San Francisco middle school cancels student government election, winners were ‘too white’
A San Francisco middle school cancels a student government election because the principal claimed the winners were “too white.” Everett Middle School on October 10, but four days later, principal Lena Van Haren sent an email to parents saying that the results wouldn’t count because they did not represent how diverse the school is.
The elections were held at Everett Middle School on October 10, but four days later, principal Lena Van Haren sent an email to parents saying that the results wouldn’t count because they did not represent how diverse the school is and the victors were white.
According to KTVU, Van Haren wants this to be a “learning experience” for those involved.
“When we reviewed the results of our Associated Student Body (ASB) elections on Friday, October 9th, we saw that it was not fully representative of our school population,” Van Haren said in a statement.
“I made the decision to pause on sharing the results with the students in order to capitalize on a teachable moment. I wanted to have a conversation with all of the candidates and ask for their ideas to make sure that all voices and groups are represented in our ASB. In retrospect, I understand how this decision to pause created concerns. Today I visited classrooms to announce the winners of the elections.”
“The organizers are saying things like, ‘we want everyone’s voice to be heard,’ but in truth, the voters’ voices are not being heard,” seventh grader Sebastian Kaplan told KRON, another local news station. “The whole school voted for those people, so it is not like people rigged the game, but in a way, now it is kinda being rigged.”
