"Do you think (gays) have a purpose in life?":
"'No I honestly don't. Sorry, but I don't. I don't understand it. A gay person isn't going to come up and make some change unless it's to realize that it was a choice and they're choosing God."
In response many people around the country became very upset at her words, and have sent numerous e-mails to her school and to members of the School Board demanding her removal from the classroom.
It appears those e-mails have had an effect.Though not one that I believe is worth celebrating.
Courtesy of WTHITV in Indiana:
Corporation officials say the teacher made a controversial comment.
Since then officials say the teacher and the corporation has received "aggressive e-mail".
Doctor Mark Baker, the schools' superintendent issued this statement.
“We have conveyed our disappointment and our disagreement with these statements and have emphasized her comments do not reflect our schools' views or opinions. ”
Based on the threat, state police and Sullivan County deputies have placed an officer at the school.
Below is the complete statement from Dr. Mark Baker, the school’s superintendent.
To Students, Parents, Faculty and our Community:
As many of you know and appreciate, our school corporation is continuing to manage as responsibly and respectfully as possible the fallout from comments made by an employee as she attended a meeting outside of school or a school activity.
We have conveyed our disappointment and our disagreement with these statements and have emphasized her comments do not reflect our schools' views or opinions.
The administration and one school employee in particular at North Central Jr/Sr High School have received aggressive email messages. We are turning over to law enforcement all such communications. Further, and as a precaution, the Indiana State Police and the Sullivan County Sheriff's Department have deemed it necessary to station an officer at our high school. Additionally, these law enforcement agencies, while they are here, are familiarizing themselves with our buildings, as is part of their regular training.
For that, we are grateful for their support of our school and our students. This matter has created some heartbreaking differences in opinion. Please know we are always going to put the safety of our students and faculty first and any disruption of our educational process will be managed quickly.
In response to our concerns for the safety and security of everyone in our buildings, we have placed the employee at the center of this concern on administrative leave.
Dr. Mark A. Baker- Superintendent NORTHEAST SCHOOL CORPORATION of Sullivan Corporation
I have to say that I am troubled by the fact that this teacher was removed for fear of harm coming her way. THAT should not be the case.
I feel that it is our right, even our responsibility, to express our opinions about injustice and cruelty. However we have NO right to make these people feel physically threatened in any way.
I would support the boycott of a business that was not fair to their employees, support letter writing or e-mails to officials who are wrong on policy decisions, and even back the shaming of the truly horrible people who emotionally, physically, or mentally abuse others.
But I would never, and I mean NEVER, be okay with making threats against a person, or institution, or support doing anything that makes them feel unsafe.
That is what the people we are fighting against do, not what we do!
So while I hope that this teacher comes to understand why people were so passionately upset with what she said, and perhaps even comes to view gay people differently, I also hope that she understands that the majority of us simply wanted to make sure that she was not inflicting her homophobic and insensitive attitudes on her students, and that we certainly meant her no harm.
Oh come on...teacher...make the outrageous statement that gays should not have the right to vote, be allowed to own homes...attend their sisters' sons' Christmas pageants'...go all in, teacher...
ReplyDeleteYou are right, Jesse. Her views are not those of a compassionate or fair, teacher, but I would never wish her physical harm. As far as a separate prom, the kids participating will only be separating themselves from the rest of the school...and that is their right, of course.
ReplyDeletePAID administrative leave?
ReplyDeletemaybe she'll find a job playing Archie Bunker on TV.
She should be fired because she portrayed herself to the media as a teacher at the school when she was not.
ReplyDeleteShe stuck her nose where it didn't belong and fostered an environment of hostilities in the workplace. Easy peasy justification for termination.
Wut? where does it say she was not a teacher at that school?
DeleteShe's a teacher at the school and was put on leave because she became a liability to the safety of the students. Her comments were over the top, as was the predictable reaction from the public.
She does not belong in the public school system.
Wut? where does it say she was not a teacher at that school?
DeleteIt says it at the end of the Time magazine article referenced in Gryphen's earlier article:
An earlier version of this story mistakenly identified Diana Medley as a Sullivan High School special education teacher. She is a teacher at a different area school.
Gryph, what disturbes me most is the use of the word corporation, WTF is that? Churning out kids like cars?
ReplyDeleteTap Duncan
That was my first thought. Corporation? WTF? When an education system becomes a corporation, you know we're f*****! And I'm not talking about for profit colleges.
