Middle School Teacher In Trouble Over Presidential Photo?

[RamboLiberal]

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/news/WABC_100304_middleschoolteacher.html

You might say it is a symbol of the Great American Divide, a teacher putting up a picture of President Bush in the classroom. Some say it is partisanship while others say it is patriotism.

Rita Bianco, Parent: "Children should know their president and their first lady!"

Parents expressing outrage after a teacher is kicked out of her public school for hanging a picture of President Bush next to pictures of other presidents in her classroom.

Shiba Pillai-Diaz, Teacher: "It happened on a small bulletin board near the American flag and also with a poster of the Declaration of Independence."

This is Crossroads South Middle School in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey. On Thursday, there was a back-to-school night for parents of students. Veteran English teacher Shiba Pillai-Diaz says she was shocked when three parents confronted her. The three, insisting the teacher either add John Kerry's photo to the montage of presidents or remove the Bush photo. When Pillai-Diaz refused, she says the school's vice-principal threatened her job which is an act that has parents here fuming.

As much as I hate the doofus in the Oval Office now - I side with the teacher on this one. If it's up there with other presidental photos then to me it's part of our history. If it was up there alone then I think in a school setting it's politics.

[jean]

1. if she had bush's picture up since 2001 I'd say okay. Putting it up now

is suspect and I would raise a stink.

[Wednesdays]

111. PEOPLE--read this before continuing!

http://www.sbschools.org / (click on scrolling link at top)

Announcements from the South Brunswick Board of Education
October 3, 2004
District Statement Regarding Bulletin Board at Crossroads Middle School

In an incident that has recently been reported to several media sources, a claim has been made by South Brunswick Middle School teacher Shiba Pillai-Diaz, that she was fired for not removing a picture of President George W. Bush from a classroom bulletin board. The claim is false. While I am normally reluctant to discuss personnel matters in public, Ms. Pillai-Diaz’ distortions of the facts, along with her aggressive efforts to get herself national media attention, leaves the district no choice but to set the record straight.

The facts are as follows:

Ms. Pillai-Diaz is a new Language Arts teacher in the South Brunswick Schools. Recently, the school administration began receiving complaints from students and parents that Ms. Pillai-Diaz was using her position, classroom and teaching time to engage in partisan politics. Students reported that she had made statements which denigrated one party over the other. The conversations included Ms. Pillai-Diaz telling some students who offered opinions contrary to her statements, that she was “glad they were not old enough to vote.” Other comments to students, including such statements as, “you should be ashamed to be a Democrat” have been verified through student interviews.

A classroom bulletin board, normally intended for curriculum-related matters, was set up as what she herself described as a “personal bulletin board.” On the bulletin board she placed a picture of the President, the President's dog, the Oval Office and several other Presidential artifacts. In addition, she placed a stuffed elephant on a classroom cabinet, which generated student reaction and discussion about partisan politics.

Following receipt of complaints from parents, the Assistant Principal met with Ms. Pillai-Diaz and cautioned her not to engage in partisan political discussions in her Language Arts classes. He did not initially ask her to remove the picture of the President. As the issue grew in intensity, the teacher herself chose to remove the stuffed elephant because of student comments. In the ensuing days, parents expressed increasing concern about the teacher's classroom behavior, the misuse of classroom instructional time and the personal bulletin board. The level of concern resulted in a classroom confrontation between some parents and Ms. Pillai-Diaz at the Back-to-School night program. It was at this point that the school administration decided to intervene again.

On Friday morning, October 1, Ms. Pillai-Diaz was directed by the Assistant Principal to remove bulletin board materials because they were being viewed as contributing to an ongoing disruption of the teaching-learning environment. She refused. She then met with the Principal who repeated the directive. At this point, Ms. Pillai-Diaz abruptly left the building, abandoning her post of duty and her classroom responsibilities.

At no time was she told to leave, asked to leave or given authorization to leave. School was still in session. At no time was she told she was suspended or fired. With professional responsibilities of a classroom teacher waiting, Ms. Pillai-Diaz chose, of her own volition, to walk out of the school, contact various media sources and claim she had been fired.

I had occasion to meet with Ms. Pillai-Diaz, along with a union representative and a police escort that she had requested, for approximately two hours when she returned to the building later that same afternoon. After listening to her story, I asked if any member of the administration had used the phrase "you're fired" or anything that remotely sounded like it. She admitted that no one had used any such language. When I further pursued why she reported to media sources that she had been fired, she said that she "thought" that she had been. I explained that principals cannot fire employees, that only Boards of Education can do so. With her union representative present, she said that she now understood. I asked that when she next spoke with the media, that she clarify her new understanding.
I fully support the actions of the Principal and Assistant Principal. It is never acceptable for a teacher to utilize the classroom to advocate for political purposes or advance personal beliefs. The courts have always admonished teachers for proselytizing in public school classrooms. This issue is not about a picture of the President, but rather a zealous misuse of seventh and eighth grade student instructional time.

The South Brunswick School community is enormously respectful of the Office of the President of the United States, President Bush and the democratic process for choosing our President. Anyone trying to suggest the contrary has the worst of intentions. Under other circumstances, the display of a picture of the President would have been viewed as completely appropriate and uncontroversial. It is important to note that pictures of President Bush are openly displayed in all of the South Brunswick Schools. The teacher’s own actions here, however, took it out of the realm of education and made the presentation appear partisan to many of our students and parents. Under these circumstances, our actions in directing the removal of the display were singularly appropriate.

