Aule
06-20-2008, 07:32 PM
Individuals applying for jobs as science teachers should be rigorously screened in order to weed out ID nuts and religious thugs like this sick, child-abusing fundie bastard.
Report: Ohio teacher preached in class, branded students with crosses
A middle-school science teacher is accused of preaching Christianity during class and branding some of his students with crosses, The Columbus Dispatch reports.
The paper says an independent investigation conducted on behalf of the school district concluded that John Freshwater used an "electrostatic device" to burn the religious symbols onto the arms of multiple students last December. (The story doesn't say how many children were involved.)
"Freshwater told investigators the marks were X's, not crosses. But all of the students interviewed in the investigation reported being branded with crosses," the paper says. "The investigation report includes a photo of one student's arm with a long vertical line and a short horizontal line running through it."
The Dispatch says parents had complained for years that Freshwater taught intelligent design and discredited evolution in his Mount Vernon, Ohio, classroom. Now they're suing the school district in federal court.
In April, The Mount Vernon News said one family sent a fax to the newsroom through their attorney, Jessica Philemond, that said:
We are religious people, but we were offended when Mr. Freshwater burned a cross onto the arm of our child. This was done in science class in December 2007, where an electric shock machine was used to burn our child. The burn was severe enough that our child awoke that night with severe pain, and the cross remained there for several weeks. ... We have tried to keep this a private matter and hesitate to tell the whole story to the media for fear that we will be retaliated against.
The Dispatch says it couldn't reach Freshwater or his attorney. A friend spoke out in his defense. “With the exception of the cross-burning episode … I believe John Freshwater is teaching the values of the parents in the Mount Vernon school district,’’ Dave Daubenmire says, according to the Dispatch.
Source (http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2008/06/report-ohio-tea.html)
Report: Ohio teacher preached in class, branded students with crosses
A middle-school science teacher is accused of preaching Christianity during class and branding some of his students with crosses, The Columbus Dispatch reports.
The paper says an independent investigation conducted on behalf of the school district concluded that John Freshwater used an "electrostatic device" to burn the religious symbols onto the arms of multiple students last December. (The story doesn't say how many children were involved.)
"Freshwater told investigators the marks were X's, not crosses. But all of the students interviewed in the investigation reported being branded with crosses," the paper says. "The investigation report includes a photo of one student's arm with a long vertical line and a short horizontal line running through it."
The Dispatch says parents had complained for years that Freshwater taught intelligent design and discredited evolution in his Mount Vernon, Ohio, classroom. Now they're suing the school district in federal court.
In April, The Mount Vernon News said one family sent a fax to the newsroom through their attorney, Jessica Philemond, that said:
We are religious people, but we were offended when Mr. Freshwater burned a cross onto the arm of our child. This was done in science class in December 2007, where an electric shock machine was used to burn our child. The burn was severe enough that our child awoke that night with severe pain, and the cross remained there for several weeks. ... We have tried to keep this a private matter and hesitate to tell the whole story to the media for fear that we will be retaliated against.
The Dispatch says it couldn't reach Freshwater or his attorney. A friend spoke out in his defense. “With the exception of the cross-burning episode … I believe John Freshwater is teaching the values of the parents in the Mount Vernon school district,’’ Dave Daubenmire says, according to the Dispatch.
Source (http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2008/06/report-ohio-tea.html)