Wow, what a coincidence, we're talking about evolution in Chapel and a Christian teacher got fired for teaching evolution in a less than pleasing way. On another note, this is just another sign of how we as western Christians aren't immune from persecution.
10/07/2011 United States (The Christian Post)-An Ohio school board's decision to fire a middle-school teacher under the allegations of teaching creationism and religious doctrine in his classroom was upheld by a local judge Wednesday. The science teacher, who was dismissed in January, plans to file an appeal.
John Freshwater sought to overturn the Mount Vernon City School District Board firing in order to get his job back. The decision to uphold the school board’s action was handed down by Knox County Common Pleas Court Judge Otho Eyster.
Freshwater was suspended under allegations that he failed to remove religious materials from his classroom and burned crosses on students' arms with a Tesla coil during science experiments. The suspension from Mount Vernon Middle School occurred in 2008 and he was terminated in January 2011.
The case against him began as a request by the school administration to remove his Bible from his classroom desk and was compounded with other accusations after his refusal to do so, Freshwater told The Christian Post. Having an exemplary teaching record for 24 years, he said the allegations began when there were several changes in the school district’s personnel, including three new school board members.
“It came down to that they wanted me to remove the Bible from my desk and I refused to remove my Bible from my desk,” Freshwater said. “The Bible has been resting on my desk for all 24 years of teaching. So, what has changed? What has changed is the administration.”
School officials also did not like the way he taught the evolutioncurriculum , Freshwater said.
“The school board justified its actions by accusing Freshwater of improperly injecting religion into the classroom by giving students "reason to doubt the accuracy and/or veracity of scientists, science textbooks and/or science in general," according to his lawyers from the Rutherford Institute.
“He never had a negative performance evaluation in 20-plus years. He is a good teacher,” Rutherfor Institute President John W. Whitehead told CP. “The real issue here is that he has obligedly challenged a sacred object inpublic education , which is the theory of evolution.
“People forget it is a theory. So, our argument is that he should have the academic freedom to do that. Ifschools just want an official version they should just show a video or get a robot to do it. It would be easier,” Whitehead said.
...
Freshwater’s suit, filed in February, stated that state law and school procedures protecting his rights were violated, according to an article by The Columbus Dispatch. He also said that the hearing referee's conclusions were flawed.
Eyster reviewed 6,344 pages of hearing transcript involving 80 witnesses during 38 days of hearings, the Dispatch reported. The judge ruled that “Freshwater’s request that the court conduct additional hearings is not well taken.”
Freshwater said the judge's decision on Wednesday was unfair.
“I teach all the aspects of evolution... those things that support evolution, those things that do not support evolution. I teach a robust evolution. The students have a right to see it,” he said. “Students need to hear the evidence and maybe some of the evidence is not for evolution, but they need to hear the evidence. Did I stand up and preach and share Creationism with them? No. I just shared the evidence of evolution and that shows the flaw of evolution enough(Source).”
10/07/2011 United States (The Christian Post)-An Ohio school board's decision to fire a middle-school teacher under the allegations of teaching creationism and religious doctrine in his classroom was upheld by a local judge Wednesday. The science teacher, who was dismissed in January, plans to file an appeal.
John Freshwater sought to overturn the Mount Vernon City School District Board firing in order to get his job back. The decision to uphold the school board’s action was handed down by Knox County Common Pleas Court Judge Otho Eyster.
Freshwater was suspended under allegations that he failed to remove religious materials from his classroom and burned crosses on students' arms with a Tesla coil during science experiments. The suspension from Mount Vernon Middle School occurred in 2008 and he was terminated in January 2011.
The case against him began as a request by the school administration to remove his Bible from his classroom desk and was compounded with other accusations after his refusal to do so, Freshwater told The Christian Post. Having an exemplary teaching record for 24 years, he said the allegations began when there were several changes in the school district’s personnel, including three new school board members.
“It came down to that they wanted me to remove the Bible from my desk and I refused to remove my Bible from my desk,” Freshwater said. “The Bible has been resting on my desk for all 24 years of teaching. So, what has changed? What has changed is the administration.”
School officials also did not like the way he taught the evolution
“The school board justified its actions by accusing Freshwater of improperly injecting religion into the classroom by giving students "reason to doubt the accuracy and/or veracity of scientists, science textbooks and/or science in general," according to his lawyers from the Rutherford Institute.
“He never had a negative performance evaluation in 20-plus years. He is a good teacher,” Rutherfor Institute President John W. Whitehead told CP. “The real issue here is that he has obligedly challenged a sacred object in
“People forget it is a theory. So, our argument is that he should have the academic freedom to do that. If
...
Freshwater’s suit, filed in February, stated that state law and school procedures protecting his rights were violated, according to an article by The Columbus Dispatch. He also said that the hearing referee's conclusions were flawed.
Eyster reviewed 6,344 pages of hearing transcript involving 80 witnesses during 38 days of hearings, the Dispatch reported. The judge ruled that “Freshwater’s request that the court conduct additional hearings is not well taken.”
Freshwater said the judge's decision on Wednesday was unfair.
“I teach all the aspects of evolution... those things that support evolution, those things that do not support evolution. I teach a robust evolution. The students have a right to see it,” he said. “Students need to hear the evidence and maybe some of the evidence is not for evolution, but they need to hear the evidence. Did I stand up and preach and share Creationism with them? No. I just shared the evidence of evolution and that shows the flaw of evolution enough(Source).”
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