ROCKAWAY TOWNSHIP – When his elementary school recently had a “Celebrity Day,” principal Michael McGovern said his first thought was to wear something in support of the New York Rangers.
It’s a pity he didn’t stick with that.
Instead, McGovern dressed as Donald Trump – long red tie and a MAGA hat. Things haven’t been the same since in this Morris County town.
After a contentious debate on social media, the episode went “live” at the March 12 board of education meeting.
Critics and supporters of McGovern both had their say.
Listening to the debate, one thing was clear.
Principal McGovern is well-respected among students, parents and the Catherine A. Dwyer school community.
But he made a mind-boggling blunder in donning a MAGA hat in school.
Two things can be true at the same time and that seems to be the case here.
Supporters brought up the principal’s First Amendment rights, but they are not the issue here.
No one is threatening to put McGovern in jail; that’s where his First Amendment protections come in.
There are rules and regulations, however, in every job and here’s one that should be pretty clear to all:
School staff, including teachers and principals, should not display a political preference while on the job.
That means no MAGA hat, no Kamala Harris button, and, if you like some historical irony, no McGovern-Shriver button either.
One speaker who supported the principal said Trump is the president and supporting the president should not be a divisive issue.
He had to be kidding. Just about everything about Trump is divisive, which is precisely why a principal should stay clear of politics.
Critics of McGovern made that very point. Some noted that the school has a diverse population that includes many immigrant children – students who may be frightened by such open support for a president who likes talking about deportations. Some supporters of the principal, and by extension, Trump, ridiculed this view.
Eventually, a PTA leader got to the point, saying McGovern is a “wonderful principal” who just made a poor choice.
It would have been nice if the school board said something along those lines.
But no.
Most boards of education in New Jersey these days refuse to discuss controversial matters in public, hiding behind a so-called need for confidentiality. This may serve the board, but not the public.
Richard Corbett, the superintendent, lamely told the audience that the matter was addressed “internally,” and that he would offer no information about it.
Corbett even declined to explain any policy the district has regarding appropriate dress for staff.
How dare the taxpayers ask about that?
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