Gary P. McCartney Ed D.
Superintendent of Schools
South Brunswick School District

I know, I know, this is a reprint of message #45, but too many people are skipping over the entire thread and making comments without getting the full story! :argh:

[ReadTomPaine]

113. Thanks for posting this at the head of the thread - EVERYONE READ THIS.

RTP

[ReadTomPaine]

112. READ POST #45 BEFORE RESPONDNG - SCHOOL DISTRICT SAYS SHE'S LYING/RNC TIES

Posted in caps at head of thread to get attention of thread readers

RTP

[demnan]

2. Yeah, I side with the teacher as well

the President is still the President of the United States and that is noteworthy without being necessarily indoctrinational.

[Hawkeye-X]

8. I actually disagree.

This president is not legitimately elected under the Constitution, therefore we are still in a current constitutional crisis, and must be rectified on November 2, 2004 or earlier.

Hawkeye-X

[n2mark]

17. This does not surprise me

There are many children coming home from school telling their parents and grandparents to vote for Shrub or wanting to know who are why they are casting their vote. This bothers me, These same children can name the reasons why Shrub should be selected again.! Politics in public schools concerns me. The children are against Kerry because this is what their teacher told them. This is what several grandparents are telling me.

[ElectroPrincess]

52. Politics in school is a reality ...

My daughter was being "worked on" by a little friend at her grade school to vote for *. She finally shut her little buddy up by saying, "I can vote for anyone I want and I want to vote for Kerry." The little boy came back and stated that her decision to vote for Kerry in the school poll was "OK by him" because we live in a Democracy.

What spoils this happy ending is that this is the same kid who told my daughter not to befriend anyone who *looks like an Afghan.* WTF could that possibly mean?!? It's hard to be angry specifically with the child because it's his parents who are instilling such prejudice in him.

[Sparky McGruff]

86. Stay away from kids that look like afghans

I agree. Those dogs are sort of creepy, and I'd stay well away from any kid who looked like that!

[sisenor]

118. BUSH's divisiveness spills down to our kids

Your post demonstrates how Bush (the supposed uniter not divider) is really putting wedges between families, neighbors, co-workers, and now, young classmates. What makes me sad about the effects of his administration is that they DIVIDE AND CONQUER without regard to family, community, country. Even the supposed left wing of this country is now split between supporting Kerry or Nader.

AND AS for that teacher, she should move to a dictatorship where the dictator's picture is ever-present!

[Mike Daniels]

100. Where is there any indication that the teacher is promoting Bush?

Deleted by poster upon reading further down the thread.

[ScreamingMeemie]

104. I think you can stop now after reading post 45.

:hi:

[mistertrickster]

115. Agreed! Teachers can't use their position of authority to ram their

political views down students' throats.

I teach in a community college, and I often bring in articles from right-wingers (Cal Thomas) and tear them apart for logical fallacies. But then I have to find something on the left as "equal time" to criticise. Thank goodness for CBS and the forged memos, heh.

I'm a teacher first and a left wing ideologue second. That's the BIG difference between us and them. They are ideologues FIRST and whatever (teachers, judges, journalists etc.) second.

[auburngrad82]

38. they interviewed her on the news this weekend

She works for the Bush campaign and was a delegate at the RNC. There's no way it's a non-partisan display.

[tishaLA]

61. Thank you for that important detail

it changes everything.

[Mike Daniels]

101. No it doesn't change anything

Deleted by posted upon learing that he should read entire threads before commenting on anything.

[ScreamingMeemie]

102. Perhaps not, but THIS does....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=883064&mesg_id=883317&page=

[republicansareevil]

103. please read post #45

The school board has issued a statement which contradicts this story in many important ways.

[ixion]

3. I've been thinking about this one, and it doesn't add up

it smells of a Rove scheme to 'out' the 'liberal' bias in education. With all the hoopla about parrotism (sic) I find this event suspicious.

:tinfoilhat:

[Media_Lies_Daily]

7. I sounds like a very large "red herring" to me as well.

[Xipe Totec]

20. Kerry should express support for the Teacher Quickly

If this is another Karl Rove trick then the fastest way to defuse the issue is for Kerry to express support for the teacher and for the principle of respect for the Presidential institution.

It could even work in Big John's favor.

[Dhalgren]

24. I agree. This article is total bullshit!

No teacher anywhere in the country would be reprimanded for placing the picture of the current president along side the pictures of all the former ones. This is a ridiculous fraud. Either there is much more to this than is being reported or it is a "Liberals want to ban your Bible" POS...

[crossroads]

54. I agree! n/t

:dem:

[Eye and Monkey]

74. Parlockery

[DemBones DemBones]

91. PARLOCKERY! File that in memory for future. . . nt

[proud patriot]

4. I have to agree with you there, she had a picture of each President

as much as it pains me to say it .

[Amigust]

79. If she had one of each president, and she is a Bush fan,

how is it that she didn't ALREADY have one of her boy up there with the rest? Is she a new teacher to that classroom?

[LiberalFighter]

80. There is nothing about her having all of the other presidents included

[progressivebydesign]

5. I side with the teacher.. HOWEVER.. it all depends upon how it's done.

If it was somehow done in a fashion that was politically motivated, if that was not allowed, then it's not okay. I mean.. if it's an actual campaign item she put up. I can't believe some parents would actually confront her about the photo, unless somehow she went over the line in presenting it. He IS the president (well, kinda) after all. They have that right.

