NY teacher "could be punished for criticizing Ronald Reagan" NY POST

[wndycty]

OUTRAGE AS TEACH RAPS RON

June 12, 2004 -- CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. — An upstate teacher could be punished for criticizing Ronald Reagan to students during a moment of silence for the late president at the high school.

Shenendehowa school district spokeswoman Kelly DeFiciani said once the investigation is finished, the unidentified teacher "could be subject to disciplinary action." The district is investigating whether her comments violated the district policy against staff making political endorsements on school property.

The teacher, who has taught in the suburban Albany district for more than 20 years, made "negative" and "inappropriate" comments about the Republican president's policies before a group of up to 16 seniors in her homeroom, district officials said.
-snip-

http://nypost.com/news/regionalnews/22901.htm

[Vickers]

1. But....doesn't their moment of silence constitute a political endorsement

of sorts?

Besides, he's not running for office.










Is he?

Aw man, I hadn't even considered him as a "Weekend at Bernie's" candidate.

[Hubert Flottz]

3. Nazi Bastards!

Seig Heil! They'll prolly want to burn her at the stake!

[jeff30997]

6. No,they prefer a good old stoning.

[trumad]

2. Oh but I'm sure if they were positive comments

we wouldn't be having this discussion...

[RC]

5. The right-wing is just full of it these last 34 years.

This is really getting old. One set of rules for the majority and another set for the noisy fanatics trying to impose their hypocrisy on the rest of us. Oh, well their sun is getting ready to set real fast.

[Cooley Hurd]

4. Here's the Albany Times-Union story on this...

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=256357&category=SARATOGA&BCCode=&newsdate=6/12/2004

<snip>
The female High School East instructor, whom the school would not identify, refused to honor a silent tribute to the late 40th president during Monday morning's homeroom period, district spokeswoman Kelly DeFiciani said.

"Once the final investigation concludes, they could be subject to disciplinary action," DeFiciani said.

During the minute or so observation, the teacher made a series of "negative" and "inappropriate" comments about the Republican president's policies in front of up to 16 seniors, officials said. A parent of a student in the class alerted the district to the incident, she said.

DeFiciani would not characterize the teacher's remarks, but Tony McCann, president of the Shenendehowa Teachers Association, did: "This teacher said she wasn't going to participate, even if Reagan was dead. She didn't think Reagan was the hero that everyone else thought he was."

<snip>
The district is investigating whether the teacher's comments violated Shenendehowa policy. Board policy states: "In cases where staff members are making political endorsements, they should do so on their own time, at places other than school district property, and in a manner that clearly does not appear to represent or to be attributable to the school district."
</snip>

Clifton Park is a very republican suburb of Albany, and it sounds like some jackass parent blew the teacher in... :grr:

This teacher wasn't making a political endorsement, she was speaking the truth about Reagan! Isn't that a teacher's job? To teach???

[skippysmom]

7. I used to live in Clifton Park

This isn't surprising at all.

[Ivote]

8. What Happened To Free Speech?

"With free speech, you can gossip, criticize, attack and nobody is going to send you to jail"..g.w.bush 9/3/01
Or didn't the school board get this message from their leader?

[dsc]

9. she deserves a reprimand

Sorry but you know we would be going apeshit if this were Carter instead of Reagan. Teachers have no right injecting their politics, no matter what they may be, into a class without some sort of educational reason to do so. She won't get fired, nor will she likely get worse than a reprimand.

[wndycty]

10. A reprimand yes, nothing else. . .

. . .call her down to the pricipal's office. . .thats it. No suspension or punishment.

[Eric J in MN]

11. No, I wouldn't.

If I read ten years from now that at some high school, a teacher said negative things about Jimmy Carter during an official minute-of-silence, I won't care, and I won't want punishment.

[1monster]

14. That is so much CRAP! We all have listened to outrageous remarks

about Clinton, Carter, Dukakis, Kerry, Dean, Clark, etc. The list of Democrats who have been seriously dissed is endless. We might object, but I haven't heard of one case where a person has been fired or reprimanded for speaking out against them... On school or work time, or their own time.

These days, saying anything that is not worshipful of RR and * gets nearly the same reaction that dissing Mohammed would get in Iran, Afghanistan, and Saudi Arabia.

Enough already of claiming that we would act in the same ungoverned way as these neofacist do.

[jayfish]

17. Sorry, But She Deserves Nothing Of The Sort.

The school itself violated it's own policy by designating a moment of silence (a political endorsement)for Raygun. They opened the door for her comments. Also a negative does not = an endorsement. I would be interested in seeing some of this schools American history textbooks to see if they contain any "political endorsements". I am really disappointed by all of the Du's who feel it's a-ok to censure or outright fire a person for taking advantage of their 1st amendment rights. It's actually a little scary.

Jay

[Eric J in MN]

12. Did they have a minute of silence after Nixon died, and if not

Did they have a minute of silence after Nixon died?

If not, then the minute of silence is an endorsement.

[Nobody]

15. Was there a national holiday when Nixon died?

And didn't the article quoted above say that the teacher was criticizing Ronnie's policies rather than Ronnie himself?

[jayfish]

18. What Does That Have To Do With Anything.

If it was a national holiday, then they probably were not even in school that day and therefore the minute of silence was not held on the holiday. If that is the case the school violated it's own policy by endorsing Ronnie Raygun.

Jay

[Philosophy]

13. I see a constitutional amendment coming

against Reagan desecration.

[BeFree]

16. What country is this in?

Sounds like a Taliban run country.

Wait. It's US. Oh shit. Free speech takes another vicious blow.

"We are astounded. We didn't know she had these kinds of political views" said one asshole Talibanistic mfkr on the school board.

And some of ya'll wonder why we show a little disrespect for the raygoons..... Folks, they deserve no respect. Hell, they don't respect us or Free speech, so don't give 'em an inch. Not one friggin inch.

[Zomby Woof]

19. she has moxie, I'll give her that

Both of my 8th grade social studies teachers were openly RW fundies. I moved the same weekend of the assassination attempt to a new school, which is why I say "both". Reagan was elected and inaugurated while I attended the first school, and we had to watch the inauguration on tape in class. All of the teacher's lectures were propaganda about welfare, the ACLU, and other RW whipping boys. I remember him saying "The ACLU is more against civil liberties than for them!".

We were too young and naive to know better, but I shudder now to think of what he got away with.

So at the new school, my first day was the day after Reagan got shot. At the time, I shared the shock others did - JFK was less than 18 years before and very fresh for our teachers and parents' memories. We feared the same again. So I found out right away how openly partisan the new teacher was, expressing his admiration over what a great man Reagan was, etc. Only later did I realize that he should (as well as the other teacher should have) separate his politics from humanity. It was okay to decry the assassination attempt, to wish Reagan a recovery, to hope for the best for the nation. It was NOT okay to tell us he must live so he can fight to restore school prayer, cut taxes on the rich, build-up the Pentagon, etc. The RW has never changed.

As for that teacher, she should heed the same rules I wished my teachers would have obeyed. Though part of me applauds her for telling the truth about him - an understandable reaction to the insane hagiographies we have been inundated with of late - she would serve her efforts far better by teaching students to critically think and hope that a few find out on their own just why he was not a great president or person. My best teachers taught us to think for ourselves, even if they were conservative. That is a teacher's obligation - to teach us how to teach ourselves.

[laura888]

20. Let's write letters to the Principal. Is this the high school?

http://www.shenet.org/high/high.htm

A moment of silence should be voluntary. Her students probably don't even know anything about Reagan and his policies. They should be glad to be exposed to another viewpoint.

Instead they get the lesson that speaking your mind gets you punished.