How much political bias should be accepted in a public high school?
South Eugene High School isn’t necessarily quiet about the general political stance of the staff and student body. Eugene as a whole is largely democratic but, like all of Oregon, there are pockets of Republicans in every direction. However, South Eugene has become somewhat of a haven for like-minded democratic families to find common ground in their political stances. As a result, South has come to closely mirror this political openness. But has this level of unreserved opinion and majority perspective created a public school that is now too loose when it comes to sharing its political stance?
For the most part, it is largely argued that public schools should remain unbiased as far as politics and religion go, making an effort to not inject too much opinion into students’ education. This often also applies to general artwork, imagery, or wording placed around public schools. This conversation has come up a lot in recent times surrounding ongoing debates in republican states like Florida and Texas who have pushed for the Ten Commandments to appear in public classrooms. Often this goal has been met with pushback from democratic states, Oregon included, as it seemingly pushes religion upon students. So, if we can argue that the representation of religious ideology in schools violates neutrality then how are politics different?
Recently South Principal Kee Zublin approved the production of a mural that is raising controversy amongst both staff and students for its debatable neutrality. The mural, which is currently in the process of being painted in the 100 hall, is set to be an eyeball with a courtroom inside. According to Zublin, the courtroom will contain a white judge draped in the American flag looking down upon a small child of color who is unaccompanied by a lawyer. According to Zublin, he was willing to approve the mural because he didn’t believe it directly aligned with specific party ideals and it was objective in its meaning. However, the mural, which has been commissioned at a point of major political animosity across the nation, has major ties and undertones of events that have taken place throughout President Trump’s second term in office. The mural highlights incidents surrounding ICE and the mass deportations of undocumented immigrants across the county, including young children. Art is largely meant to be objective to any interpretation, and this mural’s purpose may go both ways on the political spectrum depending on who you ask, but a mural that has clear political undertones, regardless of which way they swing, should not exist on the taxpayer funded walls of a public high school. Often when surrounded by like-minded thinkers it’s easy to forget that just because many people share similar opinions and perspectives, political stances in places of education are still inappropriate. South should be a welcoming place for all people, from all backgrounds, of all religions and ethnicities, regardless of their political stance, yet the existence of this mural is a tangible representation of an already prominent bias we widely accept.
Article by Maggie McMillen