Many years ago I had a teacher who assigned our class the task of answering the question: "How has slavery benefited black people by bringing them to the New World?" He was a popular coach who was also known to use ugly racial slurs while chastising black athletes. If the school disciplined him at all, I never knew about it. I transferred out of his class as quickly as possible and felt ill every time I encountered him in the hallways.
That teacher came to mind as news broke of a Mount Dora High School teacher who took to Facebook to express his disgust that gay couples are now free to marry in New York. He called those marriages "a cesspool."
While some rushed to defend Jerry Buell's anti-gay posts as private, protected speech under the First Amendment, others argued that Facebook had become an extension of his classroom, since Buell actively made students his "friend" on the popular social network. Would it be acceptable for a teacher to express disgust toward a particular race or religious background in a forum where his students were expressly invited? Buell cannot reasonably assert now that his hateful words have no impact in his classroom.
On the contrary, one Mount Dora student responded to Buell's Facebook posts saying, "This just made me more excited for your class next year. lol"
There is clear evidence that Buell violated the teachers' Code of Ethics and Principles of Professional Conduct. It is also clear that his classroom has long been a hostile environment for anyone who does not agree with his particular religious and political views. Reports of his classroom behavior from students themselves certainly warrant a deeper investigation by the district and the state.
Even some early defenders are backing away from Buell as details emerge that suggest that his anti-gay attitudes and religious bias were on display in a classroom -- a place he called his religious "mission field."
Buell's class syllabus warned students who didn't like his brand of Christianity to choose another class. He went further, using his website to declare, "I try to teach and lead my students as if Lake Co. Schools had hired Jesus Christ himself."
Former student and honors graduate Bryan Blaise recalled being stunned when Buell responded affirmatively when asked if gay people should be allowed to serve in the military. Then Buell added: only if they are placed on the front lines while straight troops pull back. Bryan walked out of class that day but didn't say a word to the school administration. He feared reporting the man who controlled his grades and, to some degree, his future.
Lake County School Superintendent Susan Moxley has now concluded that Buell "clearly crosses the line of separation of church and state that public school employees must follow." She went on: "Future breaches and failure to maintain the separation of church and state may lead to more serious disciplinary issues."
Thousands have written to the Lake County School district angered by this abuse of power. Some expressed their unwillingness to spend money at Mount Dora shops and restaurants until this matter is resolved. Others recounted their own personal experiences with bullying, including the screenwriter for the film Easy A, which featured a character targeted by bullies:
"I am a 33 year old gay man from Florida," wrote Bert Royal. "I wrote the movie 'Easy A' which came out last year and lightly addressed how schools turns a blind eye toward gay bashing. Which is why I never made it to my senior year. (Or even my sophomore year.)"
School districts have two primary responsibilities: to educate students and to keep them safe.
What will the Lake County School Board and the Mount Dora High School administration do now to create a safe learning environment for students who are gay or those who do not share the same religious beliefs as their teacher?
Nearly 60 percent of Florida's students live in school districts that provide specific protections from anti-gay bullying and discrimination. Lake County students deserve these protections and have never needed them more than today.
Follow Nadine Smith on Twitter: www.twitter.com/1NadineSmith
Heather Corinna: In Some Ways, It May Already Be Better
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vd3Rua7-mZI&feature=player_embedded
He had invited students to join his facebook.
I can't believe they let him back into the classroom.
Please contact me at nadine(at)eqfl.org.
We are working on this situation and would love your insights.
THANK YOU for staying on top of this. As a gay man I really appreciate it. I was worried that, even in the face of additional evidence, he was going to skate.
You go girl!
(Does eqfl take donation?)
note: If the humanization factor was given top priority in education (including us adults), then we would all be gearing ourselves towards a more empathy based safe society!
" We find a growing fight-back based on the principle that all human beings are of incalculable value and that life in a just and free society must be geared toward and powered by a profoundly radical idea: that the fullest development of all human beings—regardless of race or ethnicity, origin or background, gender identity ability or disability—is the necessary condition for the full development of each person; and, conversely, the fullest development of each is the condition for the full development of all" http://monthlyreview.org/2011/07/01/education-under-fire-introduction
Another great quote that I like from the link you provided is, "In the schools we need, education would be constructed as a fundamental human right geared toward the fullest development of the human personality, and the reconstruction of society around basic principles of equality and justice and recognition. These are not the schools we have."
In schools like this, behavior that promotes unity, and mutual consideration and cooperation would be encouraged and rewarded. Being safe would no longer be a factor because the environment would support the mutual benefit of all. It is clear that not only do we need to transform our educational systems, but we also need to reeducate our citizenry to these principles. How do we get there?
Should teachers "friend" their students on Facebook?
The article has it spot-on. He can say whatever he wants in the privacy of his own home. But this is the internet we're talking about. Companies have been scouting on Facebook for a long time now to judge whether they want to hire or fire certain people.
Facebook is not private.
(just wondering, any comment from other "christian" institutions in Lake County?
But your private hatred and ignorance do not belong in a public school-- not any more. Those days are gone, and absent a Fundelibangelist theocracy, will stay gone. Don't for a moment think that we gay people care weak, and will not stand up to this 1700 year old jihad against our right to live our lives in peace, free of your animus, whether you prefer to disguise it as
"sincere religious belief", or admit it for what it is.