class of sixth-graders, plus another teacher’s class of seventh-graders, had jumped right into a robust (but teacher-moderated) brainstorming exercise that had asked the students which issues Occupy Wall Street should focus on: racial inequities, police brutality, bank bailouts, war, foreclosures, etc.
About then, the session was interrupted by another school employee who made Clark tell the group they had to leave. He told them his higher-ups were “uncomfortable” with the discussion, Cooper says.
“We asked the class what they thought was wrong, and they all raised their hands,” she says, noting that one girl told the panel as they left, “they don’t want you to plant the seeds of change in our society. They don’t want you to plant those seeds.”
They left at 12:50, Cooper says. Another of the panelists, Hil Boyd, posted an account on Facebook, too.
Update 4:25 PM: Portland Public Schools spokesman Matt Shelby didn’t quibble with the account of what happened—and said the decision to end the panel came directly from Astor Principal Karl Newsome.
Newsome apparently learned of the panel only after the occupiers had signed in with the school’s secretary—and district procedure generally calls for principals to sign off when outside groups are brought in, especially to talk to kids younger than high school age, Shelby says, acknowledging the way it all went down was awkward.
“I would classify Occupy as a political group. If you’re going to bring in an outside political group, that’s okay,” he says. “It’d be fine for them to talk to sixth- and seventh-graders. But I know if we had Occupy come in to talk to a middle school class and we didn’t let parents know that was going to happen, there’d be a very good chance we’d have some very angry parents.”
I asked him if the same rules would apply to a different political group, like, say, the Tea Party. “Absolutely.”
“We don’t want to shy away from difficult subjects, but we want to make sure we’re going to do it in an appropriate space.”
Shelby says Clark isn’t in any trouble “that I’m aware of, but he also said that a teacher who invites a group in “has to do his homework.” He said he asked Newsome if he’d be willing to bring back Occupy for a discussion, and Newsome told him he would, once he’s had “time to lay the proper groundwork and talk to parents.”
Let’s all check back to make sure that happens.
Bummer
6th grade level teach in mentalities I’d think would be a perfect fit for OP.
They were probly homos. Those kids coulda caught the Gay.
Occupy Portland’s tactics are controversial, sure. The message, though? No.
Portland Schools’ policy on “controversial” subjects supports contacting parents, but isn’t strict on that: http://www.pps.k12.or.us/departments/board…
I wonder if this principal does the same thing when the army recruiters come around.
Wow – Wonder exactly from where “on high” the orders came, to shut down down this discussion? I love what the one kid said “”they don’t want you to plant the seeds of change…” She’s certainly got that right it would seem.
Where was all of this red tape when I was in sixth grade and my school brought in evangelicals to give us free bibles?
(Yes, it really happened.)
The “homework” Newsome wanted comes from this PPS policy document…
6.20.011-AD Academic Freedom in the Instructional Program
(5) If a teacher intends to invite a speaker who is generally recognized to be controversial, notice shall be given to the principal prior to extending the invitation. In other cases, a teacher who invites any resource speaker to appear before his/her class shall give notice of the invitation to the principal prior to the date of the scheduled appearance in order that the principal may exercise judgment concerning the effect of the speaker on all aspects of the school program, which come within his/her responsibility.
Maybe if they had invited capitalists to balance the socialist message, they would have been allowed to continue?
Are we welcoming in all political movements into the classroom to ‘educate’ the kids now?
Portland would be up in arms if the Tea party or Anti-abortion protesters were allowed to speak to their kids class.
frankieb, I don’t know James Clark, but I’d bet he would welcome someone who was opposed to the Occupy movement so his students would get a fuller picture. Teachers, with few exceptions, want their students to have as much information as there’s time for. Students usually recognize attempts by teachers to use their position to advance a personal agenda and they resent it. They don’t respect teachers who try that. A guest speaker, on the other hand, is understood to have a specific viewpoint.
I may not have the details exactly correct, but I’ve also heard that Occupy was banned by the Portland Development Commission from holding non-violence training on PSU campus in a PDC owned building leased to the University.
And how come the Mercury isn’t covering the 24 hour vigil at City Hall? It’s been going on since last Thursday.
“asked the students which issues Occupy Wall Street should focus on: racial inequities, police brutality, bank bailouts, war, foreclosures, etc.”
And people claim these guys are unfocused.
Have the students discussed “Crony Capitalism,” such as “Solyndra?” How about “‘Fast and Furious,” and the DOJ’s attempted coverup? The debt will exceed the GDP in about a decade, to levels higher than Greece. Who will bail out the US?
A discussion contrasting methods of political protest would be appropriate— T-party vs OWS. Media coverage of different protest groups would be interesting. The students could replay media coverage and analyze. Is their bias? —rhetorical.
I meant, “Is there bias?”
Why didn’t the sap think to invite Miley Cyrus? When are parents going to stop using the school system as it’s baby sitter?
Educational failures embracing social failures to preach ideological failure. It’s no wonder the school system churns out failures.
It’s the circle of (liberal) life.
There should be a separation of school with political agendas – our kids need good education in language, math, the sciences. Enough already with propaganda. Taxpayers are forced to pay for the free education of all which is quite expensive, so start educating already. This is a state that should know better than to let outside adults into a school. Kyron Horman was kidnapped from his school in Oregon and still not found. I’d sue the school system for bringing in any outside adults without my knowledge, and for the lack of safety in doing so.
i think this is a great ay for kids to see how the world is now.the world you know is gone and this world is the new one and it’s here for the kid.AND I WAS THERE AND EVER ONE LIKE IT AND I SAID “they don’t want you to plant the seeds of change in our society. They don’t want you to plant those seeds.”. so shut you face up ,and step down ,WE can thick by are self!!!
So who was the principal protecting?
Was he protecting the students? If they are old enough to shop they are old enough to understand occupy Portland/Wall street. All 6th and 7th graders are adept at shopping.
Was he protecting the parents? Was he protecting them from ideas that they (he assumes) would not approve of? Welcome to public school! Your child will and should be exposed to number of ideas that you as their parent may not agree with. They are in the process of becoming part of a larger society, they need to be equipped to deal with this. O.P. is socially, and politically relevant to their world: they need to know. Keeping them ignorant is not in the best interest of Society… There are private/charter schools for that.
Was he protecting his position? I know as teacher of 8th grade, which I was for 22 years, administrators hide behind and enforce policies when they are in personal disagreement with the issue, or afraid it will hurt their position. That way they can just roll out a policy that they don’t usually enforce and say “this teacher should have asked.” I never had to ask to bring a speaker into my room no matter how controversial. Furthermore the assumption about me was that I would be presenting alternate views (and I’m sure that is true for this teacher) because that’s the joy of education. Looking controversy in the face, unafraid of any idea. This principal had an opportunity to take the high road, and didn’t. He chose fear over reason.
I just hope he’s not authorized to beat this teacher into submission (it seems that’s admin policy in PPS).
I want my child in this teachers class! This is education at its best. This is why public school is so important.