[artboy]

6. Yup...

we may not like him..or agree with him...but he is the President...and unfortunately he will go down in the history books as one. John Kerry has not earned the right to be there.........

least wise........


not yet!!!!!!!

[Media_Lies_Daily]

12. Oh, please...FratBoy never earned the right to be president....

...he took the job illegally as part of the December Coup of 2000.

He may be YOUR president, but he's not mine and never will be.

[AngryOldDem]

97. Unfortunately, as far as history is concerned,

as well as presidential succession, he is the president. How should he be listed in the history books? Should he be treated like a disputed baseball record, with an asterisk after his name every time it appears?

My bigger concern is how the teacher is talking about him and the election in the classroom. But if it's just a wall of presidential mugshots, I really don't see the problem.

[Xipe Totec]

9. The Teacher Is Correct. Respect For The Institution

As much as I hate the chimp I don't want the presidency destroyed in the process.

[LibDemAlways]

10. If anyone's picture deserves to be

up there, it's Gore -- since he was actually elected in 2000. Personally I can't stand to look at the chimp and wouldn't want to be in a room with his picture every day. That said, the Supremes picked the idiot, and if the teacher wants to display his picture, that's her right.

[Ready4Change]

11. I see no problem with this.

Bush 43 is a president just as all his predecesors, and should have a place on that wall.

Now, if it had been a Bush/Cheney 2004 poster, that would be different.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

27. Nope, sorry...even Ford, as an unelected VP and later as our first....

...unelected president, deserves to be listed as a president. At least he was appointed through normal channels.

FratBoy, on the other hand, deserves only to be on the Post Office wall under the heading "FBI's Most Wanted" for his role in the December Coup of 2000.

[0007]

13. This sounds like campaign BS

[Kokonoe]

14. I'm not to sure,

She was a delegate to the republican convention, and seems to be mixing her personally signed photo and other memorabilia with her public classroom.

[Amigust]

82. Personally signed, NO WAY does that belong in the classroom

at this particular time, because it automatically elicits more attention and adulation from very impressionable kids.

[glitch]

15. since we're in the middle of an election season it would be appropriate to

put up both the picture of Bush side by side with Kerry, and explain the election campaign process. Put up photos of the other candidates as well, what's the big deal?

Bizarre to refuse.

[proud2BlibKansan]

76. I teach in MO

and it's illegal here to post info on one candidate and not the other or one side of an issue and not the other side. A teacher in a suburb here in KC got in big trouble a few weeks ago for having a Bush bumper sticker on his classroom wall. He had to either put up a Kerry sticker or take the Bush sticker down.

In this situation in NJ, if the Bush pic was part of a display of the presidents, I see nothing wrong with it. BUT if it's an autographed picture and displayed in such a way that it gets more attention than the other prez pics, then it's not right.

And I have a confession to make. My presidential pix are old - I bought them when Clinton was prez. Rather than find a picture of Bush to add to the display, I just wrote his name in the space where the picture belongs. I wasn't deliberately slamming Bush, I just never got around to getting a picture of him to put up. It's been there over 3 years and no one has ever said anything to me about it. I hope no angry parents say anything. :spank:

[mark11727]

116. Try this, or an old copy of MAD magazine...

[Lithos]

16. Not sure

But I wonder if what she posted was a political handout picture from the GOP party. If so, then that is indeed partisan.

Otherwise, if she posted a governmental picture (generic) just to have something up there to discuss the election with her students, then I would side with her. Teachers are after all trying to educate the students about the upcoming election and the history/process behind it.

However, ABC's story was vague and seems like some things were purposefully left out in order to create a bigger sensation than there probably is.

[LiberalFighter]

78. Either the whole story has been reported or parts missing

There is nothing about other presidents included. If there are other presidents included are they everyone or for the past 20 or 30 years or what?

I wouldn't have a problem if it didn't include Kerry as long as it was including everyone of the presidents or within a time period and does not exclude Democrats.

The other part of the story indicates that she is an English teacher so there wouldn't be any basis for it being part of any class instruction.

A history, government or other political related class would be the place photos of past and current presidents would be posted. Any other class would be somewhat suspect.

Reviewing the story again I would have to say that the teacher was politicizing her class. It is a small bulletin with a montage of presidents? If it was going to be done appropriately there would be photo of each president hung in order. PERIOD!!

Again this is an English teacher and politics is not part of the instruction for that class.

[Mike Daniels]

18. Parents are blowing smoke on this one.

Even if the teacher just posted the picture a week ago, within the context of the display there is nothing wrong with having a picture of Bush and not of Kerry in this instance.

All the complaints are coming from the parents. There's nothing in the article to indicate that the teacher has done anything wrong or has used the picture to make a point to her students.

Sorry, but the teacher is totally within reason here and I hope she's able to raise a bigger stink over this issue.

[bicentennial_baby]

51. Abso-freaking-lutely not!

See post #45. She's a fucking scammer.

[RememberTheCoup]

19. Too many scams have made me suspicious of this story.

IF events transpired exactly as reported, I suppose I would tend to take the teacher's side. However, that photo of the Bushes looked like campaign material to me. I wonder how it compared in size, style, etc. to the other photos. The fact that the vice-principal allegedly threatened the teacher's job and made her leave the building is cause for concern and suggests poor management skills at the least. However, I suspect there may be more here than meets the eye. I'm sure this story will be splashed all over the right-wing "news" outlets, but I'd like to wait for more information before passing judgement.

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[July]

33. I can confirm that the photo is part of a campaign mailing.

We receive stuff from the Bush-Cheney campaign all the time, and even though we never reply, they keep sending it. The picture in the photo is part of a mailing dated April 21, 2004. At the bottom it says:

"To: (name), Thank you for your support and friendship as a Charter Member from New Jersey. With your help we can make America stronger, safer and more prosperous.

Best Wishes,

(signature of Laura Bush) (signature of George Bush)"

Let me repeat that, despite the message, we have never sent one nickel to Bush or the Republican Party. I have saved all the crap they've sent, along with stuff from the Kerry campaign, for my 15-year-old son to compare. The difference in tone is huge.

Anyway, bottom line is, it IS from campaign literature.

[RememberTheCoup]

22. Here is the photo, by the way.

[pennylane100]

32. She should win Ugly art in Classroom award

for hanging such an awful photo up in a room full of children.

She may well have traumatized the children in her class by showing such a ugly deranged couple and presenting them as the First Family.
That in my book makes her guilty of really bad taste.

[RamboLiberal]

36. Since I was just finishing lunch I probably didn't check out

the story as much as I should. I think posting the above photo may be political. She needs to get a generic photo of 43.

IMHO teachers need to keep their politics out of the classroom at an elementary level. Let the kids discuss their opinions without teacher bias.

Above that level I have no problem with the students knowing a teacher's viewpoints as long as the teacher is not an AHole about it.

[Goldmund]

23. If I forget about the fact that any kind of...

...personality cult-worship makes my skin crawl -- including Kerry worship that I sometimes see on DU -- the teacher's in the right.

[JimGinPA]

25. I Get The Feeling...

There is more to this story than is being reported here. It seems a little too confrontational to have been merely about a photo of a president on display in a middle school classroom. I notice there were no interviews of the "complaining" parents and both the principal and assistant-principal took exception to the "display". The story sure feels like it's slanted to make the teacher look victimized.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

28. Maybe it was the caption added to the photo....

"Afred E. Neuman: 'What, me worry?"

[RememberTheCoup]

30. You noticed that too, huh?

Granted, the school officials declined comment, which I think is not unusual. But I would have liked to have heard from some of these parents who allegedly objected to having a photo of Bush. Perhaps their objections are not exactly as they've been characterized. And, I still think the photo looks too much like campaign material. Did someone say it was an autographed photo and that the teacher was a GOP delegate? Perhaps this teacher has a history of inflicting her viewpoints on her students. I have no reason to assume that, but it's certainly possible, and without more information, it can't be ruled out.

[Reciprocity]

64. This smells.

Why didn't ABC go and interview the alleged three parents that complained about the photo.

[daleo]

26. Something does seem fishy about this

I don't know what - maybe it is the reaction of the vice-principal and the parents. It doesn't seem congruent with the facts presented. I think there will be more to this story.

[LizW]

29. Something smells about that story

I'd be willing to bet there's more to it than ABC is saying.

It just seems strange that the parents would get upset about this unless there is something more (like the teacher talking up Bush to the kids).

Dubya's picture is on the wall of the front office of my son's elementary school. It always has been, and it's just not a big deal to me. (We didn't go there during Clinton's administration, so I don't know if he was up there.)

I will make sure John Kerry goes up next January, though. :)

[LiberalFighter]

81. That would be standard for government offices...

although I wouldn't classify schools as such.

There would be a different president photo hung in my dad's office whenever there was a change. And that was only in the lobby/service part of the building.

[vinnievin777]

31. It's just not right.

To scare the children like that.
Vinnie
http://www.vinnievin.com

[hyphenate]

34. As much as I hate

the chimp in chief, I would say that if it had been up all along, well, unfortunately he IS our current president, despite the dubious methods that he used to get the job, and it should have been okay. We're talking a public school here, and all during my years of growing up and being in school, the current president was always pictured somewhere in the classroom or at least someplace in the school, to show who was the president.

On the other hand, I also agree that if the picture were recently put up, in the last six to eight months, then I take it as a silent campaign effort, and think that it should be removed. There would be no qualms if the teacher has put up a poster with, say, presidents from the start up to and including the chimp, because that would have placed it in an historical context.

[BlueNomad]

35. I am sure

Bil O Reilly will be slobbering all over that one...

[colgate]

117. O'Reilly

He had her on TV last night - the total, perfect victim of the godless school authorities. Look for Faux news to continue with this charade for as long as they can milk it.:puke:

[T Wolf]

37. hate to yell, but

CHECK OUT this thread from this morning...

The DU Lounge
Teacher Hangs Pic Of Bush In Her Classroom - Walks Out - Police Called
Discussion started at Mon Oct-04-04 05:13 PM by matcom

It's about five pages back.

[Borgnine]

39. It all depends.

Like others have said, if this photo was up since the Chimp was inserted into office, then I side with the teacher. Public schools usually have a photo of the current president. When I was in elementary school, I remember a photo of H. W. Bush in the halls, and then a photo of Clinton. When I went back there to tutor kids in reading, there was Dubya.

[Terran]

40. Side with the teacher

Those kids need to know who the creep is, right? Know thine enemy, and all that?

[Lucille]

41. The story quotes only Pillai-Diaz and parents supportive of her

Pillai-Diaz says three parents confronted her about the photograph, but how do we know they did? How do we know the controversy is about the photographs and not about Pillai-Diaz using the classroom for her politics? The school says she's not fired; Pillai-Diaz says that she was asked to turn over her keys and leave the building, which she suggests, though doesn't directly say, means she was fired--although she also says she's "not sure" if she's returning tomorrow.

They NYP has more:

http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/29545.htm

Pillai-Diaz said she notified the assistant principal, Mark Daniels, of the brouhaha during a break in the conference and that Daniels defended her right to post the photo.

But yesterday, Pillai-Diaz said Daniels changed his tune and demanded she remove it before her first class.

"He told me that if I care about my employment at the school, I would take down the picture," she said.

When she refused, the matter was taken up by the principal, Jim Warfel, who Pillai-Diaz said accused her of "causing disruption and hatred" with her "inflammatory politics" and told her to "get out" of the building.

Pillai-Diaz said she stormed out of the building and was told by Warfel to hand over her keys.

When she returned for her belongings — after The Post placed calls to school officials — Pillai-Diaz said she was greeted by the superintendent, Gary McCartney
----
I see the New York Post story says that it was not just a photograph of the Pres, but a publicity photo of GW & Laura. It also quotes Pilai-Diaz as claiming the school superintendent "warned her against telling her story to the press, saying 'it will be beyond ability to help' her if she did. "

I agree, this sounds very fishy. If she were disciplined by her principal or if her principal actually told her to take down a non-political bulletin board featuring the presidents, she has a union to protect her. No principal, regardless of his politics, would be crazy enough to do such a thing. It sounds like more is going on here.

On edit: Well, actually there probably are some principals that would be crazy enough to do such a thing...but I do think that there's more to the story than what has been represented by Pillai-Diaz.

[July]

57. See my post above. It's political literature.

Came to me as part of a pitch for money from the Bush-Cheney campaign -- the same picture. I quoted the message at the bottom of the one they sent me.

[Reciprocity]

65. This sounds like she cooked this stunt up during the RNC. n/t

[TexasBushwhacker]

42. Let me tell you about some Principals & Vice-Principals

Having taught for 9 years, I will tell you many, if not most, administrators will absolutely cave to any parent demand. They will not stand up for the teacher.

The fact that the teacher refused to take the picture down at the Vice-Principal's request and he subsequently threatened her job is not surprising. How dare a mere teacher refuse to do something a vice-principal asked, no matter how unreasonable?

However, I will add, she teaches English. If she were a social studies teacher, her bulletin board might have made sense, but what was its purpose in an English classroom?

More coverage here:

http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/29545.htm

"When she returned for her belongings — after The Post placed calls to school officials — Pillai-Diaz said she was greeted by the superintendent, Gary McCartney.

Pillai-Diaz said McCartney warned her against telling her story to the press, saying "it will be beyond ability to help" her if she did. She told The Post she was not sure if she would return to school Monday."

[LiberalFighter]

83. You know what someone should do??

Someone should find out if any of the social studies or other related class has photos of the presidents up and if they have them all OR if they have both candidates?

[Lisa]

43. gee, this would be a great school for the Kerrys to visit ...

As others have pointed out, it would be a no-lose situation. They show up, make polite and supportive comments about the photo display and the importance of history and civics in the classroom, present the teacher with a photo as well (real signatures not a mechanical copy), and talk about "the office of the presidency" and "bipartisanship". And even if the teacher is a Bush supporter, how could she say no to such a "teachable moment"? My guess is the kids would be thrilled.

[Lucille]

44. The school board has issued a statement

Sorry to say, I found this at Free Repubic

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1234967/posts

Thank you for your comments. Below I am including and attaching a statement from the District that was released to the press Sunday, October 3, 2004 with the facts surrounding the incident. Hopefully these facts will help clarify the situation.

October 3, 2004

District Statement Regarding Bulletin Board at Crossroads Middle School

In an incident that has recently been reported to several media sources, a claim has been made by South Brunswick Middle School teacher Shiba Pillai-Diaz, that she was fired for not removing a picture of President George W. Bush from a classroom bulletin board. The claim is false. While I am normally reluctant to discuss personnel matters in public, Ms. Pillai-Diaz¹ distortions of the facts, along with her aggressive efforts to get herself national media attention, leaves the district no choice but to set the record straight.

The facts are as follows:

Ms. Pillai-Diaz is a new Language Arts teacher in the South Brunswick Schools. Recently, the school administration began receiving complaints from students and parents that Ms. Pillai-Diaz was using her position, classroom and teaching time to engage in partisan politics. Students reported that she had made statements which denigrated one party over the other. The conversations included Ms. Pillai-Diaz telling some students who offered opinions contrary to her statements, that she was ³glad they were not old enough to vote.² Other comments to students, including such statements as, ³you should be ashamed to be a Democrat² have been verified through student interviews.

A classroom bulletin board, normally intended for curriculum-related matters, was set up as what she herself described as a ³personal bulletin board.² On the bulletin board she placed a picture of the President, the President's dog, the Oval Office and several other Presidential artifacts. In addition, she placed a stuffed elephant on a classroom cabinet, which generated student reaction and discussion about partisan politics.

Following receipt of complaints from parents, the Assistant Principal met with Ms. Pillai-Diaz and cautioned her not to engage in partisan political discussions in her Language Arts classes. He did not initially ask her to remove the picture of the President. As the issue grew in intensity, the teacher herself chose to remove the stuffed elephant because of student comments. In the ensuing days, parents expressed increasing concern about the teacher's classroom behavior, the misuse of classroom instructional time and the personal bulletin board. The level of concern resulted in a classroom confrontation between some parents and Ms. Pillai-Diaz at the Back-to-School night program. It was at this point that the school administration decided to intervene again.

