Over at PR outfit, EducationNC, a former General Counsel for the NCAE thinks that HB480 is unfair. The article, penned by Ann McColl, is titled, The General Assembly has a blind spot on Advocacy.

Advocacy, eh?  Semantic substitution for ‘politicking’?

The main thrust of the article seems to be that it isn’t fair that education officials and employees should have to follow the same rules as other state employees. Therefore, Senate Bill 480 is eeeeevil.

Let’s be clear — Education officials and teachers are citizens too. They have the right to free speech and assembly just like everyone else. That’s not the question or issue here.

These items in SB480 are what other state employees are subject to — i.e., not engaging in political activities on state time, using state funds, resources or property. Ms. McColl seems to be saying that education officials or professionals who are state employees should somehow be exempt from the rules all others follow?

Ms. McColl’s passages in the article about ‘teaching civics yet not being allowed to participate in them’ is rather insulting attempt to shame the NCGA into allowing inappropriate activities to continue to occur.

Shame on the NCGA? No, shame on Ms. McColl for assuming the tax paying citizen reading the article is dumb enough to buy that strawman argument.

The levels of politicking and campaign like activities that went on in North Carolina schools on the tax payer dime during the last few years has been increasing. The NCAE and their protest arm, Organize2020, have held rallies AT schools, have gained access to teacher and parent email distribution lists to do political mailings and have gone as far as to orchestrate protests using students to ferry fliers and information home to parents.

As a parent who has been on the receiving end of such campaigns and who has documented many other instances across the state, I find these activities done on the tax payer dime and in close proximity to my children to be unacceptable.

By the way, I noticed Ms. McColl’s profile, once you click to expand it, states she used to be General Counsel for the NCAE.

RELATED:

• #SB480 Would Block Politicking In Schools. NCAE and Progress NC’s ‘AimHigher’ Hardest Hit?

MORE POLITICKING IN OUR SCHOOLS:

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• Politicking In Buncombe County Schools
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• Teacher Pay Flier, Signage At A CMS Elementary
• Hey, Remember NCAE’s ‘Member-Led’ Group? Organize 2020?
• @NCAE To Join Occupy Monday’s “Day of Action”
• An Update On That CMS Sales Tax Referendum
• ‘Our Schools First’ Jumps The Shark With Halloween Handouts
• Protests At Apex School – Sign: Teachers Have No Union