School board VP says superintendent, not board, turned down Clinton

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By Beth Boehne

Editor's note: Ann Rosen is vice president of the South Bend Community School Corp. Board of School Trustees. She provided this letter to the Tribune as an explanation regarding the corporation's denial of a campaign appearance by presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton at Washington High School.

Thursday, March 27, 2008.

The decision to decline the Clinton campaign’s request to hold a political rally at Washington High School was not a Board decision.

I first heard from the SBCSC administration about this request last night at about 5:30 P.M. I was asked for my opinion; I was given no details about the visit. The call was made not by the superintendent, but by the secretary. Essentially, I had a few minutes to respond.

What I said was that I do not make decisions on the spot, that I had reservations, but that I wouldn’t say no. For me, without background knowledge or details about the rally, or discussion with fellow board members, this was the only responsible response.

The next communication I had was a written statement from Dr. Zimmerman, read to me over the phone by the secretary at 6:45 P.M. That statement said that Dr. Zimmerman had told the Clinton campaign staff that we could not host the political rally at Washington High School, that “the Corporation has a long-standing practice of not hosting or promoting political events in the schools during the school day, and the logistics of organizing the event will result in too much disruption to the student instructional day.”

I assumed that this statement would also be given to the press. In fact, it is my understanding that the superintendent did not speak with the press last night, or provide any written statement.

The next thing I knew, some news stories last night and today implied that this was a board decision. The public needs to understand that the only way for a school board to make a decision is in a public meeting with a public vote. Individuals act as a school board only when they are together in an official meeting. In this instance, there was no meeting, public or otherwise, and there was no vote. This decision was made by the superintendent and if people have questions, I suggest they contact Dr. Zimmerman.

Ann Rosen

Thursday, Apr 17 at 9:51 PM Carolyn wrote ...

As I as said before Zimmerman is a liar there is no school policy to keep a policial candidate from speaking to the kids he made that up himself. Some of these kids are voting for the 1st time and he denied them there civil liberties to hear all sides. I say he should now try to get McCain to come and try to get Hillary so these kids can make a informed decision instead of pushing his ideas on them. I am a Democrat but lets be fair to all sides and not just Zimmerman's

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Saturday, Mar 29 at 10:31 AM Nittanylion wrote ...

I think the WHS student Tara who posted needs to spend a little more time in school instead of attending a political rally. I bet she thinks Hillary is running for head cheerleader.

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Friday, Mar 28 at 2:51 PM Check out the students spelling! wrote ...

I've heard a lot about the South Bend schools not meeting any kind of academic expectations, it is certainly noted in their posts, are the teachers not stressing the importance of spelling common words. These are high shcool students. They needed to have a visitor in their schools, they needed to be challenged and stimulated by outside interest such as politics would. This would not even taken up half their school day, come on lets get some good leadership in the SB schools.

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Friday, Mar 28 at 2:42 PM Ben wrote ...

Washington was simply afraid of how many students would bring guns to school today. That's why they said no to Hillary

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Friday, Mar 28 at 2:08 PM Academic Rigor wrote ...

After reading the comments posted here from WHS students, it is easy to understand why the administration feels a need for students to be in class - not at rallys. Schools are for education, the community can provide venues for the politicians.

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Friday, Mar 28 at 1:43 PM pat wrote ...

Way to go SBCSC. Anyone with an ounce of brains that knows anything about the SBCS board knows very well that the decision was made by the board, and that as usual they made Dr. Zimmerman their scape goat. Please please can't we get rid of this board so that Dr.Z. can do his job. The school board doesn't care about anyone but themselves, except for Mr. Snidecki. A note to Karen who lives in clay township, you do get to vote for a school board member and it's time to vote her out.

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Friday, Mar 28 at 12:23 PM Andy wrote ...

I would have done the same thing in the superintendent's shoes. I would not want the former first lady to speak in a hell hole like that. Its not exactly the brightest shining example of our school system.... not that it has one to begin with.

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Friday, Mar 28 at 12:23 PM goofy71 wrote ...

AAAH YES another embaressment to the good students of the ditzy sbcsc! I am embaressed that I went to SBCSC and also that i live in south bend Between the city and the sbcsc management both are idiots. Congrats DR. Z again south bend is laughed at by the whole country!

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Friday, Mar 28 at 11:29 AM Need an Editor? wrote ...

Just read the press release from the SBCSC. They can't even spell Washington correctly... pretty sad.... I'm an Editor by trade... want to hire me????

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Friday, Mar 28 at 11:24 AM Come on wrote ...

