School districts cancel Power Team assemblies

By Steve Sharp of the Daily Times staff
Tuesday, January 30, 2007 12:39 PM CST

JEFFERSON - The Jefferson School District has canceled an assembly set for late March in which a group called the Power Team was to have performed as part of the district's Character Education program. Four other area school districts - Fort Atkinson, Palmyra, Whitewater and Milton - also have opted to cancel the team's performances.

According to Jefferson High School Principal Dick Lovett, the district “thought (cancellation) was the wisest thing to do.”

The Power Team, a group of ordained ministers whose performance was being brought to the districts by Faith Community Church, has been criticized by Jefferson resident John Foust as being an inappropriate act to stage before students at a school assembly.

The Power Team frequently uses acts of physical strength, such as smashing cement blocks and bending steel bars with their teeth, to drive home their messages regarding the dangers of drug use, morality, teen pregnancy and violence. Foust said he believes the Power Team's performance, as it would relate to the district's Character Education program, would “demean the actions of all those education professionals who have quietly promoted the same messages.”

“Let's not erode what we have done,” he said.

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Jefferson School District Superintendent Mike Swartz was not available for comment late this morning, but Lovett said the district is simply doing what it feels is best for all with the cancellation. He would not, however, elaborate on the exact reasoning behind the district leaders' decision to cancel the assembly.

“After a discussion, we felt it was the wisest thing to do. We reflected on it and it was weighed. There are times when you have to make some decisions and we felt it would be wisest in the long run to make the change.”

Lovett acknowledge that Foust's concerns were a major impetus for the cancellation.

“John did speak out expressing his concerns about this to the district and this caused us, along with other things, to make sure we were going in the right direction,” Lovett said.

“I hope this leads to better choices and opportunities for Character Education in the future,” Foust told the Daily Times today.