[asa] Burning crosses in Mt Vernon

http://pandasthumb.org/archives/2008/06/teaching-intell.html

Teacher John Freshwater was accused by a family of one of his students
of teaching creationism and burning a cross the student's arm using an
electrostatic device. While the teacher admitted using the device, he
claimed he was burning 'X' . However both the pictures as well as the
testimony of students show a much different picture. Combine this with
the teacher's unwillingness to stop proselytizing and teaching
creationism and it is not a surprise that the family filed a lawsuit.
The school board investigated and the report can be found online. The
board is meeting today to determine what will happen to John
Freshwater. Freshwater is getting most of his support from Matolyak, a
pastor of an assembly of God church. As others report at Ed Brayton's
blog http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2008/06/freshwater_investigation_repor.php

"Matolyak is pastor of Freshwater's church, a fundamentalist Assembly
of God church, and that congregation has been active in supporting
Freshwater. Lately it's about the only local support he's been
getting. His alliance with David Daubenmire's Christian Nation loons
has considerably eroded any other support he might have had even prior
to the investigators' report."

    Mr. Freshwater was insubordinate in failing to remove all of the
religious materials from his classroom as ordered by his superior,
Principal White.

        * Mr. Freshwater did burn a cross onto the complaining
family's child's arm using an electrostatic device not designed for
that purpose
        * The Ten Commandments together with other posters of a
religious nature were posted in Mr. Freshwater's classroom. Most were
removed after Mr. White's letter of April 14, 2008, but at least one
poster remained which Mr. Freshwater was again instructed to remove on
April 16, 2008, but did not do so.
        * Several Bibles were kept in Mr. Freshwater's classroom
including his personal Bible on his desk and one he checked out of the
library placed on the lab table near the desk. Other Bibles that had
been maintained in the room were removed by the time the investigators
viewed Mr. Freshwater's room.
        * Mr. Freshwater engaged in teaching of a religious nature,
teaching creationism and related theories and calling evolution into
question. He had other materials in his classroom that could be used
for that purpose.
        * Mr. Freshwater engaged in prayer during FCA meetings in
violation of the District's legal obligations for monitoring such
organizations.
        * Mr. Freshwater participated and possibly lead a prayer
during an FCA meeting that concerned a guest speaker's health. There
is no conclusion as to whether such prayer was a "healing" prayer.
        * There is no evidence Mr. Freshwater violated the District's
permission slip policy.
        * There is no evidence Mr. Freshwater made statements about
FCA members "being the saved ones" nor was there any corroboration to
the allegation Mr. Freshwater gave FCA members Bibles for them to
distribute. He did have two boxes of Bibles in the back of his room.
        * Mr. Freshwater gave an extra credit assignment for students
to view the movie "Expelled" which does involve intelligent design.

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Received on Fri Jun 20 12:23:12 2008