This is a wake up call for the residents of South Bend to say Im tired of the crap in the administration of SBSCS, united and get rid of all of them and get some intellegent people in there that know HOW to run schools and the importance of education...Its time before South Bend is a Ghost TOwn. It doesnt matter how much business you bring to SB, if you dont have a good school system to support it. Wake up people of South Bend and start caring about what kind and amount of Education our childre

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Friday, Mar 28 at 10:46 AM Anonymous wrote ...

WSBT reported Wednesday on this website that the Clinton campaign had contacted the SBCSC about this rally and later that secret service had visited the school on Wednesday. Yet, Ms. Rosen claims she heard of this request at 5:30 on Wednesday. Apparently Ms. Rosen has NO CLUE what is going on. It's time to resign, Ms. Rosen. http://www.wsbt.com/news/election/2008/17033451.html

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Friday, Mar 28 at 10:32 AM Anonymous wrote ...

I agree, Jim. If the Pope showed up, would he be denied because the Dalai Lama wanted equal time?

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Friday, Mar 28 at 9:29 AM Randy Vee wrote ...

I have a student in south bend schools and I feel the school system in general is lousy anyways!This is just bringing the obvious facts to the surface. They are idiots! Dawn Smith and Dr Z. and the rest should be fired!

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Friday, Mar 28 at 8:38 AM Anonymous wrote ...

This is to PJ who wrote that "now may not be the best time to test the security system that is in place." Do you really think that Clinton would come to any public event such as this with out a MASSIVE ammount of security? If they had allowed her to come today, that school would have been the safest it's probably EVER been. That was just one of the lame excuses they used to rob these students of this experience. You could barely drive past MHS this morning w/all the security there. Idiot.

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Friday, Mar 28 at 7:08 AM SKIP wrote ...

We allow Public Voting on school property during The School Day and the canidate reps on School Grounds.Also our Mayor comes into our high schools and our governor.Its all politics.

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Friday, Mar 28 at 6:55 AM Harley wrote ...

The School Board makes all the decisions!!!At this time you are looking for an escape goat and thats "Z". All you Members have always been want-a-be Mini Superintedents.As always you chose to decide by your own Personal Choice.Didn't your think about your constituents??

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Friday, Mar 28 at 6:37 AM Harley wrote ...

Sniadecki then must be a liar as he said that all other Board Memers he spoke to had a negative "No" to the upcoming event.Again, you put Board members into office to Represent your District and Community and they choose to make their own Personal Decisions instead of the communities!

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Friday, Mar 28 at 5:45 AM EDU wrote ...

Children are in school to be educated and learn character. They are not there to meet liars so that they can learn how to lie.

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Thursday, Mar 27 at 11:54 PM Shirley wrote ...

Why would there be too much disruption for the day? What is wrong with Dr. Zimmerman not wanting Mrs. Clinton to be at the Washington school? What a terrible thing for the students not to have the excitement of seeing her. The South Bend schools are in a terrible mess & I am so glad my grandchildren don't attend any of them. I think it has gone to Dr. Zimmerman's head to be boss. Mishawaka students will enjoy Mrs. Clinton. They run the schools better there anyway.

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Thursday, Mar 27 at 10:43 PM jim wrote ...

Im a washington high school student and i would like to thank doctor zimmerman for his great decision...we supported you through the hard times you had and now you take this one in a lifetime opportunity away from us...I hardly consider it disrupting the school day to meet a presidential candidate...Whats next? are we going to deny the Pope if he asks to speek at our school? Great choice moron

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Thursday, Mar 27 at 9:53 PM Anonymous wrote ...

amen thay should have it at ND so more can go and see what she has to say . if they did have it at any school the hole day will we wasted and NO leaning will be done !

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Thursday, Mar 27 at 9:40 PM Anonymous wrote ...

I'm currently a student at WHS and this is a travesty not only for we as students but even our government..If you look at it in my POV our city tries to bring young voters in to the polls and vote, and a thing like this, not letting clinton come, is just another reason why so many young adults dont vote. they dont get to hear first hand what our nation is trying to offer now and for our future...im really ashamed...

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Thursday, Mar 27 at 9:29 PM Karen wrote ...

Maybe this will turn out to be a good thing in the long run. If this does not show our citizens tha tidots are running the SB schools - nothing will. I agree with Pam - my daughters go to Clay high school and I can't vote on the school board !!!

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Thursday, Mar 27 at 9:23 PM Karen wrote ...

