Seattle High School: Principal Responds

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Even though I am curtailing my bloging, I believe I owe Susan Derse her say. Ms. Derse was kind enough to respond to my e-mail to the Board of Education in which I commented on past published reports that Ms. Derse, while principal at another school, reduced military recuriting presence. My contention was that Ms. Derse had established a pattern of anti-military behavior, to which she responds:

Mr. Hennessey, however it was reported, the truth of what took place was that if military recruiters were to have remained in the student activity center as they had done, then Mr. Milner’s group could have legally demanded equal time, for the activity center constituted a “limited public forum” and what is done for one group needs to be done for any and all other groups.

Moving them to the career center, a place where students explore post-high school options, made sense to the recruiters and worked very well. All five branches of the military continued to visit the school, each four times for general recruiting and unlimited follow-up visits. Mr. Milner requested equal time in the career center, but as the career center did not serve anti-career or anti-military or anti-college activities, the school was able to limit his activities to placing brochures in files in case students requested them. This was not to his liking.

Characterizing my politics or my career decisions as anti-troop is plain wrong.

Susan Derse'

I will take her at her word. As I said in a previous post on the matter, Ms. Derse has been the most forthcoming and direct person involved in the matter and deserves credit for that.

(Note: I apologize of the delay in getting this posted, but my blogging has been very light lately.)

RELATED: Michelle Malkin posts a story on a school that banned photos of American Marine Heroes.