I’ll just give you excerpts of the following article, but please go read it in its entirety. I am holding back from posting anything else today because this is a good one for us to hammer out.
Teacher who said district violated First Amendment rights is awarded $396,000
Published Tuesday, February 28, 2006
by Nicol Jenkins
A former social studies teacher who said his First Amendment rights were violated has received a $396,000 jury award.
Curtis Sherrod, an African American, and former Olympic Heights social studies teacher said after the award: “The district Superintendent violated my constitutional rights and the School Board didn’t make any effort to look into this.”
Four years ago Sherrod filed a $15 million First Amendment lawsuit against the School District of Palm Beach County. He alleged he wasn’t permitted to incorporate African American studies into his Boca Raton classroom. This past week Sherrod received an award from a federal court jury.
“There needs to be a 12-week class with teachers learning African America History,” he said. “I hope the School District realizes what needs to be done in areas of African American studies and the exploration of African American athletes.”
He said it was because of his teachings and request to coach football that he was fired from Olympic Heights in 2002. He was then sent to another district school.
“Sherrod acknowledged “I got complaints from parents every year that I was concentrating too much on African American history.” However, he persisted, that the former Olympic Heights school management “violated my rights of freedom of speech, and they retaliated against me.”
Sherrod also spoke out about what he calls the “plantation state of the football system in Palm Beach County.”
“It’s white management and black laborers. All white coaching staff and mainly 70 percent black players,” Sherrod said. “And what’s happening is we have kids that could be going to school but because there’s no connection being made they are not. And it’s because the white coaches don’t care and they look down on small black schools and it’s devastating.”
Sherrod said he hasn’t given up his dream to influence children. He’s teaching middle school social studies at Delray-Boynton Academy. (more…)
Now for starters, we have to assume here that the classroom was made up of mostly white students ’cause I do not think black parents would have complained.
Keeping that in mind, is this a case of his freedom of speech being violated?
Imagine this: (assuming that you are black) You are a parent of a child that attends a mostly black public school in your community. The teacher (who is white) incorporates a large amount of black crime statistics into his lesson plan. He also talks about the effects of black on white crime. This is a subject close to this teacher’s heart because both his mother and sister were mugged by black men and saw how the court system gave them a slap on the wrist. This teacher doesn’t hate black people, but he feels that this is an issue that should be incorporated in the lesson plan. Parents complain which eventually causes him to loose his job. Has this teacher’s (in this example) right to freedom of speech been violated?
fyi: I think that Sherrod (the real teacher) is correct to point out the ugly nature of the sports industry, so don’t assume that I am discounting his complete argument. The angles to this story are:
#Is it fair to force your opinions on the children of taxpayers?
#Does this teacher know better than the parents?
#Where exactly is the line of demarcation for freedom of speech in the classroom for the teacher?
There are other angles here, but I’ll let you guys point them out.
Is it fair to force your opinions on the children of taxpayers?
No. that why we homeschool.
NO.that why we homeschool.
freedom of speech: yuo can ant thing you want but we do not have to pay you to say it.
There is no clear cut answer in the scenario you provided. What type of class was the teacher teaching? Is it a civics class or a math class? In the math class it would be in appropriate. But in a civics class it might be reasonable to discuss this issue. But there is a huge difference between discussion and preaching. It is my belief that teachers should be given the necessary tools to teach. About the teacher that was awarded the money. I have mixed feelings. We have become a very litigious society. If you step on my shoe I get to sue you. So hooray for standing up for your rights. But the love of money is the root of all evil. I would be interested to see what he does with that money. Just a thought.
“But the love of money is the root of all evil.
Stop useing bible you do not belive it.
Who said I don’t believe in the bible? I am the truest type of believer!!! I accept the bible on it’s face value. I read the words in it. I don’t try to twist and turn its text in a manner that suits my argument of the day. I believe hold heartedly that it is a version of the truth of Jesus’ walk here on earth no matter how incomplete.
” I believe hold heartedly that it is a “version” of the truth of Jesus’ walk here on earth no matter how incomplete
2 Timothy 16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
“no matter how incomplete.”
LOL
Ps.
How many version of the truth can it be?
LOL
Saudia,
The type of class should not matter because the issue is about free speech. A good teacher can use any topic to teach a lesson
I agree as long as what you are teaching is directly related to the subject at hand. If in a math class he was teaching how stats were formulated then that is something to look at. But to say they should teach anything is a lot. In the south they don’t want evolution to be taught. But is that not part of biology?
Evolution is based on theory–same goes for creationism. Both should be taught so that the children can make up their own minds.
Homeschool
I like the idea of home school. My son as well as my niece and nephews are all home schooled. See we agree on something Mr. Fisher.
My kids are homeschooled as well.
We definitely to talk, y’all.
Read my new post and take my poll.
Hmmm… now I know why my wife and I decided to put my daughter in a private school. And she’s probably going to be in one until she goes to college. Teachers that are pulling a paycheck from the public teat need to teach what the public requires that they teach. Public school teachers need to be accountable for the education of public school children. More often than not (particularly in the Black communities) this is not the case.
I have no grudge against this teacher incorporating more Black American history into his curriculum, but I think he (and the courts missed the point): he was not supposed to be teaching his curriculum. I am almost certain that his public school district had a prescribed curriculum from which he undoubted deviated and when he would not capitulate, he was fired. Instead of going to a lawyer, this teacher should’ve taken his “act” to a private school that welcomed his style and approach. Now he’s off teaching somewhere else and this public school district is stuck with a $400,000 judgement.
Begs the question as to what he’s going to do with the money? I could use some help with next month’s tuition payment at my daughter’s school!
First of all I was teaching the curriculum that Palm Beach County spent hudreds of thousands of dollars creating in 1998 and which has been required by state law since 1994 to be taught in all subjects and in all grades!! White teachers , many of whom are teaching predominately black children have refused outright to use the curriculum that was developed. None of them have ever been punished!
Furthermore I had been teaching it since 1995 without complaint from the administration. It did not become a concern until I got four of their senior football players in an HBCU after they (the white coaching staff) had turned their backs on these kids after using them for four years. When some of the underclassmen football players took up a petition for me to coach, the crap hit the fan at the Olympic Hieghts and my son I got to be black bastards etc.
In fact the content of my class did not become an issue until two years later when I complained that the District was not using the curiculum as required by state law. Because I complained publicly, Principal Giblin in his ignorance (and racism) thought that he could use my course content in the absence of any other legitimate reason to fire me. Lastly, this matter could have been solved by simply transferring me, when I complained to the Superintendant, instead he and they(the Board)ignored my repeated pleas for help!! The Supt. even ignored the Judge’s
repeated suggestions to settle this matter. At trial the jury(with no black members) realized that they brought this upon themselves!! Further , 400,000.00 isn’t any money to a District with a trillion dollar budget. They have spent more than that on the legal fees.