I live in South Bend and I am so tired of South Bend looking STUPID. This was an opportunity for Washington to show that they are a great school with great students and great teachers, but we have a stupid, useless school board and school board president. Do they hate South Bend ?? That is a rhetorical question - they don't hate South Bend - THEY ARE STUPID. I would like to knwo how many school systems have truned down a chance liek this. Have any ??? I doubt it.

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Thursday, Mar 27 at 9:19 PM greg wrote ...

i disagree...it was not Dr. Z's decision it was all about the board. The board is throwing Dr. Z under the bus and using him as a scape goat. The board is a disgrace...

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Thursday, Mar 27 at 9:14 PM Washinton High School student wrote ...

I don't think anyone new how excited some of us were when we heard taht Hillary was coming to Washington. I don't know why one man would turn this down for us. My friends and I thought that this was all a dream and that we would wake up on Friday and see her at OUR school.To some very few other people who don't take into cosideration, the students are more concerned about the future of the United Sates than a couple of classes. I think this would have woken a lot of students up!

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Thursday, Mar 27 at 8:41 PM Greg wrote ...

Congrats to Mishawaka for having a clue... The more I think about this, the more I realize how amazingly stupid it was for someone or some board to not allow this event to take place in South Bend at Washington High school. Someone needs to be held accountable for such an idiotic move. Way to enlighten our youths you morons...

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Thursday, Mar 27 at 8:32 PM PJ wrote ...

I think Supt. Zimmerman is the only one to think this through. Visit would only be open to some Seniors, while the rest of the school would suffer some disruption. We talk about keeping our students safe and yet now it would be ok to open the doors to the public just because a political champaign wants in. Let them use the school after hours and any student that wants to go can. SB has had several incidents of guns in school. Now may not be the time to test the security system that is in place

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Thursday, Mar 27 at 7:41 PM Jake wrote ...

Who is surprised the SBCSC screwed up again?

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Thursday, Mar 27 at 7:38 PM Pam wrote ...

I think its time to fire our entire school board and start over. We are parents (and myself as a teacher) are ashamed of this board. They don't like Dr. Zimmerman, so of course instead of taking some responsbility - they blame. A petition needs to be started to change on the ballot how we elect these people.

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Thursday, Mar 27 at 7:08 PM Anonymous wrote ...

I'd be embarrassed to be associated with the South Bend School system in ANY way whatsoever. It's in a sorry state. Oh yes- I shall never forget this lame decision. Oh and please people- let's never forget this past winter when all the adults working for the city of South Bend got to stay home because of blizzard like conditions... and "someone" decided that the kids must go to school.

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Thursday, Mar 27 at 6:31 PM Just A Mom wrote ...

Isn't using schools as voting polls considered political?

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Thursday, Mar 27 at 6:18 PM Bradley wrote ...

This is history going on, is was a chance for our students to be apart of that history, Hillay Clinton is a senator, a former first lady, and now a canidate for the demo ticket for president of the United States of America. This IS HISTORY in the making, win or loose. Dr. Zinnerman's failure to see this makes one wonder about his compatince to make other choices for our childern. I'm sorry to come down with such a hard line, but Mr. Zimmerman needs to step down, or the board needs to put him out

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Thursday, Mar 27 at 6:14 PM tom wrote ...

yeah lets not talk about being safe.two kids in less then a month with guns .what a great school.. sbcsc is a joke heck they can't even run the corpration in the black.. zimmerman has no idea how to run it,let alone the school board who hired him.. just a bunch a people who want to think their big shots

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Thursday, Mar 27 at 6:13 PM tara wrote ...

i think she should, i go to washington high school but it would make washington students happen and not feeling bed that mishawaka high school can have her there and not at washington high school, washington high school students are upset that she cant go there, it would be good if she was there though

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Thursday, Mar 27 at 5:45 PM Bill wrote ...

This was an opportunity of a lifetime for those students to have witnessed! It would have been a disruption of the best kind; real life experience. These kids would have been excited about our government and that would carry over to their homes with their parents. Such a disappointment. At least one school corporation realizes an opportunity when they see it!

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Thursday, Mar 27 at 5:43 PM G Man wrote ...

Say goodbye to a golden opportunity. Let's see what's been lost here... National and world-wide positive recognition of Washington High School and South Bend. All turned to a negative in a second. Smooth!

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Thursday, Mar 27 at 4:24 PM Anonymous wrote ...

Too much disruption of the instructional day? I don't suppose they had any pep rallys during the girl's basketball playoff run that disrupted anything, did they? Or were those held after school or on weekends? Or is it okay to disrupt things if you're patting yourselves on the back?

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