U.S. Senate candidate Jane Timken chose N. Canton, Ohio, school for ad
NORTH CANTON – You may have recognized the background of a controversial campaign ad that U.S. Senate candidate Jane Timken released last week.
The 30-second video, released statewide on March 28, shows Timken standing in a gymnasium with girls practicing basketball in the background. Behind Timken, you can see a scoreboard with Hoover High School’s iconic Viking logos. The ad was filmed in Hoover’s main gymnasium.
“As Jane is from Canton, Hoover High School is nearby and we were honored to use the space,” said Mandi Merritt, spokesperson for the Timken campaign. “We worked with [school officials], had a signed contract and were happy they allowed us in and hosted us.”
Timken uses Hoover gym to criticize NCAA transgender athlete rules
Timken, who lives in the Jackson Local School District, used the backdrop to criticize the NCAA’s rules that allow transgender women to compete in women’s college sports after completing a year of testosterone-suppression treatment.
Timken is one of seven U.S. Senate candidates in the Republican primary vying to succeed retiring Rob Portman. The other Republican candidates are: Matt Dolan, Mike Gibbons, Josh Mandel, Neil Patel, Mark Pukita and J.D. Vance.
North Canton parents, students unhappy that Hoover was part of ad
Some parents and students have questioned why North Canton City Schools leaders allowed the use of its high school gymnasium for a campaign message that they view as divisive and an attack on transgender students.
More about Hoover’s GSA:Hoover High debates if students can use preferred names, pronouns without parental consent
Students in Hoover’s Gay-Straight Alliance met with North Canton City Schools Superintendent Jeff Wendorf on Wednesday to discuss student concerns.
“Since the beginning of the school year, (administrators) have done several things to strengthen the relationship between transgender students and the faculty,” said Katie McMullin, a Gay-Straight Alliance member. “We were afraid that the Timken ad would destroy all of that and destroy the safe space that was created at Hoover. Alongside that, we were worried about the future and if more videos like these would be recorded on our campus.”
After the meeting with Wendorf, McMullin said students still are concerned that other divisive political ads could be filmed at Hoover.
“Right now, though, we just want students to feel comfortable and safe again at Hoover,” said McMullin, a senior who identifies as an ally.
Laura Hollis, a North Canton mother and a founding administrator for the private Facebook group, Protect North Canton CSD School Children, said she and her group of 165 members have received messages from students who felt unsafe in classes as a result of Timken’s ad.
“We understand why and feel that the district’s actions, whether illegal or not, certainly violate their policy which states that the facility use must ‘not interfere with the educational program of the school and is harmonious with the purposes of the district.'” Hollis said. “Some feel that this insinuates a clear political objective of the NC school administration.”
Superintendent says rental of school facilities a business transaction, not an endorsement
Wendorf defended the district’s decision, saying the district does not pick and choose who can — and who cannot — use its public facilities. He said rental of school facilities is merely a business transaction and should not be interpreted as an endorsement.
“North Canton City Schools loves all of our kids and we don’t endorse any political candidates,” Wendorf said.
He cited the state law and the district’s corresponding facility use policy that require school districts to make school premises available for free to any political candidate, party or organization for the purpose of conducting public discussions of public questions and issues.
“I use the same rationale for political candidates as the law and [district policy] use for facilities,” Wendorf said. “This was not a meeting, and that’s why we charged them rent. That’s why it wasn’t free.”
An invoice shows FP1 Strategies, the Arlington, Virginia-based marketing company that secured the gymnasium for the Timken campaign, paid $160 for the facility rental.
North Canton’s policy, which is nearly identical to Jackson Local Schools’ facility use policy, does restrict the district from allowing school facilities to be used to raise funds for political purposes. It also states that the use of facilities by political candidates or groups must be held after school hours.
According to the facility agreement signed by FP1 Strategies, the filming was to occur between 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. March 8. Minnick, from Timken’s campaign, confirmed Wednesday that they followed the times listed in the signed contract.
Wendorf said the district had tried to reschedule the filming of the ad to an after-school time but the gymnasium was occupied at those times so the filming did occur during the school day.
Reach Kelli at 330-580-8339 or [email protected].
On Twitter: @kweirREP
Read More: U.S. Senate candidate Jane Timken chose N. Canton, Ohio, school for ad