Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for March 4, 2006 BIG BROTHER WAS WATCHING...

...but "Little Brother" is recording!

Couple of related articles on what could happen to you!

Diatribe on Bush taped; teacher placed on leave

By Valerie Richardson
THE WASHINGTON TIMES

AURORA, Colo. -- By many accounts, teacher Jay Bennish was notorious for veering off topic to blast President Bush, capitalism and U.S. foreign policy during his social-studies classes here at Overland High School.

Then Sean Allen got an MP3 player for Christmas.

This week, Mr. Bennish was placed on administrative leave pending a school-district investigation after 16-year-old Sean recorded a lecture during his sophomore geography class in which the teacher compared Mr. Bush to Adolf Hitler.

During the 20-minute recording, Mr. Bennish said there were "eerie similarities" between "things that Adolf Hitler used to say" and Mr. Bush's statements during his Jan. 31 State of the Union address.

Mr. Bennish also said that capitalism was "at odds with human rights," and that the United States was "probably the most violent nation on planet Earth."

Jeff Allen, Sean's father, said his son would often complain about his teacher's left-wing rants, but Mr. Allen assumed he was exaggerating -- until he heard Mr. Bennish on the recording.

"I had no idea he was this nuts," said Mr. Allen.

The Cherry Creek School District is conducting a "thorough investigation" into the matter, but in a statement released Wednesday, officials said "it seems evident that a breach of district policy occurred regarding the balanced presentation of sensitive material."

District policy allows teachers to offer their views on issues, within certain parameters, said district spokeswoman Tustin Amole.

"We encourage teachers to express their opinions, but they must be in the context of the class they are teaching and they have to provide both sides," she said.

She added that students are permitted to bring recording devices to class, and that Sean will not face disciplinary action for recording the lecture.

Mr. Bennish was placed on paid leave in part to shield him from the public outcry over the issue, she said. Sean has discussed the matter publicly on two popular Denver radio talk-show programs.

"It's to take pressure off him [Mr. Bennish] -- he's under a lot of pressure and having a really hard time," said Ms. Amole. "We also wanted to get a substitute and get the students in his classes back on track."

Sean has also faced his share of backlash. He opted to stay home from school yesterday after hearing from friends that some students wanted to beat him up, said Mr. Allen.

"All the parents I've heard from have been supportive," said Mr. Allen. "But Sean is getting threats of physical violence from his classmates. I had to cut a business trip short to get home because I'm worried about him."

About 200 Overland students staged a morning walk-out yesterday to support Mr. Bennish, waving signs with messages such as "Let Him Teach!" Another group of students held a counter-rally backing Sean, shouting, "Teach, don't preach! Sean was right!"

Radio talk-show host Mike Rosen, who devoted his morning programs on Wednesday and yesterday to the issue, said that caller reaction was "overwhelmingly" against Mr. Bennish.

"I've had more e-mail response to this than any issue in years," said Mr. Rosen. "Callers have been overwhelmingly angry at Jay Bennish."

While some callers favored firing Mr. Bennish, Mr. Allen said he thought the teacher should be retained, albeit with a reprimand. The district expects to reach a decision on the matter next week.

"I don't think he should be fired at all. He should be back in the classroom, but this time teaching geography," said Mr. Allen. "I just want teachers to teach the curriculum."

N.J. High Schoolers Try Bush for 'War Crimes'

From the Associated Press by way of FOX NEWS.com...

TRENTON, N.J. — A mock war crimes trial of President George W. Bush at a Parsippany high school continued Friday, despite criticism from people across the nation who heard about the classroom exercise from a prominent Web site and talk-radio programs.

Parsippany-Troy Hills School District interim superintendent James Dwyer said the hearing in the 12th grade politics and government class would continue, but a verdict by a five-teacher "international court of justice" panel would not be rendered as originally planned.

Speaking after a two-hour meeting with school board president, the high school principal and a curriculum superintendent, Dwyer said Friday the project was in keeping with the district's curriculum and had received prior administrative approval.

The class is an advanced placement elective, he said, and the lesson explores current events and foreign policy in an interactive way.

"The focus is on the process itself, not on any outcome," Dwyer said.

Phone messages left at Parsippany High School for the course's instructor, Joseph Kyle, were not immediately returned Friday. Dwyer said Kyle has taught with the district for eight years.

Dwyer said he and the school's principal have received more than two dozen e-mails and phone calls about the course since the Web site "The Drudge Report" linked to a newspaper article about the class. Talk-radio programs also apparently have discussed the course, Dwyer said, and listeners contacting the district were 10-1 against allowing the mock hearing.

But students involved in the project, which began Monday after several weeks of research, said the decision to hold a trial over Bush's alleged "crimes against civilian populations" and "inhumane treatment of prisoners" was agreed upon by all 27 classmates.

Catherine Galdun, one of the student prosecutors, told the Daily Record of Parsippany for Friday's newspapers that she would have been upset had the trial been halted.

"I would say that we're doing this in a fair and balanced way," said Galdun, 18. "We're looking at both sides of it. If (critics) don't believe that's right to do in a classroom — to debate both sides of an issue — I don't agree with that."

Township Council Vice President James Vigilante, a U.S. Air Force reservist, said he could see both sides. "I'm a Bush fan. I don't necessarily, myself, agree with the lesson plan, but on the flip side, I wouldn't condemn the teacher," he told the newspaper.

Vigilante, a Republican, added, "For me, it's the right of free speech."

The mock-hearing is expected to conclude next week. Parsippany, a community of about 28,000, is 30 miles west of New York.