By TIM TESCONI
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Posted on 11/25/2003 5:47:45 PM PST by WSGilcrest
November 25, 2003
Rancho Cotate High School students who believe they are being "brainwashed by the liberal bias" in their classrooms are banding together to bring a conservative agenda of God, guns and country to the Rohnert Park campus.
The Conservative Club at Rancho Cotate, which may be the only one at a high school on the liberal North Coast, reflects a nationwide view by political conservatives who long have considered public schools as liberal bastions.
"We're being brainwashed by the liberal bias of teachers. It's everywhere," said Keith Butler, 15, a freshman who is one of the 50 members of the Conservative Club.
Student members said they formed the club in September to challenge what they perceive as a liberal viewpoint espoused by many teachers. The club has invited controversial speakers, including a member of the National Rifle Association, to campus to promote conservative ideology.
Rancho Cotate administrators dismiss the club's claim of widespread liberal bias in classrooms, but support the students' quest for varied viewpoints.
"All of our classroom teachers have a duty and responsibility to present both sides of issues," said Michael Watenpaugh, superintendent of the Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District. He said that until the club was formed there had been no complaints about a liberal bias.
"One of the rules of education is to present both sides equally and in a fair and responsible manner," Principal Mitchell Carter said.
Bias in the classroom is a debate more often associated with college campuses. Conservative groups have monitored campaign donations of college faculty, noting contributions to Democratic candidates far outnumber donations to Republican candidates, and have used that data to support assertions of a liberal agenda in college classrooms.
Educators and conservative groups knew of no data, however, that suggests there is a liberal or conservative slant in local or state classrooms. The debate in high schools is most often between parents and administrators trying to determine how to teach sex education, religion and alternative lifestyles.
At Rancho Cotate, the Conservative Club stirred controversy by inviting Phil Graf, a local NRA member, to speak on the topic "We Need More Guns in Schools," a provocative presentation suggesting that if teachers were armed with guns, there would be fewer tragedies like the killings at Columbine High School in Colorado.
Last Friday, Orlean Koehle, a Santa Rosa teacher and mother of six who is president of the Eagle Forum of California, a conservative lobbying group, was the club's guest lecturer, speaking on club members' favorite topic: the liberal bias in public schools.
"I'm thrilled to find it here ... but it's very unusual," Koehle said of the club, adding it probably is the only one of its kind in Sonoma County and, indeed, in all of California.
Conservative supporters will help finance a club newsletter called "The Conservative Agenda," which will publish its first issue in two weeks and be distributed campuswide. Graf said he's so impressed by the club he is raising funds to support the newsletter. He said the NRA isn't directly financing the effort but is likely to take out an ad explaining its position on guns and safety.
Tim Bueler, a 16-year-old junior whose heroes include right-wing talk show hosts Michael Savage and Bill O'Reilly, is the founder, president and driving force of the club. Passionate and articulate, he said he's using his First Amendment rights to promote a conservative Christian viewpoint that he said is generally unpopular with most students, teachers and administrators.
"We obviously believe the liberals are trying to destroy everything in America that our forefathers fought and died for," Bueler said. His inspiration to uphold American ideals comes from his late grandfather, Mark Bueler, a Pearl Harbor survivor and lifelong patriot, he said.
"I was just tired of the one-sided arguments of liberal teachers who mold the curriculum to their point of view," Bueler said. "Basically, the Conservative Club was formed to show the other side of the spectrum and another point of view."
When pressed for examples, Bueler said one of his teachers calls President Bush and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger "idiots" in class. He said several teachers bash Republicans and conservatives as greedy capitalists, racists and sexists.
Bueler's club's motto is at the core of conservative ideology: "Protecting our borders, language and culture." Bueler said because of its motto, the club has been called racist and sexist by some students.
He said it's neither, enjoying the membership of female students and Latinos and other minorities.
But it did draw 13 student protesters during Graf's appearance, a speech that drew 120 students, more than double the usual Friday turnout.
Watenpaugh said the district fully supports students' right to form a group like the Conservative Club as long as it follows guidelines set forth by the student body. He said the club meets those guidelines by meeting during times when classes aren't being held and having a faculty adviser.
English teacher Bernadette Tucker, club adviser, said she became involved because she believes students should exercise their First Amendment rights.
"Just because something is not popular it doesn't mean you can't say it," Tucker said.
Club member Ryan Riekena, 16, said the Conservative Club already has had an impact by making teachers more aware of their responsibility to present diverse viewpoints.
"There's been a change," Riekena said. "One of my teachers is already saying we have to look at both sides on every issue."
You can reach Staff Writer Tim Tesconi at 521-5289 or ttesconi@pressdemocrat.com.
Good kid, made me laugh with his school stories of him and his buds battling the liberals.
I'm forwarding this one to my inlaws in Petaluma.
Thanks,
L
I'm sure the California Teachers Union gives the teachers plenty of left wing drivel to spew in the class room..
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