George,

While I to would love to “X” out our current president, I think the people who should be reprimanded [in this instance] are the school board and administration.

[Charlottesville City Councilor Rob] Schilling’s request, seems reasonable without additional facts. It was up to them to explain why he was wrong. Presumably the principle knew this was a collage by 2nd graders. Why was this not communicated back up the chain?

Schilling may have been a little presumptuous, but in my opinion the administrators were negligent.

Steven Miller (electronic mail, November 29, 2004)

Editor's Note: At the November 15th Charlottesville City Council meeting, Jeff Rossman said, "The City Council should reprimand Mr. Schilling for treating the staff at Venable School with disrespect and for using his office to suppress the constitutional rights of our children.

The Council may also wish to consider implementing a rule that no politician shall be allowed to take office in the City prior to having read and understood Article 1 of the federal and state constitutions."

Earlier in the meeting, Jeff Rossman said that "Mr. Schilling objected to the mural [at Venable Elementary School] and demanded that it be taken down. The next morning, school administrators complied with his request."

According to John Borgmeyer of C-Ville Weekly, "Schilling says Rossman is wrong about [his demanding that the picture of Bush be taken down] : 'My point was that I wanted the school board to consider the symbolism' [of a picture of the President hanging in the hallway with a line drawn through it]'."