Saturday, October 02, 2004
Where is the NEA and the ACLU when she needs them?
A New Jersey teacher has been de facto fired for posting a picture of George W. Bush in her classroom along with other presidents.
Pillai-Diaz did not invite this fight, but in standing up for herself she is teaching her students an important lesson that all children would do well to learn. Jim Warfel, however, is by this account (and I'm sure he has his side to tell) an arrogant creature of the monopoly schools who is teaching the students in his care that if you stand up for what you believe you can expect the government -- make no mistake about it, the monopoly public schools are the government -- to come crashing down on you.
Of course, Pillai-Diaz has nothing to worry about, because the National Education Association and the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey will come rushing to her defense. Heh.
A New Jersey public-school teacher claims she was bushwhacked by her principal yesterday when he ordered her to "get out" of the building after she refused to remove a photo of President Bush and the first lady from her classroom....
The controversy erupted Thursday night when a handful of parents objected to the photo during a back-to-school parent-teacher conference. Pillai-Diaz said three parents demanded the photo be removed — or complemented with a picture of Sen. John Kerry.
Pillai-Diaz said she notified the assistant principal, Mark Daniels, of the brouhaha during a break in the conference and that Daniels defended her right to post the photo. [A sensible and lawful first response, quite surprising for an assistant principal. - ed.]
But yesterday, Pillai-Diaz said Daniels changed his tune and demanded she remove it before her first class. [Now we're back to normal. - ed.]...
When she refused, the matter was taken up by the principal, Jim Warfel, who Pillai-Diaz said accused her of "causing disruption and hatred" with her "inflammatory politics" and told her to "get out" of the building.
When she returned for her belongings — after The Post placed calls to school officials — Pillai-Diaz said she was greeted by the superintendent, Gary McCartney.
Pillai-Diaz said McCartney warned her against telling her story to the press, saying "it will be beyond [his] ability to help" her if she did. She told The Post she was not sure if she would return to school Monday.
Pillai-Diaz did not invite this fight, but in standing up for herself she is teaching her students an important lesson that all children would do well to learn. Jim Warfel, however, is by this account (and I'm sure he has his side to tell) an arrogant creature of the monopoly schools who is teaching the students in his care that if you stand up for what you believe you can expect the government -- make no mistake about it, the monopoly public schools are the government -- to come crashing down on you.
Of course, Pillai-Diaz has nothing to worry about, because the National Education Association and the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey will come rushing to her defense. Heh.
2 Comments:
By 
, at
Mon Oct 04, 01:59:00 PM:
This is an outrage! Everyone should call this principal at 732-329-4633 and let him know how disgusting his actions are. I called the school and they put me into the bozo's voice mail so I left him a nice little message. Please...no threats!! Just let him know how appalling his acts are.
By , at
Mon Oct 04, 05:42:00 PM:
This story is fabricated. Get the facts straight.
