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I find it disingenuous of the Obama campaign to claim ignorance of the Chancellors Regulations concerning the filming of students in NYC schools...I also think this is an outright use of school kids for his blatant self-interests and their campaign gain...If his campaign can't read the Chancellors Regs how will they understand and interpret the US Constitution and the laws of the land...
Barack Obama's campaign organization is in hot water with Joel Klein, the NYC School's Chancellor, after it produced a short film (it runs about 13 minutes) starring Bronx public high school students and teachers discussing race issues and Obama's campaign. The video was distributed online to generate revenue for the candidate's campaign and the page where the video is located features a prominent "DONATE NOW" button.
The teacher prominently featured in the film is Jackson Shafer, and he defended the experience as an educational opportunity that got some of his students interested in politics. Dept. of Education regulations prohibit students from being filmed for promotional or political purposes inside school facilities. The Dept. is currently evaluating whether disciplinary action should be taken against school administrators and whether it would request the video be removed.
Jen Psaki, the spokeswoman for the Obama campaign, was unapologetic about the incident, calling it a positive experience for the kids and that no one associated with the production was aware that they were in violation of any rules. The campaign also declined to remove the video from its web site.
Boston Herald - Obama Campaign Fails NYC Rule: No Filming Politics in Schools
Barack Obama’s presidential campaign violated city Department of Education regulations when it made a video at a Bronx high school classroom starring students, an official said.
The campaign violated the chancellor’s regulations against filming in school buildings for political or promotional purposes, said education department spokeswoman Margie Feinberg. The video was forwarded as an e-mail attachment to potential donors.
Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the campaign did not know about the regulations.
"The intention was to share a story that inspired Sen. Obama and one we hoped would inspire others," Psaki said. "We regret any difficulty this positive project caused the school."
The 13-minute video was shot on March 18 at the Bronx High School for Performance and Stagecraft.
Jackson Shafer, a 25-year-old teacher at the school, said he contacted the Obama campaign after his students decided to write their own version of the Illinois senator’s "Yes we can" speech.
He said he was surprised when the Obama campaign responded with a request to film the students.
"This was not about helping them fill their coffers," he said, adding that he did not know that the video would be used alongside a pitch for donations.
The school’s principal, Mark Sweeting, said that he knew that the video shoot violated the chancellor’s regulations. But he defended it as an educational benefit to his students.
"The bottom line is I have a senior Hispanic student that is now interested in politics. I have a male African-American student... that is now in tune with what a superdelegate is," he said. "That to me is outstanding."
The Department of Education is considering disciplinary action against the school’s administration, Feinberg said.
