Reply #4: Here's the Albany Times-Union story on this... [View All]

[Cooley Hurd]

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=256357&category=SARATOGA&BCCode=&newsdate=6/12/2004

<snip>
The female High School East instructor, whom the school would not identify, refused to honor a silent tribute to the late 40th president during Monday morning's homeroom period, district spokeswoman Kelly DeFiciani said.

"Once the final investigation concludes, they could be subject to disciplinary action," DeFiciani said.

During the minute or so observation, the teacher made a series of "negative" and "inappropriate" comments about the Republican president's policies in front of up to 16 seniors, officials said. A parent of a student in the class alerted the district to the incident, she said.

DeFiciani would not characterize the teacher's remarks, but Tony McCann, president of the Shenendehowa Teachers Association, did: "This teacher said she wasn't going to participate, even if Reagan was dead. She didn't think Reagan was the hero that everyone else thought he was."

<snip>
The district is investigating whether the teacher's comments violated Shenendehowa policy. Board policy states: "In cases where staff members are making political endorsements, they should do so on their own time, at places other than school district property, and in a manner that clearly does not appear to represent or to be attributable to the school district."
</snip>

Clifton Park is a very republican suburb of Albany, and it sounds like some jackass parent blew the teacher in... :grr:

This teacher wasn't making a political endorsement, she was speaking the truth about Reagan! Isn't that a teacher's job? To teach???