DeleteLet the brainwashing begin. Disgusting, I am assuming it's a PUBLIC SCHOOL. Not a damned corporation!
DeleteBaseball Mom & Teacher
Might be a charter school run by a corporation. Those do exist. That's what the GOP wants for our public education across the nation.
DeleteYay!
ReplyDeleteGryphen, I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiment concerning the very idea of threatening ANY individual for any actions he/she takes or sentiments they express.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, however, I must say that your expressed hope that she would come to understand why we feel the way we do about the subject, just WON"T HAPPEN.
Her statements are obviously those of the radical Xtians and even though she may be an educated individual, she will flat refuse to change her mind about the LGBT community.
To her they are making a choice, as stupid as we know that to be. And as we all know, people of her ilk just don't change their mind just because someone waves FACTS under her nose! Because her Minister TELLS her it's a choice!
Sounds like this lady is better-suited to teaching in a private school without access to public funding. Bigots have no place on the public dole.
ReplyDeleteShe does "teach" in a private school. Like you I can't imagine this woman would getting away with what she said in a public school. Apparently she "teaches" at a religious private school.
DeleteShe's not suited to teach at any school.
DeleteShe's a special education teacher at the North Central Junior-Senior High School in Farmersburg, Indiana. That is a public school, not a private religious venue.
DeleteAnd I just noticed that she is standing in front a poster that just screams CHURCH! (Took me long enough, right? DUH!)
ReplyDeleteOPEN ARMS FAMILY EDUCATION SERVICES!!!!!!!!!
Yeah, right. Education in what? Bigotry and hatred?
You Betcha!
the interview was at a private function, not in school.
DeleteYeah. THAT I caught very early on - from BOTH threads!
DeleteI was merely commenting on another thing I noticed about this ...thing.
Living here in Indy, this came as no surprise to me. Indiana is not known for its tolerance of anything "different."
ReplyDeleteWhat I don't understand is this group want their own GayFree Prom yet they send their kids to school every day, allow their kids to plays sports and participate in clubs, band and choir altogether but the prom is a big no no? WTF??
This will bring a smile to your lips :)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/93288085@N04/
OK, that's just weird, unless you are a 10 year old girl, then I guess it means something? Get some Lisa Frank stickers and put them on your Trapper Keeper. That's what this photostream reminds me of, 6th grade, in the 80's.
DeleteSweet Loudin Boys. Tri-G.
Deletefist bump TriG (Sam Loudon) is adorable.
DeleteCute for a 12 year old. Freaky for a "mature" woman. Seriously? You are one sick cookie. So you go around the internet stealing other people's pictures? Excuse me I need a bleach shower after viewing your "photo stream" of other people's lives. You need to get your own life and stop living vicariously through others.
DeleteI might not threaten her life, but I wouldn't hesitate to make darn sure that she did not ever have the chance to be in a position to influence or educate kids on any level.
ReplyDeleteLet her go be something outside the influence of schools and children. She's entitled to her opinion, but not to the detriment of others who are still learning to formulate their own.
Further, she was encouraging a gang-like reaction, a divisive reaction that clearly hurt the community, and therefore she loses her right to be in the community since her statements are what are putting the community at risk. Along with the poor saps that are listening to her.
Feeding hate and racism and bigotry is nothing new. Using religion to justify it is nothing new. What's new is people are sick and tired of all the hate and are standing up, but unfortunately are not thinking things through. and reacting emotionally.
I hope she is shaking in her boots. I hope she is realizing that words have consequences, bigotry is no longer to be tolerated, blatant segregation is unacceptable and you don't get to just mouth off with no consequences. Yep, she needs to realize that on a GUT LEVEL. Though I don't hold out much hope for it to happen.
Grphyen, after two nation-wide elections, and support for Democratic positions popping up around the country, you might consider re-naming your blog:
ReplyDeleteThe Moral Majority.
"plans by students and parents to hold their own prom in order to exclude gay students"
ReplyDeleteIt sounds to me that there was considerable tension in the community already because of the attempt to hold competing proms. The teacher's (sickening) remarks and the subsequent uproar probably surfaced a lot of long simmering hate. I suspect a raised level of security at the school was probably already a really good idea.
If the best this teacher can do to support her views of morality is go with "gays bad because god" then she shouldn't be teaching anyway.
ReplyDeleteThat sanctimonious bitch is a disgrace to the teaching profession.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like someone has a little less purpose now. ;-)
ReplyDeleteShe does realize that Tchaikovsky was gay, right?
