Teacher Suspended for Classroom Comments on Bush

So much for freedom of speech in the classroom, especially when it comes to critical comments about the Bush adminisration.  A high school teacher in Colorado was suspended from teaching for making critical comments about the Bush adminsitration, during class discussions of  the State of the Union address.  All the more reason that the Supreme Court should rule in favor of  Mr. Ceballos, an assistant State's attorney who was allegedly harassed and fired  for revealing illegal activities of the sheriff's office. The Constitution should protect public employees for making reasonable public comment during the scope of their employment.

 

Comments

[George]

Bush is not Hitler! Don't get crazy left wing on me Charlie. You're better than that. This has no place on this blog. We are special ed. advocates; are clients are special needs children. This really hurts the credibility of your blog. Stick to the subject, mission, vision and values my brother.

[Charles P. Fox]

With all due respect, the point is first amendment rights in the classroom. Teachers should be free to advocate and speak their minds free of retribution, harassment, suspension or firing. I do not believe Bush is Hitler and I am not sure the Colorado teacher thought so either, but he stated some people think he is Hitler. Provactive speech is what makes this country great, and teachers should not be cowed into silence especially as they see things that are wrong for children with special needs.

[Terri Mauro]

Free speech is fine, but when it's being done by a teacher in a classroom, I think there's more to it than just a free-speech issue. It can be extremely awkward and uncomfortable for children who do not agree with the teacher's political views, or whose parents do not, to hear this coming from a teacher, who is an authority figure and wields a certain amount of power in the classroom. For kids with learning disabilities and special education needs, even more so. This has the potential to make the classroom a hostile and uncomfortable environment for kids, and I just do not see the upside to it. Allow a teacher to speak freely without fear of reprisal outside the classroom, absolutely; but it doesn't belong in the classroom.