It’s ostensibly to help other governors this election, but the Register doesn’t buy it:
Jeff Link of Des Moines will help chart Vilsack’s national strategy this year, which the outgoing governor has said will be to assist Democrats around the country, especially those running for governor.
However, Vilsack has taken steps toward seeking the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, giving the deal with Link, an Iowan with presidential campaign experience, potentially larger meaning.
District superintendent Harrison Cass, Jr. said he’s gotten countless e-mails, letters and phone calls from people weighing in on the proposal to revise the anti-harassment policy.
The controversy is over a proposal to include “sexual orientation” as one of the protected categories along with race, religion, national origin, age, sex, physical or mental disability, creed, color, marital or familial status, socioeconomic status, and physical attributes.
“I think some people are afraid that it implies the school district is condoning homosexuality,” Cass said. “We’re not saying we condone it or don’t condone it. We’re just saying we don’t allow harassment.”
And here’s an update on the Marshalltown immigration protests story, in which 80 students left school for an organized, peaceful march. Apparently, they’re facing disciplinary action:
About 80 Marshalltown middle and high school students face disciplinary action for leaving school to protest federal legislation that would make it a crime to be in the United States illegally or to offer aid to illegal immigrants, school district officials said Thursday.
