What Happened To Free Speech?

H

Howey

Banned
Why punish the teachers for writing letters of support for this guy?


http://www.wnem.com/story/22850809/tempers-flare-at-rose-city-school-board-meeting

WB-RC school officials held a special board meeting July 29 at the Ogemaw Heights School auditorium where numerous people from the community approached the podium to urge the school board to fire seven teachers who wrote the court in support of Erickson.They also called for the resignation of board member Michael Eagan, who sat with teachers and the Erickson family during the former teacher’s sentencing last month, the Ogemaw County Herald reports.

Many parents who spoke at the meeting threatened to remove their children from the district if teachers who supported Erickson are not fired, which could result in significant loss of per-pupil state funding.

On the other hand, district officials are attempting to determine if such terminations would violate teachers’ constitutional right to free speech. The firings could trigger lawsuits against the district for wrongful termination that likely would cost a minimum of $500,000 in legal fees to defend, the newspaper reports.
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The parents are idiots. The world is full of them. Don't be surprised. Remember, the average person is just average. Half of them are even dumber.
 
Howey said:
Why punish the teachers for writing letters of support for this guy?


http://www.wnem.com/story/22850809/tempers-flare-at-rose-city-school-board-meeting
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While I think the teachers are idiots for doing so, they are well within their rights to support the child molester. They should not be punished for it. They were likely friends of the molester. Not sure why they would continue supporting a child molester, but they are protected by the 1st to do so. The parents likewise have the right to pull their kids from the district if they choose. The district has no grounds to fire the teachers that I am aware of.
 
I fail to see the difference between what the parents are currently doing and what you libs do on a daily basis with gun owners after a shooting or zimmerman supporters.
 
Hmmm... tough one. What if the son ends up in a classroom with one of the teachers who openly supported the guy who molested him?

I know journalists (not opinion columnists, but journalists) are prohibited from participating in things like LGBT rights marches or peace rallies, etc; I don't know if the rules are as strict for teachers.

I would tend to lean toward letting the teachers express their opinion if it's done outside of school hours; but I hope the kid affected - and any siblings - are not put in their classrooms.
 
tekkychick said:
Hmmm... tough one. What if the son ends up in a classroom with one of the teachers who openly supported the guy who molested him?

I know journalists (not opinion columnists, but journalists) are prohibited from participating in things like LGBT rights marches or peace rallies, etc; I don't know if the rules are as strict for teachers.

I would tend to lean toward letting the teachers express their opinion if it's done outside of school hours; but I hope the kid affected - and any siblings - are not put in their classrooms.
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Good points about the affected kid that I hadn't thought of. I agree.
 
christiefan915 said:
Good points about the affected kid that I hadn't thought of. I agree.
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Those are good points, if they were relevant to this, but that 'kid' is 21 and in college. The abuse occurred years ago and by the very nature of the boys age, this would be about pedophilia, not being gay. Gays aren't more prone to pedophilia than straits, right?

In the article I read, some teachers and parents supporting those that wrote in support, if this wasn't just 'hatred for gays' in this small, little town? They wondered of there would be such a brouhaha if it were a girl, instead of a boy?

Well shockingly this year one of the schools I work in had this happen, though the girl was in high school, not the more vulnerable middle school age. There was no 'mincing of words' about whom to blame. It wasn't the child and it wasn't either of their sexualities. It was still considered, rightly, to be predator behavior on the part of the adult.

http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/2013/...acher-begins-sexual-assault-sentence/agpu1z3/


Interestingly enough, just like the boy in the OP, this girl didn't 'come forward,' she was in college and doing 'fine.' Her parents came across some letters, that got the ball rolling. One of the original stories at the time:

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=9034588

Wheaton North teacher accused of sex with student; Edwin Klemm charged with sexual assault
March 20, 2013 (CHICAGO) (WLS)

-- A popular west suburban high school teacher is accused of having a sexual relationship with a student.

Edwin Klemm is being held on a $600,000 bail and faces 11 counts of criminal sexual assault.

Klemm is said to be a popular teacher at Wheaton North High School. Now, he has a mug shot and arrest record, not what students expected.

"If you would ask anyone who was the top teachers, who was most popular, he would be on that list," said Jeff Harper. "I'm surprised at what happened."

Klemm is accused of initiating a sexual relationship with a student when she was 16. Klemm is charged with 11 counts of criminal sexual assault, and is suspended without pay.

Former students say Klemm was close to kids on the speech team, including the victim, who is now a college student. Authorities say sex occurred in classrooms, the school parking lot, and Klemm's home.

"To be perfectly honest I wasn't surprised since I had heard about the relationship he had with the student," said a former student who asked not to be identified. "He was actually quite open about it. He told people that the reason he was asked to leave the speech team was because he, supposedly, had too close of a relationship with her."

Members of the speech team left an awards dinner Wednesday evening, making no comments. But other parents and students say it's a sad case.

"I was pretty surprised to hear that it happened," said student Brad Klein.

"The man is innocent until proven guilty," said parent Kim Klein. "But you do the crime, you do the time."

Prosecutors say the relationship ended in November, 2011. They say the case unfolded when the parents of the victim found a love letter from Klemm.
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Howey said:
The son still says he was a great teacher.
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Interesting. didn't notice that. Doesn't mean he isn't a predator, of course.

But we all know there are nuances in any story. But we also know adults with kids under fifteen - it's 99.9999% likely to be coercion.
 
We've spent two years here dealing with the fallout from the Jerry Sandusky case and people supported him, Paterno, Spanier and all the others involved. Supposedly Sandusky was a good coach, a good mentor, and a well-thought of charity founder. But, he's still a pedophile. His crimes outweigh his facade of normality and likeableness. Personally, I don't get it. How does anyone "stand up" for a pedophile who was convicted and sentenced?

These teachers have every right to free speech and an opinion but I think it was the height of stupidity to "stand up" publicly for a pedophile; IMO it's like a tacit admission that the pedophile has more to lose than the kid he molested. The article in the OP doesn't give much detail, here's another with comments from their letters. http://dailycaller.com/2013/08/07/sick-teachers-beg-judge-for-leniency-for-pedophile-colleague/

Where are the teacher comments about the young man? What kind of trauma is he still reliving?

OTOH, I don't think the teachers should be fired. They should be sent to *room 101* and made to sit through highly-detailed information, including pictures, of what happens to a 14-year old who's been molested repeatedly. And the walls should be covered with photos of their own children who, through the grace of God, didn't endure what the 14-year old did.
 
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