Red Handed: Electioneering And Ethics Violations At Coeur d’Alene Schools — Principal And Teacher Sent Potentially Illegal Messages About Upcoming Levy
It’s only illegal if it’s being done by a conservative.
Liberal activists who “coincidentally” happen to be employees at Coeur d’Alene School District are stepping up efforts to pass a $25,000,000 levy that will be on the upcoming May 16th ballot. It appears as though these efforts may also be stepping over a legal line, on at least two occasions that we know of…
First up, a report recently published by Branden Durst at the Idaho Freedom Foundation appears to show not only illegal but also unethical communications have been sent by Dalton Elementary school Principal Jody Hiltenbrand.
On top of her role as Principal, Jody Hiltenbrand is also the vice-president of the controversial Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations (KCTFHR), a far-left “anti-racist” group which partnered with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) in the 1990’s — an organization with ties to domestic terrorism.
The Task Force, which was supposedly created to fight “white supremacy” in Kootenai County with the help of (now disgraced) left-wing activist lawyer Morris Dees, has strayed far from its original mission. Today, the Task Force is most widely known for unleashing attacks and complaints against the conservative Trustees at North Idaho College, which triggered the hotly contested ongoing accreditation crisis at the college.
What a great group of people for an elementary school teacher to surround herself with…
According to the Idaho Freedom Foundation, Hiltenbrand sent a text message to staff saying:
“Hi Staff. I apologize for the late text, but I just finished combing through public election data records from the March 14 election. I am DEEPLY disappointed to learn that among the Dalton staff, 7 of our staff members and 8 spouses/adult children did not vote in our neighboring Kootenai County school levy elections where they live. In our school district levy, 6 of our staff did not vote, and 17 spouses/adult children did not vote. None of these numbers include staff that live outside Kootenai County.
These numbers are not acceptable.
We MUST do better on May 16.”
Durst’s report continues, alleging that the text message violated the code of ethics of the Professional Standards Commission, which is contained in Idaho Code 33-1208. The report elaborates, saying that the text message also may have violated Coeur d’Alene School District Policies 5270 and 5290 which states:
“No person may attempt to coerce, command, or require a public employee to support or oppose any political committee, the nomination or election of any person to public office, or the passage of a ballot issue (emphasis added).”
If this kind of pressure and intimidation wasn’t enough, new documents obtained by a FOIA request also appear to show a Coeur d’Alene School District teacher advocated that parents should “cast their ballot in support of the levy.”
The e-mail was sent by Rafella Dockins, an art teacher at Skyway Elementary School.
Rafaella Dockins goes by the name “Rafella Esposito” on Facebook.
There’s an awful lot of rainbows being drawn in her classrooms…
Dockins’ communiqué to “Parents and Families” on March 20th, 2023 said:
Dear Parents and Families,
Our children's education is at risk. Without your help, we won't be able to provide quality art programs, any specials, sports programs, and many more supporting staff members we currently have in place. Unfortunately, the levy didn't pass, and we're facing serious consequences for our children's education. […]
Imagine your child coming home from school, telling you they can no longer participate in the school play, band, or sports team. It's heartbreaking, and it's a reality we face if the levy doesn't pass. The levy not passing will result in teacher layoffs, larger class sizes, and a decline in the overall quality of education in our community.
But there's hope. We're getting a second chance to pass the levy on May 16th with some changes made to the original proposal, and we need your help to make it happen. We need your vote to ensure our children's education is secure. Please register to vote and cast your ballot in support of the levy. Your vote can make a difference in the lives of our children and the future of our community.
Together, we can ensure our children receive the quality education they deserve. Thank you for your time and attention to this important matter.
Warmly,
Rafaella Dockins
According to Idaho Code 74-604, “Neither a public entity nor its employees shall make, nor shall a public official make or authorize, an expenditure from public funds to advocate for or against a candidate or a ballot measure.”
This appears to be a cut-and-dry violation of Idaho Code. The question is: Does the law apply to liberals?
And of course, all of this comes on top of bathroom scandal and the offensive comments made by school superintendent Shon Hocker and school trustee Casey Morrisroe, who both appear to be completely unrepentant after calling opponents of the levy “un-american” and “disgusting.”
Meanwhile, over at Post Falls School District, after passing their school levy in March, the administration decided to cut the school week from 5 days to 4, essentially giving teachers a “raise.”
It’s almost as if the people who run our schools hate the conservative community they are supposed to serve…
When you’re out and about, driving around our beautiful county, pay attention to who is in support of these school levies; the yard signs are easily found in Coeur d’Alene.
You will be completely unsurprised to see a correlation between support of the school levies, and hardcore, left-wing, pro-transgender, pro-library porn, Democrat activists.
