The mission statement from the South Portland High School web site:
“The South Portland High School community believes that all students are able to obtain the knowledge and skills necessary for post-secondary education, career, and citizenship. Toward that goal, every student will graduate as a capable learner who is able to think critically and produce quality work.”
Apparently, critical thinking is not allowed if you support a different candidate.
Connor Mullen Twitter photo
From the Coed.com: Connor Mullen is a high schooler from Portland, Maine. Based on his social media alone, he seems to be a relatively “normal” high school kid. But he’s currently making waves in the media after wearing a Donald Trump “Make America Great Again” hat to school. Seems harmless, right? I mean, it’s a hat — he wasn’t burning people at the stake. But alas, that didn’t stop students and teachers from bullying him relentlessly when he wore it.“I knew kids would pick on me about it, that’s just kids being kids, but when the adults started doing it I thought that’s problematic,” Mullen recently told the Press Herald. “This is a school that preaches equality.”
Unfortunately, it’s less than surprising. NYU students recently came out quoting similar concerns — they hid their political agenda from students and teachers in an effort to not be the center of political crossfire. But with the primaries and debates constantly being mainstreamed by local media, how could you keep your opinion to yourself? And why should you be degraded by others when you don’t?
According to Mullen, the bullying has been going on for quite some time — students have repeatedly knocked the hat off of his head and even thrown it in the garbage. A teacher even got in the middle of everything and berated him, saying “Thank God you can’t vote.”
Yikes. Teachers too? It’s literally your job to not declare your opinions in front of your students. Yet despite the incessant ridicule, Mullen refuses to not stop wearing the hat.
FYI: Here’s the contact information for the principal, Ryan Caron, of South Portland High School.
DCG
