Teacher says principal ordered Bush portrait removed from classroom

[sabra]

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http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0721053bush1.html

Grand Old Party Pooper?
Teacher says principal ordered Bush portrait removed from classroom
JULY 21--A New York woman claims that she was forced from her teaching post by an elementary school principal who objected to her Republican activism and last year ordered the removal of a portrait of President George W. Bush from the educator's Long Island classroom. In a federal discrimination lawsuit, Jillian Caruso, 26, claims that she was improperly forced to resign her job by Birch Lane Elementary School principal Joyce Becker-Seddio, the wife of state Assemblyman Frank Seddio, a Brooklyn Democrat. In her U.S. District Court complaint, a copy of which you'll find below, Caruso contends that she was retaliated against by Becker-Seddio because of her political work, which has included volunteering at last year's GOP convention and membership in the Republican National Committee. Caruso, who taught first and third graders at Birch Lane, also claims that when the principal spotted the Bush portrait late last year--it was hanging among photos of other U.S. presidents--she "became outraged and insisted that the picture be removed." Caruso, who complied with that order, has named the Massapequa Union Free School District as the sole defendant in her action, which seeks unspecified monetary damages and a reappointment to her prior teaching post. (6 pages)





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[Beaver Tail]

1. If this is why she was fired

then I am on her side AS LONG AS she did not bring her political crap to school (which is shown the the Affidavit).

She is entitled to her beliefs as long as she does not infringe on the students her beliefs but lets make sure we REALLY know the cause of her Dismissal. Lets here from the principle and see what he has to say.

WOW... THe left STANDING up for the (your) Right(s)? GO Figure!!!

[KarenInMA]

7. I agree. You can't fire her because of her politics

UNLESS she was being inappropriate at work.

The Bush picture thing, while amusing, is not the right thing to do.

[papau]

23. Labor Law on probationary workers and work place decoration give her no

rights.

She is saying the cause was political and a First Amend violation.

That will be near impossible to prove.

Her only hope is for the School Board/Principal to admit to the reason as described.

This sounds more like a PR stunt that is a warm up for a political move.

[BillZBubb]

2. The first thing the wingnuts do is get a lawyer!

I thought they were against frivolous and costly lawsuits? Oh, I forget, it's just when those lawsuits might cost corporations money.

[Bucky]

29. Getting fired is not a "frivolous" base for a lawsuit

Sorry, not buying. As a teacher who doesn't shy away from making my courses politically relevant, this bothers me. If this was the sole cause of the teacher's termination, I hope the principal gets taken to the cleaners.

Of course the teacher's union should have been all over this case like wrinkle on a testicle, but maybe as an activist Righty, this teacher didn't believe in unions. I just hope in the long run she comes to appreciate how the labor law protections that she will enjoy in this case came from decades of Democratic diligence.

[Inland]

3. Her right to political debate---with children in her charge.

Good fucking luck.

[Sanity Claws]

4. I don't think we have the full story here

How much you want to bet that this is just another example of Republicans claiming prosecution over nothing?

[FreedomAngel82]

17. I wouldn't be surprised

They have a tendency to cry wolf one too many times.

[Clark2008]

18. They make shit up all the time

This is on the front page of my local schools' website:

The Alliance Defense Fund and the family of a student have alleged that Karns Elementary School in Northwest Knox County is violating students’ Constitutional rights by banning Bibles from school and not letting individual students discuss religious topics during non-instructional time. This allegation is untrue.

“At no time have I ever told students that they could not have Bibles in school or that they could not read them on the playground or anywhere else,” said Karns Elementary School Principal Cathy Summa. “The incident described by the Alliance Defense Fund did not occur. At no time have I ever approached the student in question or any other child on the playground and told them to stop reading the Bible or to stop talking about a religious issue.”

“At Karns Elementary we encourage students to read, read, read. We even have free reading time when students can read the material of their choice, and if students choose to read the Bible that is absolutely fine.”

Summa indicated that the only time she has been approached by anyone about Bible study was when three students and a parent asked about conducting an organized Bible study class during recess. No one making the current allegation was a party to this discussion.

“I indicated to the students and the parent that I did not feel that an organized activity of this type was appropriate during the school day,” said Summa. “While we do not discourage students from reading at recess, I think that a daily planned activity that is stationary or physically static in nature defeats the real purpose of recess. The purpose is to give students an opportunity to have some physical activity during the school day,” she said.

http://www.kcs.k12tn.net/news/adf_untrue.htm

I'm inclined to believe that the teacher in the OP's article is making shit up.

[Dogmudgeon]

5. The Principal "became outraged"?

Someone became outraged, all right, but I'm sure it wasn't the principal.

--p!

[AX10]

6. Fire her and take her pension.

[KarenInMA]

9. Why? because she disagrees with you

politically?

That's a rather Coulterish thing to say.

[Bucky]

30. Shut up. Drink the Blue Kool-Aid and Shut up!

It's sad that some people in this forum don't appreciate the fact that the Bill of Rights means everybody. As Chomsky says, if you don't believe in free speech for people you disagree with, you don't believe in free speech. If the teacher took the picture down and isn't spending time "indoctrinating" the kids, she's got some big money coming to her. I won't tolerate blackshirt tactics on my side of the fence.

