Here's your lesson, kids. Hand-picked legislatures? That's what dictators do. This is what happens when you don't have power as citizens.

I was going to suggest Animal Farm but Cousin Dave's comment is more succinct.

It's banana republic time! All hail El Principal. His glorious rule will lead our small school to greatness. After all El Principal is soo great how can it not?

(Not paid for by El Principal. Really. We swear it. Only moderate thumb screws were used.)

After correcting the Diversity Inbalance resulting from secret exercise of the franchise, the Principal should correct the Diversity Imbalance among water fountains and restrooms by clearly labeling them as to which are reserved for use by only students of color.

This is already done with hiring via "affirmative action." So, why not do it with elections?

I'd call Lena Van Haren a stereotypical San Francisco white-guilt liberal, except, she didn't take students' sexual preferences into account - shame on her!

It sounds like she is really trying to indoctrinate them young in the liberal belief that results, not the process, matter. And if the results aren't "correct" they need to be changed.

Now, we just have to wait until they try this with actual elections for government positions!

I took a quick peek at the school's website. They have no diversity problems with the "African-American Parents Advisory Committee" which probably isn't very diverse or reflective of the school's 9% African American population either.

7th grader Sebastian Kaplan gets it. From KRON:

“I feel like it is disrespectful to all the people who were running,” Kaplan said.

Sebastian said the results of the student government election, held on Oct. 10, have not come out yet. He and the other candidates were told this week it is because the principal believes the winners are not diverse enough.

“The organizers are saying things like, ‘we want everyone’s voice to be heard,’ but in truth, the voters’ voices are not being heard,” Kaplan said. “Most kids are in agreement that the results need to come out because kids worked really hard on it.”

While keeping the results secret, the principal told Sebastian the school could add positions to better reflect the student body. The whole issue has taught Sebastian a tough lesson in politics.

“The whole school voted for those people, so it is not like people rigged the game, but in a way, now it is kinda being rigged,” Kaplan said.

I also saw an interview with the Principal, she has now announced the winners, but is adding Hispanic and African Americans to the council. Seems the kids are color-blind (ethnic-blind?) and vote based on merit (and popularity), but not the Principal. Having a separate African American Parents group and adding kids to the Student Council based on race doesn't promote diversity - it negates it.

Its impressive that she was able to find black kids in San Francisco.

Where did we get the idea that ethnic groups can only be represented in a legislative body by members of their own group? Why can't a white guy represent a majority African-American district? Perhaps he'll do a better job of schmoozing the other legislators.

Why can't the students pick their own representatives. If it's a majority minority school, then it's not that the whites are outvoting the minorities.

I always wonder with things like this if there was one and only one Eskimo at that school, would he/she be automatically on the council since there is no other Eskimos on it, or since their % is so low there would never be (the more mathematically fair).

Conan: "Where did we get the idea that ethnic groups can only be represented in a legislative body by members of their own group? Why can't a white guy represent a majority African-American district?"

That would be a good question to ask the liberal white principal presuming to speak on behalf of the students of an 80% minority/brown school.

It is indeed a teachable moment. Inside every liberal is a fascist screaming to get out. I didn't make that up, but I forget who did.
This is a hugely valuable lesson for the kids.

It is indeed a teachable moment. Inside every liberal is a fascist screaming to get out. I didn't make that up, but I forget who did.
This is a hugely valuable lesson for the kids.

Now if we just substitute "minority" kids with "compliant" kids who do as they're told and replace the teacher with a zillionaire one-percenter who chooses the compliant "government representatives" we have a much more accurate picture of how the country is run.

Inside every liberal is a totalitarian screaming to get out. ~ David Horowitz

History repeats itself.

Summary: Elite, "progressive" private high school starts allowing women in the 1970s. Forty years later, winners of school elections aren't nearly often enough members of team estrogen.

Wailing. Gnashing of teeth. Rending of garments.

SF Chronicle columnist, Debra Saunders, weighs in on the matter.

http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/saunders/article/Principal-principle-thyself-6582381.php

There’s another not-so-subtle message in this story: Black kids are supposed to vote for black kids. Likewise Latinos. If they don’t vote for their own kind, it doesn’t matter whom they support. As David noted, Van Haren suggests that “a white student can’t be representative of a Latino student. I’m not sure that the students see it that way.” Many young teens have moved beyond racial designations.

If a student body that is 56 percent Latino and 9 percent African American votes the top four slots to whites, Asians and mixed-race students, who is Van Haren (who also is white) to say they are wrong? I’d call her attitude — hmmmm — paternalistic. The principal told KTVU she wants her students to be “agents of change.” Guess what: They are.