The principal of a public high school in South Paris forwarded a recruitment email from the Maine Democratic Party to his students seeking to enroll them as volunteers for political canvassing and phone banking on behalf of the Kamala Harris presidential campaign.
Paul Bickford, Principal at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School (OHCHS), forwarded a Sept. 28 email from a Maine Democratic Party field organizer to his freshmen students, with the subject line “[Attention Freshmen] FWD: Looking for Volunteers for Maine Democrats.”
“Hi all, I am forwarding a volunteer opportunity that was sent to me for anyone interested,” the public high school principal wrote in the body of the forwarded email.
The email in question appears to have been sent to Bickford by Erin Murphy, who according to her LinkedIn page works as a field organizer for the Maine Democratic Party.
“I am writing in hopes to find some volunteers from OHHS to help out with the Maine Dems Campaigns this election season,” Murphy wrote. “We have a lot of canvassing and phone banking events, but also could use some help with light office work (organizing fliers, putting together signs, helping hang stuff on these empty walls).”
“Our hope is through volunteer work and engagement we can work together to make a stronger future for all of us!” Murphy wrote, adding that having the high school students working for the Maine Democrats could attract “bigger names” in Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris; campaign to visit the state.
“[F]or example…Coach Walz [referring to Harris’ vice presidential pick Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz] would be SO EXCITING!” Murphy wrote.
Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School is part of Maine School Administrative District 17 (MSAD 17).
The school district has a policy, code GBIA, which explicitly prohibits school employees from participating in political activities in their role as staff, to include contacting students and parents outside of school to solicit them on behalf of political campaigns.
The Maine Wire has reached out to Principal Bickford and to MSAD 17 Superintendent Heather Manchester for comment.
Must be fired immediately or the board will answer lawsuit for willfully allowing violation of school codes.
Whether republican or democrat this rotten SOB needs to go. Do you really want a school principal who uses his position to control the minds of your children. Whatever happened to reading, writing and arithmetic. No wonder these kids can’t make it in the real world anymore. Whatever political party you are from do you want the public school systems to indoctrinate your kids or teach them to be thinkers for themselves. If you like the former prepare a room in your basement for the generation of cellar dwellers you are going to create.