The Rhinebeck High School Democracy Petition

Sign on to this petition and pass it along to all you know if you agree that I should still be allowed to occasionally speak to classes at Rhinebeck High School-- as I've been doing for the last six years (sorry folks; I was ready long ago to let this issue die, but local right wing have made it crystal-clear they are completely bent on keeping this alive in media-- thus this petition effort).

Note-- thanks much to Rhinebeck High School students Finn Shanahan, Nicole & Alyssa Cassarino, and Stella Iselin, and Rhinebeck Central School District taxpayers Danny Shanahan, Joel & Kate Kopp, Alyssa Kogon, Marcia Slatkin, Andrea Replansky, Nancy Lanni, Frances Sandiford, & Fred Nagel for already endorsing this effort-- along with many, many other students (some afraid now for publicly supporting this for fear of retribution from powerful people, as they've indicated to me).

Fact #1: Republican Town Supervisor Tom Traudt spoke at Rhinebeck High School a few weeks before I did this fall. In fact, the press release sent out Oct. 29th by Dutchess Republican Committee Chair Michael McCormack himself contained a letter from Traudt's niece Hannah stating exactly this (ignored by local media)-- specifically, Hannah Traudt's own letter stated that "just a few weeks ago my uncle, Town Supervisor Tom Traudt, came in to talk about his experiences working with Rhinebeck's people."

Fact #2: A Nov. 2nd letter from RCSD Superintendent Joseph Phelan himself confirmed that even Rhinebeck High School Principal Edwin Davenport informed the Poughkeepsie Journal Oct. 29th of earlier visit to Rhinebeck High School from Republican Town Supervisor Traudt in midst of fall political campaign (and visit before from Rhinebeck Assemblymember Kevin Cahill); newspapers have ignored this though.

Fact #3: Dutchess County Republican Committee Chair Michael McCormack himself sent out a press release to local media Oct. 29th citing specifically the names of Hannah Traudt, Nicholas Washburn (son of Republican Town Boardmember Bruce Washburn), and Marielle Byrum-- only three of fifty students I spoke to Oct. 23rd in two Rhinebeck High School classrooms-- the fact is that McCormack himself is the one who put those three names out there publicly.

Fact #4: My Oct. 23rd presentations in both classrooms were warmly received by the vast majority of students-- judging by appreciative applause and positive comments I received that day from the vast majority of the students there.

Fact #5: I have never-- ever-- recommended destruction of anyone's lawn signs-- all I told a student Oct. 23rd in one of those two classes at Rhinebeck High School was that I understood her frustration when Republican campaign signs were repeatedly placed on her own property without permission. Period.

Fact #6: I myself graduated from Rhinebeck High School in 1981 after elected as Student Body President-- and have spoken many times at Rhinebeck High School in different classes over the last six years as County Legislator for Rhinebeck and Clinton without incident.

Fact #7: The Oct. 31st Poughkeepsie Journal reported the following-- "Rhinebeck High School Principal Edwin Davenport said the school invites elected officials to speak to students about their jobs."

Curiously, it seems to have been deemed acceptable by many locally for the Republican Town Supervisor to come in this fall and speak with students at Rhinebeck High School-- but not acceptable for me to do the same (why?).

Three decades ago I learned in Social Studies classes at Rhinebeck High School itself from great teachers like Mark Famiglietti, Delano Landsverk, and John Hryshko about the importance of the First Amendment to our Constitution-- "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."

I only hope the Rhinebeck Central School District today in 2009 still respects the Bill of Rights to our Constitution-- and that in the future candidates from both parties are afforded this opportunity to speak before students if one side is allowed into to speak at the high school during political campaign time-- and indeed I personally suggest and welcome the opportunity for an actual all-school assembly debate with both candidates for the county legislator race during school time-- just as I would have welcomed the opportunity to debate my opponent this fall in classroom(s) or bigger forums.

Joel Tyner
County Legislator (Rhinebeck/Clinton)
324 Browns Pond Road
Staatsburg, NY 12580
DutchessDemocracy.blogspot.com
[email protected]
(845) 876-2488