Freshwater Hearing to Conclude Soon
Update: Mount Vernon Teacher Faces Termination for Violating First Amendment
Sarah Friedman
Issue date: 1/28/10 Section: News
The 18-month ordeal of the contract termination hearing of John Freshwater will continue into February and possibly longer, according to David Millstone, the attorney representing the Mount Vernon Board of Education in the hearing. The Mount Vernon Middle School eighth grade science teacher is accused of burning students with a Tesla coil and violating the First Amendment by endorsing religion in his public school classroom.
The New York Times reported on Jan. 19 that the hearing was set to end on Jan. 22, but it was rescheduled. "We've seen a lot of delays," Millstone said, but declined to comment on why. According to Millstone, there are two more days of hearings scheduled. "I believe it will end sometime in February, but I don't want to guarantee anything," he said.
The specific allegations against Freshwater are numerous. Perhaps the most serious is the accusation that he burned students with a Tesla coil, an electricity-producing device, on their forearms, in some cases in the shape of a cross. The original lawsuit was filed by the parents of a burned student who suffered lasting pain as a result of the classroom experiment. In John Doe, et. al. vs. Mount Vernon City School Board of Education, Freshwater was also accused of teaching creationism and intelligent design. According to a court order of the Southern District of Ohio Court, "Freshwater also allegedly advised his students that, although he is forced to teach from the textbooks, the teachings are wrong or not proven according to the Bible." According to Millstone, Freshwater is accused of saying in class: "I know how the world's going to end because I've read it in the Book" and "science is wrong and we see that. There's a recent study in Time magazine where they said that they found a gene that is linked to homosexuality, but the Bible says homosexuality is a sin and therefore those who choose to be homosexuals are sinning."
Public school teachers are required to follow curriculums approved by the state and local boards of education. According to page 130 of the Ohio State Board of Education's Academic Content Standards for eighth-grade science, by the end of the curriculum students should grasp the concepts of evolutionary theory, including being able to "[e]xplain how variations in structure, behavior or physiology allow some organisms to enhance their reproductive success and survival in a particular environment" and "[e]xplain that diversity of species is developed through gradual processes over many generations (e.g., fossil record)." Under the category of Ethical Practices, the Standards mandate that students understand how to "[e]xplain why it is important to examine data objectively and not let bias affect observations."
The New York Times reported on Jan. 19 that the hearing was set to end on Jan. 22, but it was rescheduled. "We've seen a lot of delays," Millstone said, but declined to comment on why. According to Millstone, there are two more days of hearings scheduled. "I believe it will end sometime in February, but I don't want to guarantee anything," he said.
The specific allegations against Freshwater are numerous. Perhaps the most serious is the accusation that he burned students with a Tesla coil, an electricity-producing device, on their forearms, in some cases in the shape of a cross. The original lawsuit was filed by the parents of a burned student who suffered lasting pain as a result of the classroom experiment. In John Doe, et. al. vs. Mount Vernon City School Board of Education, Freshwater was also accused of teaching creationism and intelligent design. According to a court order of the Southern District of Ohio Court, "Freshwater also allegedly advised his students that, although he is forced to teach from the textbooks, the teachings are wrong or not proven according to the Bible." According to Millstone, Freshwater is accused of saying in class: "I know how the world's going to end because I've read it in the Book" and "science is wrong and we see that. There's a recent study in Time magazine where they said that they found a gene that is linked to homosexuality, but the Bible says homosexuality is a sin and therefore those who choose to be homosexuals are sinning."
Public school teachers are required to follow curriculums approved by the state and local boards of education. According to page 130 of the Ohio State Board of Education's Academic Content Standards for eighth-grade science, by the end of the curriculum students should grasp the concepts of evolutionary theory, including being able to "[e]xplain how variations in structure, behavior or physiology allow some organisms to enhance their reproductive success and survival in a particular environment" and "[e]xplain that diversity of species is developed through gradual processes over many generations (e.g., fossil record)." Under the category of Ethical Practices, the Standards mandate that students understand how to "[e]xplain why it is important to examine data objectively and not let bias affect observations."
Viewing Comments 1 - 5 of 6
Sam Stickle
posted 1/29/10 @ 6:13 PM EST
The article says: "According to Millstone, