School aide suspended for remarks to student about Obama

[RamboLiberal]

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The A.W. Beattie Career Center has suspended an instructional aide for "unprofessional and unacceptable" comments about Sen. Barack Obama.

The comments were made Thursday after a 16-year-old student expressed enthusiasm about Mr. Obama's victory in the presidential election.

"Several of the comments attempted to describe, in a supposedly joking fashion, alleged social changes that would occur with Mr. Obama as President," said the release.

The student's mother, Mara Gilligan, told KDKA-TV that the aide had told her biracial daughter that Obama was going to be shot, the U.S. flag would be changed to the KFC flag, and the National Anthem would be changed to "Moving On Up."

The Beattie Center, in McCandless, which provides career and technical education to students in nine North Hills school districts, suspended the aide without pay on Friday.



Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08316/927086-100.stm

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This school is in Southwest Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh. Fire this turkey or maybe make aide write something like "I apologize for being a moronic racist" on the black board, plus a personal apology to the student and her mother, plus public apology to the student body with explanation why it was so wrong?

On edit more from Raw Story:

"One of the teacher's aides ... said that Obama was going to be shot and killed," Mara Gilligan told KDKA News. "And that our flag is going to be the KFC flag and that the new national anthem will be 'Moving On Up' -- and that all my daughter's beliefs were wrong and her children's lives were going to be ruined because Obama was elected."

Gilligan, who is white, said that her biracial daughter took the comments personally. "Being biracial, she was overjoyed that someone of color was elected, and she was so happy and excited to come to school. And for this teacher to yell these things at her and her fellow classmates was just unbelievable."

A teacher at the A.W. Beattie Career Center who overheard the comments filed a complaint with the principal, and Gilligan has since received an email from the administrative director saying the aide would be suspended and disciplined. However, the school would not comment to KDKA on the story.

"You don't have to yell at other people, especially our youth that are excited about the election," Gilligan concluded. "I mean, anybody should want that to happen, especially a teacher, and for you to destroy that joy that they have because of an election is terrible."

Southwestern Pennsylvania was repeatedly cited during the presidential campaign as a stronghold of racist attitudes, and even Rep. John Murtha, who represents a district east of Pittsburgh, aroused controversy when he referred to many of his own constituents as racists.

Two organizations which have been described as explicitly racist appear to be located in Allison Park, where the incident occurred -- the American National Union, which has its mailing address there, and a chapter of the Citizens Councils of America.

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Pennsylvania_teachers_aide_said_Obama_would_1111.html

[JetCityLiberal]

1. 'going to be shot' ???? wtf is WRONG with these scumbags

hell they put their racist asses right out there.

Of course those klan rallies Palin held were hideous and to me made it acceptable for her scummy racist supporters to keep this shit up.

[lapfog_1]

5. The "common accepted wisdom" in my little

red red part of Arizona is that Obama will never take the oath of office.

It's even talked about by the teachers at the local middle school (according to my niece that attends).

I gots to get me a job away from here. Almost anywhere.

[KayLaw]

7. Yep.

Don't know what he did but the Republicans sure are obsessed with killing him. Thanks, Rush and Sean.

[amdezurik]

2. treason and racism all in one package

New and Improved!

[pepperbear]

3. Wow, Murtha had a point then, didn't he? n/t

[HopeHoops]

4. Let me guess - just like with the food stamp thing - "I didn't know KFC was a racial comment!"

Racism is the domain of the small mind.

[RamboLiberal]

6. Statement from the school and a bit more on the story

The A.W. Beattie Career Center Administration received a report Thursday, November 6, that an instructional aide at the Center the previous day made comments to students during a lunch period on Barack Obama's election as president. The aide's comments were in response to a 16-year old Center student who expressed enthusiasm about Mr. Obama's election.

Upon initial investigation, it appears the aide spoke of negative consequences that might occur with M. Obama's administration. It also appears several of the comments attempted to describe, in a supposedly joking fashion, alleged social changes that would occur with Mr. Obama as president. The student became upset with the aide's comments, reported her concerns to a Center teacher, who in turn alerted Center Administration. Center Administration later met with the student's mother about the matter. Center Administration also spoke with the aide.

While the A.W. Beattie Career Center believes student-staff discourse on current events adds positively to the learning environment, based on the initial review, the aide's comments were unprofessional and unacceptable. The Center suspended the aide without pay on Friday, November 7. The suspension is continuing pending further investigation.

The A.W. Beattie Career Center expresses its regrets to the student, her family and to the communities the Center serves that an incident of this type occurred.

http://www.wpxi.com/news/17958036/detail.html

Gilligan said her daughter, who is one of the few minorities at the school, was happy and excited, talking with lunchroom friends about Obama's victory the night before. She said that's when an irate teacher's aide verbally attacked the eleventh grader. And she says he did it again the next day.

"He started laughing and went over to another student, in front of another teacher, and said that 'Oh, guess what they're going to change the flag to? The KFC flag. And they're going to change our national anthem to 'Moving On Up.'' And he said some things that were personally attacking her," Gilligan said.

The school said the teacher's aide was suspended without pay on Friday and that based on the initial investigation the teacher's comments were "unprofessional and unacceptable." The school said the suspension is continuing while they investigate the complaints.

Mara Gilligan wants the aide dismissed and she said she wants the school to help her daughter, who's been the target of racial incidents.

"For her to get some kind of counseling. And for the school to try to help her out in some kind of way. Because she was destroyed by this," Gilligan said.

http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/17956560/detail.html

This story has hit all the local news outlets & the paper and looks like it's going national. Bet this doofus gets a mention on KO.

[Journeyman]

8. A disgruntled idiot told me Bill Clinton would be whacked only a few months after he took office...

and there have been posters here at DU over the years who favored offing all sorts of BushCo members, so passionate stupidity is not restricted by either color or party.

That said, there seems to be much more of it this time, engendered in part by McCain/Palin's hateful rhetoric and, regrettably, the ingrained racism within this nation. It's my hope incidents such as this will receive the swift and sure punishment they deserve, to discourage others from acting on their own idiotic impulses.

Personally, I don't expect President Obama to be at any greater risk than other Presidents have been, but unfettered talk like this would certainly have an impact on public perceptions and damage the opportunity we have for meaningful change, both in our society and within ourselves.