According to a lawsuit filed yesterday, three van loads of students from Hughes Center High School in Cincinnati were taken to vote during school hours. Which would be fine were it just a public service, but the lawsuit says they were given sample ballots only for Democratic candidates. The students were then reportedly taken for ice cream.

“They plan to bring four more high schools (to vote) this week,” Christopher Finney, COAST attorney, said Monday after filing the suit.

It seeks a temporary restraining order to prevent school officials from participating or helping students participate in partisan politics during school hours or with school property or employees involved.

The school district doesn’t deny the students were taken to the polls on school time, though they insist giving students sample ballots for Democratic candidates is totally nonpartisan. The disrict also claims it was a church’s doing.

The suit alleges three van loads of Hughes High students arrived at the Downtown Board of Elections offices at 1 p.m. Wednesday, supervised by a school employee. School lets out at 3:15 p.m.

When they got out of the vans, the students, the suit alleges, also were accompanied by adults who appeared to be campaign workers or supporters for U.S. Rep. Steve Driehaus, D-West Price Hill, the congressman being challenged this fall by Steve Chabot. When the students got out of the vans, the suit alleges they were given sample ballots containing only Democratic candidates.

“We want these kids to vote,” Finney said. “I’m not sure them being bussed during the school day is a good thing, but that’s not the thrust of the suit.

“If they had fair sample ballots or no sample ballots it would be different.”

Is anyone surprised that public schools are using students to push a left-wing agenda? The public school system is dominated by leftist teachers and administrators, and it’s not like their pushing of a partisan agenda is a new charge.