On Friday morning, October 1, Ms. Pillai-Diaz was directed by the Assistant Principal to remove bulletin board materials because they were being viewed as contributing to an ongoing disruption of the teaching-learning environment. She refused. She then met with the Principal who repeated the directive. At this point, Ms. Pillai-Diaz abruptly left the building, abandoning her post of duty and her classroom responsibilities.

At no time was she told to leave, asked to leave or given authorization to leave. School was still in session. At no time was she told she was suspended or fired. With professional responsibilities of a classroom teacher waiting, Ms. Pillai-Diaz chose, of her own volition, to walk out of the school, contact various media sources and claim she had been fired.

I had occasion to meet with Ms. Pillai-Diaz, along with a union representative and a police escort that she had requested, for approximately two hours when she returned to the building later that same afternoon. After listening to her story, I asked if any member of the administration had used the phrase "you're fired" or anything that remotely sounded like it. She admitted that no one had used any such language. When I further pursued why she reported to media sources that she had been fired, she said that she "thought" that she had been. I explained that principals cannot fire employees, that only Boards of Education can do so. With her union representative present, she said that she now understood. I asked that when she next spoke with the media, that she clarify her new understanding.

I fully support the actions of the Principal and Assistant Principal. It is never acceptable for a teacher to utilize the classroom to advocate for political purposes or advance personal beliefs. The courts have always admonished teachers for proselytizing in public school classrooms. This issue is not about a picture of the President, but rather a zealous misuse of seventh and eighth grade student instructional time.

The South Brunswick School community is enormously respectful of the Office of the President of the United States, President Bush and the democratic process for choosing our President. Anyone trying to suggest the contrary has the worst of intentions. Under other circumstances, the display of a picture of the President would have been viewed as completely appropriate and uncontroversial. It is important to note that pictures of President Bush are openly displayed in all of the South Brunswick Schools. The teacher¹s own actions here, however, took it out of the realm of education and made the presentation appear partisan to many of our students and parents. Under these circumstances, our actions in directing the removal of the display were singularly appropriate.

Gary P. McCartney Ed D.

Superintendent of Schools

South Brunswick School District

This Marks the end of the statement.

[LiberalFighter]

84. THAT clears it up completely and shows the teacher was in the wrong

[RememberTheCoup]

45. STATEMENT BY SCHOOL DISTRICT

EDIT: Sorry, Lucille. I didn't see your post when I posted this. But at least this link doesn't go to free republic.

Guess we were right to be suspicious...

http://www.sbschools.org/ (click on scrolling link at top)

Announcements from the South Brunswick Board of Education
October 3, 2004
District Statement Regarding Bulletin Board at Crossroads Middle School

In an incident that has recently been reported to several media sources, a claim has been made by South Brunswick Middle School teacher Shiba Pillai-Diaz, that she was fired for not removing a picture of President George W. Bush from a classroom bulletin board. The claim is false. While I am normally reluctant to discuss personnel matters in public, Ms. Pillai-Diaz’ distortions of the facts, along with her aggressive efforts to get herself national media attention, leaves the district no choice but to set the record straight.

The facts are as follows:

Ms. Pillai-Diaz is a new Language Arts teacher in the South Brunswick Schools. Recently, the school administration began receiving complaints from students and parents that Ms. Pillai-Diaz was using her position, classroom and teaching time to engage in partisan politics. Students reported that she had made statements which denigrated one party over the other. The conversations included Ms. Pillai-Diaz telling some students who offered opinions contrary to her statements, that she was “glad they were not old enough to vote.” Other comments to students, including such statements as, “you should be ashamed to be a Democrat” have been verified through student interviews.

A classroom bulletin board, normally intended for curriculum-related matters, was set up as what she herself described as a “personal bulletin board.” On the bulletin board she placed a picture of the President, the President's dog, the Oval Office and several other Presidential artifacts. In addition, she placed a stuffed elephant on a classroom cabinet, which generated student reaction and discussion about partisan politics.

Following receipt of complaints from parents, the Assistant Principal met with Ms. Pillai-Diaz and cautioned her not to engage in partisan political discussions in her Language Arts classes. He did not initially ask her to remove the picture of the President. As the issue grew in intensity, the teacher herself chose to remove the stuffed elephant because of student comments. In the ensuing days, parents expressed increasing concern about the teacher's classroom behavior, the misuse of classroom instructional time and the personal bulletin board. The level of concern resulted in a classroom confrontation between some parents and Ms. Pillai-Diaz at the Back-to-School night program. It was at this point that the school administration decided to intervene again.

On Friday morning, October 1, Ms. Pillai-Diaz was directed by the Assistant Principal to remove bulletin board materials because they were being viewed as contributing to an ongoing disruption of the teaching-learning environment. She refused. She then met with the Principal who repeated the directive. At this point, Ms. Pillai-Diaz abruptly left the building, abandoning her post of duty and her classroom responsibilities.

At no time was she told to leave, asked to leave or given authorization to leave. School was still in session. At no time was she told she was suspended or fired. With professional responsibilities of a classroom teacher waiting, Ms. Pillai-Diaz chose, of her own volition, to walk out of the school, contact various media sources and claim she had been fired.

I had occasion to meet with Ms. Pillai-Diaz, along with a union representative and a police escort that she had requested, for approximately two hours when she returned to the building later that same afternoon. After listening to her story, I asked if any member of the administration had used the phrase "you're fired" or anything that remotely sounded like it. She admitted that no one had used any such language. When I further pursued why she reported to media sources that she had been fired, she said that she "thought" that she had been. I explained that principals cannot fire employees, that only Boards of Education can do so. With her union representative present, she said that she now understood. I asked that when she next spoke with the media, that she clarify her new understanding.
I fully support the actions of the Principal and Assistant Principal. It is never acceptable for a teacher to utilize the classroom to advocate for political purposes or advance personal beliefs. The courts have always admonished teachers for proselytizing in public school classrooms. This issue is not about a picture of the President, but rather a zealous misuse of seventh and eighth grade student instructional time.

The South Brunswick School community is enormously respectful of the Office of the President of the United States, President Bush and the democratic process for choosing our President. Anyone trying to suggest the contrary has the worst of intentions. Under other circumstances, the display of a picture of the President would have been viewed as completely appropriate and uncontroversial. It is important to note that pictures of President Bush are openly displayed in all of the South Brunswick Schools. The teacher’s own actions here, however, took it out of the realm of education and made the presentation appear partisan to many of our students and parents. Under these circumstances, our actions in directing the removal of the display were singularly appropriate.

Gary P. McCartney Ed D.
Superintendent of Schools
South Brunswick School District

[MallRat]

50. ANOTHER PARLOCK.... BUSTED!

For god's sake... don't ANY of these people have scruples? Why does every single fucking one of them aspire to be some two-bit mini-Machiavelli in their hometowns?

I say we crucify these motherfuckers on this one. Let's put New Jersey in the win column once and for all.

-MR

[demoman123]

53. No, Ms. Pillai-Diaz is a frootloop (IMHO).

Plunking for Bush in her elementary school class? This is bizarre behavior even for New Jersey! :)

[JimGinPA]

66. This Certainly Explains It

As I stated earlier, I didn't think the initial report was the entire story. Thanks for the clarification.

[peekaloo]

73. lol.......typical Boo$h true believer.....her story was based on

assumptions and a lack of understanding basic facts.

leave the idiot behind.

Thank you for posting this statement, RTC.

[MirrorAshes]

77. wow. excoriated her.

owned.

[JerseygirlCT]

106. Ah! This makes MUCH more sense! The original story just seemed -m

OFF somehow.

Even on the Newsmax site, they let slip that there was more than just a picture of Bush displayed.

And I'd even have gone so far as to say it would have been more proper to display the Bush picture without the signature and note -- which clearly indicates that the teacher supports Bush.

Teachers need to keep their political views private -- especially at this level. It's just the professional thing to do.

[tanyev]

46. Starting to sound Parlockian.

:nopity:

[On the Road]

47. I Don't See Anything Wrong with the Teacher's Actions

unless there's something else about the presentation that's not mentioned.

I also question the story. Often when you look into cases of supposedly outrageous treatment the specifics are a little different than they are supposed to be.

For example, let's say the principal got a complaint from a parent and visited the teacher to see the picture and ask what the commotion was. And instead of defending her actions, the teacher popped off and yelled at the principal. A scenario like that is entirely possible, much more than a reprimand for simply adding Bush to a list of US presidents.

On Edit: Just read Lucille's post (#44). Doesn't surprise me a bit.

[demoman123]

56. Click here.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=883064#883317

[SoonerShankle]

48. Used in this manner, it is litigous....

should they fire or reprimand her. Regardless of how DU'ers may feel about George W. Bush (myself included), we cannot lose sight of the fact that he is the President of the United States. This teacher featuring the presidents, and teaching about the role of the president, and even teaching respect for the office of the president is an honorable thing. We should applaud her.:D

I, on the other hand, post pictures of John Kerry in my room with a token picture of the president. If a student or parent complained, I would be obligated to revise my presentation of the material to be less biased. Students are deemed a captive audience, so while I may put bumper stickers on my car and park it legally at school, I may run into trouble wearing a button promoting one candidate during class time. Student free expression is protected to a degree (see Tinker vs. Des Moines), but teachers are bound by ethics in that we cannot tell students how to believe....

[Democat]

67. She was lying about almost everything - she is a Republican liar

Read this:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=883064#883317

She could be fired for walking out while the students were waiting for her in class if nothing else.

[w4rma]

49. Did she have picutures of only GOP presidents? Or Bush & historically

well-known and well-liked presidents, such as Kennedy and the Roosevelts?

More context is needed. And I think the newspaper left that context out because it was unfavorable to this Republican delegate and campaign worker.

[demoman123]

55. Read the statement by the school district posted in this thread.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=883064#883317

[Paradise]

58. I side with the teacher for the reasons you gave. n/t

[w4rma]

69. Then you didn't read this. This lady is pathological.

STATEMENT BY SCHOOL DISTRICT
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=883064&mesg_id=883317

[Paradise]

89. No, I hadn't read that, and thanks. n/t

[mumon]

59. if they put GORE'S picture up, I'd say OK.

Bush is not a legitimately elected president.

[snippy]

60. The teacher is a republican liar. But I repeat myself. n/t

[SquireJons]

62. I Smell a Rat

How muchya want to bet these characters were pug operatives?

[Kimber Scott]

63. Unfortunately, he is the President. Kerry's not... yet.

Teacher's right.

