Newspaper: Students got free lunches in primary voting

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By Tiffany Griffin

Story Created: Aug 5, 2008 at 7:32 AM EST

Story Updated: Aug 5, 2008 at 7:32 AM EST

CROWN POINT, Ind. (AP) — Dozens of Gary high school students who voted during school hours in Indiana's last two primaries were treated to lunches at Lake County restaurants that cost taxpayers more than $1,000, a newspaper has found.

The Times of Munster said it obtained Gary school financial records which show that about two dozen Roosevelt High School students ate out April 21 at the Golden Corral in Merrillville during a field trip to vote at the Lake County Government Center.

Their meals ran up a $530.84 bill.

Another 54 students from Lew Wallace High School took similar field trips to vote April 26, 2007 and April 27, 2007, and ate out at a Ponderosa Steakhouse in Crown Point where each received a $6.29 meal and a $1.69 beverage.

The cost of their meals came to $513.77 and was later reimbursed by the school district.

Gary School Board member Jesse Morris said last week that he authorized the April trip involving the Roosevelt students who voted. He said he believes it was an appropriate use of Gary School Corporation money.

"I didn't see anything wrong with taking them to lunch," he said. "I say the kids come first."

But at least one government official has objected to the practice, arguing that the schools should not push students into voting booths at public expense.

Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott complained in April that Gary schools had taken students out of class and that the public paid to transport them to early voting polls at the county's Government Center.

McDermott declined to comment after learning that the school district's expenses included free lunches.

He said last spring that the trips appeared to be a get-out-the-vote effort organized by the Gary precinct organization and school officials supporting Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama. McDermott supported Democratic candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Morris said school officials didn't indoctrinate students or buy their votes with free lunches.

"That simply was not true. There was a healthy debate going on in the bus regarding the difference between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama," he said.

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