Progressives – Speaking Truth To Power on “the means justifies the ends”. I did not know that using school district email systems to recruit underage students to work on campaigns was a “legal thing”. Last time I knew, that was a big No-No, but in this case, Socialist Joyce’s campaign used Joanne Cockerill’s access to the Manchester School District’s email system so that “Olivia Bergen, Organizing Director for Joyce Craig’s mayoral campaign” to suck students into the campaign. Unpaid, of course:
This is all kind of wrong at several different levels. First, it seems like Joanne Cockrill (can’t find her on either the Manchester School District or Memorial High School staff rosters where Google searches say she’s a Guidance Councilor). That said, the above email that was sent to me leads me to believe that she abused her access via Follett.com ASPEN system for a purpose that I bet runs counter to “acceptable use” of the District’s IT assets – political campaign recruiting of students that Manchester used to do BCC’s to a bunch of students. In fact, it IS against written policy (pages 32+):
d. Electronic Communications with Students
Employees are reminded that they are prohibited from communicating with students who are enrolled in the District through electronic media, except as set forth herein. This policy does not apply to the employees’ own children who attend school in the District. Employees shall limit communications with students to matters within the scope of the employee’s professional responsibilities (for example, class work, homework and exams). . .…MSD offers internet connection to employees as a tool to be used for MSD business. It is not permissible to use MSD’s internet service for personal use, except incidental personal email use…
I’m pretty sure that campaign recruitment is not part of an employee’s professional responsibility. Nor, I’m bet, is it to make such an offer in a partisan way (e.g., FOR Craig and not the same for Sullivan). And I’m REAL sure that it isn’t kosher for Cockrill to be acting as a shill for another person, much less a political organizer – even if it is for Mayor Craig.
So, what IS the response of the Manchester School District and the School Board to this illegitimate use of the taxpayer funded IT system? Or was an appropriate head “turned the other way”?
Second, who the heck does Olivia Bergen have the juice to just waltz into the District and make such a brazen request? Or was she depending on “overwatch” a la “Do you know who I report to?”. Yet, Rich Girard became the center of quite the little Progressive teapot tempest for this for ONE student (and the same Progressives broke their own teapot on this) but Bergen gets a free pass?
Joyce Craig likes to think of herself, and tries to portray a PR image, of being prim and proper and all inclusive. Above board, follow the book, and all that. This ain’t it, is it?