I agree with those who say we just don't know enough about this case. But my first sympathies lie with the employee who gets harassed for her viewpoints.

[rzemanfl]

32. What, do you think she works at Enron? n/t

[rinsd]

8. Weird case....

...I am willing to hear the other side's story but if this lady was fired for what is described above, I think she has a good case.

[karlrschneider]

12. I do too, IF this is essentially the "real story"...but it smells phishy

to me...
:eyes:

[rinsd]

20. It gets stranger....

While googling, I found this posted on freerepublic. I can't get the original article from the NY Post but the details are eerily similar

http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-news/1233368/posts

[noiretextatique]

24. hmmm...two cases?!

i don't buy it...
rw stupid people tricks...

[rinsd]

25. Two cases both dealing with a photo of Bush, but some differences

In the non-thread case, the situation was predicated by parents that supposedly wanted Kerry's photo hung next to Bush's. And it was the vice principal that got involved and "ordered" the teacher off campus. But everything seemed to peter out after it was reported(in Oct of 2004 of course)

This case is actually following through with a lawsuit. I'm still willing to hold out for more facts or the principals side of the story in this new one though.

[noiretextatique]

27. thanks for clarifying

but this case is still registering on my bullshitometer :D

[rinsd]

28. Coming on the heels of a similar event...

...I would totally agree.

At the same time, the great thing about lawsuits is both sides tell a story.

[proud2BlibKansan]

35. How about the rest of that story?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1947466#1947506

[AmyDeLune]

38. I remember that story...

It turned out that the teacher in question pushed her right-wing political views on students. She wasn't asked to leave, the parents were complaining about her derogatory treatment of children who didn't agree with her politics.

I'd like to see a more complete article. All this really shows is that the teacher got a lawyer and filed a lawsuit.

[boredofeducation]

40. I remember that "outrage"

That teacher was in a NJ public school in South Brunswick and she would tell her students that anyone who voted democratic was stupid. She wasn't thrown out of the school, she made that part up, she left in the middle of day on her own will. She was reasigned. Of course the freeptards will think she was a goddess or something but her case was made up. Once the media learned of the facts, they dropped it like a hot potato(e).

[SemiCharmedQuark]

10. Volunteer at the Republican Convention...I wonder if she was a "kicker"

Or perhaps one of the classy "purple band-aid" wearers?

Either way, as long as she kept her activities outside the classroom and that she really was fired for only having a picture of Bush up with some other presidents, it doesn't seem right.

Unless the picture was blatantly political...

[K-W]

11. That story doesnt sound entirely plausible, but

certainly if those are indeed the facts the principal was wrong.

[Mike Nelson]

13. Personally...

...I find Bush' image offensive. Sounds like this teacher is an activist... and just the type of teacher who'd want to keep any sort of politics out of her classroom. Shame on her.

[napi21]

14. I also wonder which Presidents Pics she had up there?

I suspect, if she had a pic of every US pres. there wouldn't have been any problem. I betcha, it was Reagan and 2 Bushies!

[BamaLefty]

15. Silly n/t

[Stand and Fight]

16. I would like to hear both sides of the story.

Based upon what I have read here the principal was in the wrong. However, I am pretty sure that there is more to the story than what has been presented. It is unwise to rush to judgment without ALL of the facts. I'm interested in hearing what the other side has to say.

[formerrepuke]

19. How many of us recall presidential images in the classroom?

I do. Nixon, Ford, Carter.. for the elementary school set, it was all part of keeping children aware of current affairs: the things grown-ups talk about. The teacher's own politics aside, context matters.

[rinsd]

21. We also had pictures of the current Governor (nt)

[liveoaktx]

22. Maybe it was the photo of Bush with the halo around his head

[Hobarticus]

26. I remember this...there's more to this story....

But no time to look it up. Have a great night!

[rzemanfl]

31. I have your winning lottery ticket, no time to tell you where. n/t

[genieroze]

33. If it was a pic of * in his little flight suit, she should be canned.

/sarcasm

[Kathy in Cambridge]

34. I bet she was an 'activist' in the classroom too,and that's why she was

fired. This smells like a RW set-up story.

[ProudDad]

36. And then there was her incubator story

I don't believe ANYTHING a right-wing repuke would say.

I'm certain this is more bullshit freeper propaganda...


PS: the only documentation for this crap is the alleged lawsuit filing...the plaintiff's side only. If there was much to it I would have been able to google a newpaper article or some such -- Zilch, zip, nada....

[ProudDad]

37. If true, you think the NLRB

will give her any help? Or the Union?

More likely the union than the repuke NLRB.

[VOX]

39. This is just ONE side of the story, interpreted by the teacher's attorney.

I tried a Lexis-Nexis search on this story, and came up with zilch. There were a few hits on the principal's name in Google, but none pertained to the story.

I cannot make an informed opinion on this case without hearing both sides of the story.

:shrug: