The Shame of America’s Public High Schools

I wrote here, here, here (a video of a speech by me), here and here about the sad decline of the Edina, Minnesota public schools into hard-core leftism. Edina’s school district was once among the nation’s most respected, but its administrators have been content to see the district slide down to second or third tier status, because their sole priority is “racial equity,” which is code for a long list of left-wing hobby horses.

What happens when a public school district falls into the hands of race-obsessed leftists? For one thing, students think it’s cool to disrespect America’s veterans. Last Friday, Veterans’ Day, Edina High School held a ceremony to honor Edina’s vets. The high school kids assembled, and most of them behaved properly. But many did not. Some giggled and talked loudly, among themselves or on their cell phones, through the ceremony. Worse, a group of students made a deliberate show of disrespecting veterans–even during the playing of “Taps”–by lounging prominently on the floor in front of the crowd rather than standing. This was an anti-American political statement, as some of them later confirmed on Facebook and other social media.

Here is the video:

I grew up in South Dakota in the 1950s and 1960s, when such conduct would have been unthinkable. Today, it is not only thinkable, it is considered commendable in liberal school districts like Edina’s.

Over the weekend, the protesting students and their supporters made their political position clear, in social media posts like this one. Evidently spelling and punctuation have been de-emphasized in the Edina schools, as the focus has shifted to leftist politics:

And this one, which has now been taken down. For those who don’t follow such things, “THOT” means “that ho over there.”

YCC refers to the Young Conservatives Club at Edina High School. The YCC has long been abused by fellow students and by Edina teachers and administrators. This account came from one member of the organization, describing what happened on election day last November:

I walked into morning rehearsal for choir at 7:15 am and I proudly wore my shirt. As I took my seat I could see and feel eyes on me and people whispering. I kept my head up and was proud. Then I got to the cafeteria where I liked to meet my friends before school starts and in between classes. People were glaring at me, whispering, challenging me on my views, people called me racist to my face and over social media, and I experienced public humiliation.

During lunch the YCC had gathered for a group picture with our Trump shirts on. And by 6th hour, when all I wanted was to go home and lie in bed after a day of bullying, a staff member pulled me out of class. … The staff member pulled me out of class not to ask me about how my day was going or if I was emotionally okay, but his question for me was “I heard there were students in the YCC picture yelling ‘deportation!’ as the picture was taken. Is that true?” I assured him that, no that wasn’t true. But he kept asking as if he didn’t believe me.

Edina High School posts signs that say, “All are welcome here!” But what they really mean is, all are welcome except conservatives.

Apparently some members of the YCC posted on social media over the weekend, criticizing the students who went out of their way to show contempt for veterans. That prompted a video response from a group of fascists at the high school. The video has now been deleted, but it featured a single student on screen, wearing the familiar Guy Fawkes mask. He issued a series of threats against members of the Young Conservatives Club. Here is a screen shot of the now-deleted video, along with a transcript:

To get the full effect, you almost have to listen to the audio:

So Edina’s school administrators were confronted with a crisis: a number of students had behaved reprehensibly, showing disrespect for veterans and for America at a school assembly intended to honor veterans on Veterans Day. Beyond that, disgusting social media posts had attacked America and insulted non-leftist students. And a video threatened, specifically, members of the Young Conservatives Club.

Faced with this situation, what did Superintendent of Schools John Schultz do? He sent out a mealy-mouthed email that mostly defended the students who attacked America and disrespected veterans, because they were “peaceful.” Click to enlarge:

Superintendent Schultz says that the now-deleted fascist video “is certainly inflammatory and creepy.” But he finds no serious fault with it because “our investigation…in concert with [the Edina Police Department] has uncovered no credible or legal threat….” I have no idea what Superintendent Schultz means by “no credible or legal threat,” but the video was certainly threatening by any normal definition (e.g., “We will not stop until every tentacle of your evil monstrosity is sliced off at the nerve.”)

So now, as the dust settles, are the Edina schools cracking down on the fascist students who issued threats behind a mask, or the students who disavowed allegiance to America and referred to fellow students as “females on their periods,” “some bitches” and “that ho over there”?

Just kidding. Superintendent Schultz says that he appreciates the anti-American demonstrators because they protested “peacefully,” if contemptuously. Tonight, there are multiple reports that Edina High School is cracking down on conservative students because they dared to criticize the anti-American, anti-veteran display that took place on Friday. Suspensions have been reported, although these have not yet been confirmed. On the other hand, we have seen no reports of any actions being taken against the anti-American demonstrators or the fascists who posted the threatening video.

This is a developing situation, and we will report again when the facts are clearer. But what has already happened in the once-respected Edina school district shows how deeply the rot of leftism extends into American public education.

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