[Democat]

68. She is not right, she was lying about getting fired and about everything

She is a Republican liar trying to harm the self esteem of students who do not support the Republican Party:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=883064&mesg_id=883317&page=

[jackieforthedems]

70. Lol - I Think It's A Good Sign!

[OutInTheBack40]

71. What a load of petty nonsense

I recall nearly all my secondary school rooms having pictures of the current presidents and their families. I don't recall ever seeing any opposition photos either. This carrying election baiting too far.

[tanyev]

72. My turn.

Please read the statement issued by the school board, post 45.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=883064&mesg_id=883317&page=

[SoCalDem]

75. Every classroom I was ever in had a picture of the current president

I can still remember how sad we were when we had to put Johnson's picture up.. The homeroom teacher left Kennedy's up too.. No one complained :cry:

[Jaybird]

85. my daughters classroom...

....has had shrubs picture hanging in her classrooms the past 2 years, and her kindergarten teacher is a big time democrat. i saw her at a kerry rally in my town. she was sitting in the front row whooping it up with a big smile on her face while kerry was speaking. when my son was at the same grade school back in 96 until 2000, his classrooms had clintons photo. i think some teachers and schools put the presidents picture up as a learning tool . i see nothing wrong with this as long as they do it this way, but not as a political statement.

[CHICKEN CAPITOL USA]

87. I gota Presidential photo for ya !

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[scarface2004]

88. sounds like a phony fox news...

or drudgereport story to me!!

[kayell]

90. Her story has been debunked by the school board, the original story is a

classic example of the "liberal" media not doing their job and getting more than one side of the story.

She was engaging in rabid partisan politics in the classroom, parents objected, principal asked her to remove offending material (sounded like a * shrine), she stomped off the job in a huff. She fed her Parlockian story to the media, who happily swallowed the swill. There are lots of links up thread to the full story.

[Tight_rope]

92. As much as I hate the Chimp in Chief....I think they shouldn't fire her!

Only thing on there is that she should post underneath the picture that Bush* is the Resident in the White House. Not the president...he was not elected by the people!

[kayell]

93. Oh for Petes sake - read the whole thread. Why, why do we believe the

damn first story that the media gives us. We know that they lie, that they spin, and yet we still seem unable to spot it, even when it's obvious that we aren't being given the full story. In fact, the first story is virtually all fabrication from only one source - the teacher. Go up thread and read the school boards statement.

Sheesh!

[Flammable Materials]

94. "Manufacturing Persecution" ... The New GOP Fad. n/t

[snippy]

108. Bush will count this as an increase in manufacturing jobs. n/t

[AngryOldDem]

95. I agree

>>>As much as I hate the doofus in the Oval Office now - I side with the teacher on this one. If it's up there with other presidental photos then to me it's part of our history. If it was up there alone then I think in a school setting it's politics.>>>

He is the president, and if there is a montage showing ALL presidents, he has a rightful place. Now -- if this were something concerning the election, then of course Kerry's picture and bio need to be up there as well.

This is PC taken to a ridiculous extreme, IMHO.

[kayell]

99. That's because you, like so many others here, haven't bothered to

read the whole thread. I can't believe all the people here buying the first story out of the media. After 4 years of *, and 12 years of solid spin from the alleged "liberal" media, haven't we learned the first thing about being skeptical about this kind of spin?!

The original story relies on NOTHING but what the teacher had to say, most of which appears to be flat out LIES. Read the thread. There are numerous places where the school boards version of what happened is both quoted and linked - the story that never made it into ABCs Parlockian spin fable.

It isn't PC garbage - it is a fake story, distantly related to what actually happened.

[Lerkfish]

114. its not their fault...the way these threads are structured...

it makes it hard to find a clarifying thread midway through.
Many are responding to the initial thread before reading the whole thread.

It would be nice if the first poster could include a link to the clarifying thread, and thereby relieve confusion.

[ScreamingMeemie]

96. I still am having trouble seeing where this is a problem...

We had all the presidents up when I was in school. It's normal. I don't think they are telling the whole story here. For it to smell, she would have had to have had them bowing their heads in prayer for the first family or some such activity. It doesn't make sense. :shrug:

[Bridget Burke]

98. Please check post #45 for the whole story.

The teacher involved was doing some serious politicking in class.

[ScreamingMeemie]

105. Thank you Bridget. Of course the freepers will ignore that. Is she

good friends with Mr. Parlock??? :shrug:

[noonwitch]

107. I side with the teacher-it was a sort of civics lesson board

She had copies of documents like the Declaration of Independence and White House post cards-a picture of the current president is not inappropriate for that kind of thing.

Even if the teacher was an out and out conservative republican who discussed her views with her class, I don't really have a problem with it as long as she's up front about it. Kids need to be exposed to differing viewpoints-it helps them to learn what they truly believe for themselves.

[snippy]

109. According to the School Board, it sounds more like a shrine to Bush. n/t

[republicansareevil]

110. That's because you've heard only one side of the story.

Please read post 45 - the statement from the school district. This teacher is lying.

[Lucille]

119. She left her classroom unattended. She walked out to call reporters.

Forget the bulletin board (which she described as a "Personal board" and was filled with GWB-related artifacts, including a picture of Barney). Forget the fact that she kept an elephant displayed in a cabinet, or the fact that she may have demeaned and intimidated 12-year old kids who disagreed with her politics. She's not the first disrespectful, mean-spirited, kooky teacher around, and she won't be the last. However, she did something that will likely result in her termination if not the loss of her license.

She had a disagreement with her principal, then she walked out of her classroom while school was in session, leaving her students unattended.