Does Newport-Mesa Support the First Amendment?

Asper Asks

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Does the First Amendment apply to the Newport Mesa Unified School District? You tell me.

A candidate who is running for the Newport-Mesa Board of Education contacted a principal in his zone to just have coffee with him and talk about what was going on in the school. You know, do what members of the board are supposed to do. The candidate received this from the superintendent:

"Hi Michael -- I told Mike Halt that once all candidates had filed that we would provide a schedule of meetings for all candidates. The objective is to provide equal access to information for all candidates. I offer an information session to candidates that includes all divisions. As soon as this general information session with Divisions has been provided, I will work with our principals to arrange informational sessions. These sessions may be voluntary for principals." Do the incumbents really need equal access? Presumably, the would have all the knowledge at their disposal.

Now, on the face of this response you could be thinking that this sounds nice, friendly and reasonable.....but is it? It is rumored (by a number of reliable sources) that the principals in this district were told not to talk to the new candidates Michael Schwarzmann, Leslie Bubb, and Amy Peters.

It might be in the superintendent's interest to keep the board members who are up for election this November. After all, they hired him and have continued to follow his lead on a number of strange issues; for example the district clinging to the very expensive and unpopular Swun Math with the a preponderance of parents and teachers begging them to change the math program. Then there was the case of the Mariners' principal writing the application for the California Gold Ribbon Award virtually alone (which is never done) and not telling the exact truth about what was really going on in one of the best schools in California. They didn't need the prevarications. They could win the award on their own with their hands tied. The district was told by the pretty brave Mariners' teachers before the award was given, and yet the district did not do anything until the board meeting in which the teachers from Mariners showed up to complain. While the district decided what to do, the teachers were told not to talk about it. Violation of the First Amendment?

Does the superintendent want to have complete control of the message? What do you think?