Keep Politics Out of Our Schools

Yesterday, I had a letter to the editor published in the Marietta Daily Journal. The editor in charge of letters to the editor, J.K. Murphy, V.P. for Content, was out of town when my letter arrived in his inbox. He asked me to revise my original letter so that it read in the past tense. I also had published two posts on my blog, here and here; and my Substack. Here are links to the two posts.

Wheeler High School Should Not Become a Campaign Stage for Trump

Wheeler High: A Case Study in Political Campaigning and Democracy

Here is the letter to the editor, published on August 11 in the MDJ.

If you have trouble reading the MDJ page, here it is in word.

DEAR EDITOR:

I have lived in Cobb County for 35 years. During that time, I have watched our county change politically, but one principle has remained constant: our public schools belong to everyone. That is why I believe Wheeler High School should not have been used as the setting for President Donald Trump’s visit alongside Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson and U.S. Senate candidate Congressman Mike Collins.

The event was initially described as an opportunity to highlight educational excellence and promote “Trump Accounts.” But the addition of two statewide candidates changed its character. It looked like the opening act of the Georgia Republican ticket’s 2026 campaign.

Public schools are funded by taxpayers of every political persuasion. They exist to educate students, not to provide symbolic backdrops for political campaigns. Wheeler High School is one of Cobb County’s finest schools, and its reputation was built by students, teachers, administrators and families — not politicians.

Cobb County Schools defended the event as recognition of the district’s success. Yet if the focus was truly education, why feature candidates for governor and the U.S. Senate? Their presence inevitably created the appearance that a public institution was being used for partisan purposes.

This issue was bigger than Donald Trump. I would make the same argument if a Democratic president appeared at Wheeler High School with Democratic candidates. Public schools should remain politically neutral because they belong to every family in the community.

Cobb County has become one of Georgia’s most competitive counties. That makes Wheeler High School an attractive venue for political symbolism, but it should not become one. Our schools should unite us around education, not divide us through partisan politics.

Supporters will argue that presidents routinely visit schools and that elected officials often appear together. That is true. But perception matters. When active candidates share the stage with a president at a taxpayer-supported school, many citizens will reasonably view the event as political.

Healthy democracies depend on vigorous campaigns, but campaigns belong in civic centers, parks and campaign rallies — not in our public schools.

After 35 years in Cobb County, I remain proud of our schools and our community. I hope Wheeler High School will continue to be known for academic excellence rather than political spectacle. That is a standard worthy of every student, every family and every taxpayer in Cobb County.

Jack Hassard