Friends - The Tampa 9/12 Project is a conservative, Biblically based local organization. They’re actively involved in the effort to insure people linked to terrorism don’t get into our schools.

They’ve made a significant effort to enlist current and prospective school board members to take the reasonable step of insuring that parents would have the right to decide whether their children would be in the classroom with such people. This came in the form of a Pledge we were asked to sign that says we’ll do everything we can to make sure parents have the right to opt their children out of any classes where these folks will be speaking.

It seems like a simple no-brainer to me!

The Times showed its bias by taking Tampa 9/12 to task for their effort. You can read their editorial here.

I responded with the following letter to the editor — of course they’ll probably not print it, but at least you and your friends will have the chance to read it if you forward this email or “share” it when it comes to your Facebook page.

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August 1, 2012

Editor – St. Petersburg Times

Re: “Pointless pledge on guest speakers” 7/31/12

Dear Editor,

Local, state, and national organizations make up The Education Coalition. It formed to try to break through the brick walls of denial that surround the Hillsborough School Board and the media.

Your editorial about the Tampa 9/12 Project Pledge is another example of how greatly your bias influences the accuracy of what you write.

Tampa 9/12 is one of The Education Coalition member organizations. Far from not wanting Muslim speakers in class, in its first communication with the School Board the Coalition recommended a Muslim speaker.

You say, “…parents already have the power to keep a child from taking part in a school activity.” That’s a half truth that again reveals your bias. It is a fact that parents have the right you mention, but they can only exercise it if they’re aware of the activity, and in this case there was no prior notice to parents.

Here are two key questions:

• “How many parents knew in advance that Hassan Shibly of the Tampa Council on American Islamic Relations was going to be speaking in Steinbrenner classes?”
• “How many of the parents who didn’t know would have opted their children out if they had known.”

As a candidate for Hillsborough County School Board I eagerly signed the 9/12 Pledge. Since there is currently no policy in place that makes sure parents are informed when organizations that have been linked to terrorism are going to have representatives in their children’s classroom, I believe we need one.

Only then will the parents actually have the right to decide whether they want their children to participate.

Sincerely,

Terry Kemple

Candidate for Hillsborough County School Board, District 7