I belong to two NPOs and we are overly careful about any political views on candidates. Our legal instructions strictly forbid us from endorsing ANY political candidate or suffer loss of our NPO status.
I watched a video yesterday of ACRON (Bertha Lewis) endorsing Obama. Aren’t they a NPO? Also, I have had 2 of my younger kids report their teachers are supporting Obama and made “snide” remarks about McCain. My older kids in college have heard countless slams on McCain and even more remarks in favor of Obama from teachers. Is it right for teachers in any level of public education to support a political candidate (any office) in the classroom?
Please share widely!
shillelaghlaw says
I’m pretty sure that NPOs aren’t supposed to engage in political activity, though there is some leeway in communications targeted toward their own members.
In the video, Bertha Lewis doesn’t say that ACORN is endorsing Obama, but that she is. ACORN is only mentioned when she says who she is and who her employer is; I’m pretty sure that this is permissible, so long as she wasn’t using any ACORN resources to do so.
goldsteingonewild says
NYC teachers were wearing Obama buttons.*
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p>District has policy against it.
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p>Big dustup in court!
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p>This link-filled blog post by Eduwonk should give you plenty of educashion.
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p>Some context though.
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p>Teachers union backed Hillary really hard in the primary, which a) pissed off a TON of their members, black teachers in particular, though they are a small minority of the teacher force, and b) freed Obama to pay a lot less attention to them if he is elected.
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p>Hence Obama now free to say what he really believes, like (warning: plug ahead) “Double funding for charter schools” which he’s repeated a number of times. He’s also shifted his campaign advisors with moderate Dems that favor merit pay for teachers, etc.
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p>So the union may have been simply trying to be pro-Obama as transparently as possible for member consumption, even while knowing they’d lose in court, which they did.
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p>Yes, teachers can have political speech with OTHER TEACHERS (staff room). No, they do not have a right under 1st amendment to reject school policy which says Don’t Prosyletize. Most schools have similar policies, though enforcement varies.
daves says
It depends on what kind of tax exempt organization you are. This chart may be helpful. ACORN has several affiliated organizations, including a PAC, so you they may have some leeway as long as they use the right entity for political purposes.
laurel says
any individual, if they speak as an individual, can endorse anyone or anything they want. Some people are in such prominent positions that they actually have to mention their employer’s name to be sure that people don’t confuse their personal endorsements with those of the employer. James Dobson and V. Gene Robinson are good examples of that.
charley-on-the-mta says
my teachers in middle- and high school talking about politics, and giving their opinions. It wasn’t full-bore proselytizing by any stretch, but some definitely let their opinions on current events be known. And that may well have extended to opinions about candidates.
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p>I think there’s a common-sense middle ground; kids should be taught how to talk about politics in a civil manner, and with critical thinking. And that may mean that the teacher holds forth on his/her personal beliefs, and favored candidates. I don’t think that’s a big deal, as long as it’s in a spirit of intellectual inquiry.
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p>Now, it is true that the spirit of free intellectual inquiry sometimes is absent in the academy. But that goes beyond politics.
greg says
Politically organizations are typically either 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) non-profits. A (3) cannot endorse candidates but its donations are tax-deductible, while a (4) can endorse candidates but donations are not tax-deductible. Some organizations have separate 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) branches. I don’t know whether ACORN has separate branches or is purely a 501(c)(4).
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p>I wouldn’t approve of candidate advocacy in kindergarten, but college students are adults who are capable of thinking critically about a few snide remarks about McCain. Can we prevent business leaders who get subsidies or bailouts from making snide remarks about Obama?
metrowest-dem says
Wikipedia has a pretty straightforward basic description of the difference. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5…
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p>Or… you could just look at the tax code…
http://www2.law.cornell.edu/us…
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p>If you really want to get into the topic (maybe more than you really want to), the IRS has a couple of white papers explaining the organizations purposes, requirements, etc. of each.
For 501(c)(3) entities — http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-teg…
For 501(c)(4) entities — http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-teg…
sabutai says
“I have had 2 of my younger kids report their teachers are supporting Obama and made “snide” remarks about McCain. “
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p>You have no complaints that your children’s teachers are supporting McCain. Though I don’t know their ages, I do know that nearly every colleague in my building has been asked by their students who they support. While there is a fair debate about teachers saying openly who they support (many do not — there are enough parents with agendas without creating more), there is nothing untoward about it.
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p>As for the second part, it would depend upon balance. If the teachers are also making snide remarks about Obama — something you may not have asked about, or your kids don’t care about because they agree — that’s not a problem either. I’ve said a few things about what a bad campaign McCain has run, but geez, that’s pretty much the truth.
lightiris says
presidential politics comes up all the time, especially since I teacher two electives called Peace Literature. High school kids want to talk, want to explore these things with someone other than their parents. I can’t tell you how many kids admit to me that they don’t see things the way their parents do. I tell them that’s okay, you are entitled to your own opinions, you are obligated to consider the facts and arrive at your own conclusions. Every student I have is pretty clear on my political leanings–all they have to do is look at the bumper on my car. That said, politics is a welcome discussion in my room, and kids from both sides of the spectrum seek me out for conversation–and it’s a wonderful thing. Vive la difference!
edgarthearmenian says
joets says
it’s so confusing and boring it puts people to sleep with almost magical prowess. Thus the peace.