A court case is pending in Ohio in which a biology teacher, who refuses to teach evolution in the classroom, branded a cross into the arm of a student. Here is the news item:
COLUMBUS, OHIO (CN) - An eighth-grade science teacher culminated a religious crusade in his classroom by burning a cross into a student's flesh, and the school principal responded to parents' complaints by writing the teacher a letter, but promised not to put it in the teacher's personnel file unless he did it again, the parents claim in Federal Court.
The story also notes:
The John Does claim Freshwater has unconstitutionally taught his religious beliefs in his science classes for more than a decade. They claim that in 2003 Freshwater sought, and was denied permission, to teach "intelligent design," but does it anyway. They claim his classroom is festooned with Biblical posters, that he tells his students that "although he is forced to teach from the textbooks, the teachings are wrong or not proven according to the Bible."
One can only hope there is little to no truth to the story, but I am not betting on it.
Don't bet that there's nothing to it. You'd lose. The local board of education meets this Friday to receive the report of independent investigators they hired, and will decide what (if anything) to do about the teacher.
ReplyDeleteThat is nothing short of astounding. I am sure that there are plenty of good, sound biology teachers out there and that the ones who make the news are the ones at the ends of the poles, but to subject any student to that is unconscionable. If the school board does not fire him, they have abrogated their responsibility.
ReplyDeleteI'm a Christian. But if a teacher burned a cross onto my kid's arm I'd burn a pentagram on his forehead.
ReplyDeleteI would almost be willing to state that the teacher is the same sort of Christian Jim Jones was.
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