ReplyDeleteAnd Michaelangelo.
And Langston Hughes.
Could there be any more uselessness than a teacher that isn't teaching? Pretty much no purpose or contribution there, right?
Administrative leave means she gets to sit around an office or even stay home and gets paid anyway.
Looks like a school district that the voters have turned over their school district to a for-profit corporation - the goal of the whole voucher movement, pushed by ALEC, Walton foundation, Koch brothers and others. This is where we will end up in Alaska if our legislature rips out the wording in our State Constitution that preserves separation of church and state regarding funding of education, and then it is approved by the voters. Corporations often start private charter schools with state funds, take over the school board (They spent over 600k to get two of their supporters elected to a school board in Colorado), collect 38% tax credits, kill the unions, cut staff wages and benefits, and can hire uncertified teachers if they want. Privatization of our schools is their goal. In 2010, Rupert Murdoch predicted this would become a 500 billion dollar industry. Even Hedge fund managers are investing with the knowledge that bond rates on private charter school are around 8% interested, compared to school muni bonds at 3%. This is scary stuff!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a District turned over to a for-profit corporation. Privatization of our public schools is one of the goals of ALEC and Foundations sponsored by the Walton family and Koch brothers. They set up a fat cat board of directors and a well paid CEO, take over the school boards by buying candidates, get rid of the unions, get a 38% tax credit on new buildings, sell bonds at 8% rather than the typical 3% for muni bonds, and look for cheap teachers who get few benefits. This is the end goal of the Republicans in Alaska currently trying to amend our state constitution. Scary stuff!
ReplyDelete*That is what the people we are fighting against do, not what we do!* Seriously! Pass the kool aid. I find your site interesting and most of your editorializing working for me but this sounds like something I could find on C4P. Your defense of the safety of the woman is fine. Spinning that into platitudes suggesting America is on the side of the angels is a bit much and unexpected coming from you.
ReplyDeleteObviously you haven't been with IM for any period of time or you have immediately recognized that when Gryphen said "we", he meant those of us HERE. Had you been here for any length of time it would have been obvious because the kind of crap that he was talking about is the kind of crap that normally happens around half-brained Repubes. Just look, for example at their denied "war on Women".
DeleteAnd you would also know that, while most of us here love our country, we deplore a tremendous amount of what it does - like attacks on countries for no reason except lies.
Oh! And political gain.
DeleteI didn't interpret it that way at all.
DeleteThen how DID you interpret it, please?
DeleteJesus hung out with EVERYONE!!! He excluded NO ONE. This teacher is too dumb to be teaching. Glad she's gone.
ReplyDeletePlease folks.....after all this is INDIANA.....spent a month one week there......
ReplyDeleteWTHI-TV. What The Hell, Indiana?
ReplyDeleteNot off topic:
ReplyDeleteThe vicious and titantic Bigot, Bryan Fischer, of the American Family decides that Tim Tebow has caved to "big gay" by declining to appear in a church in Dallas headed up by a lunatic named Rober Jeffress
Pastor Robert Jeffress, declared last year that President Barack Obama is paving the way for the Antichrist
Fischer declared that Tebow couldn’t have possibly come to the decision on his own (to back out) and the “bigoted bullies at Big Gay” must be driving the athlete’s decision to bail on his speech.
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/fischer-bullies-and-bigots-big-gay-hit-tebow-falling-safe
Over the last 45 years, I've heard many obscenely stupid and incredibly prejudiced and hateful things from preachers, pastors, reverend and other
leaders of Christianity.
I don't think there's one whos more hateful and divisive, and down right virulent than Bryan Fischer.
Fischer actually believes that only Christians should be in elected office in the USA.
After the Sandy Hook shooting of 26 innocent lives, he was deranged enough to say that the reason it happened was because prayer was removed from schools in 1962
In November, Fischer said that terrorists who attacked the United States on Sept. 11, 2001 were "the agents of God’s wrath” because they prompted “God Bless America” to be sung at Major League Baseball games, which is one “one of the reasons we haven’t been hit since 9/11,"
Raw Story notes. He has also said that gun rights are based on God's teachings, that being gay may be a "birth defect" and that the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal will increase pedophilia.
Fischer has said so many horrificly outrageous things on his radio show that it's hard to keep track. He's a one man display of how self righteous and blind a Christian can be
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/bryan-fischer-god-did-not-protect-connecticut-shooting-victims-prayer-banned_n_2303903.html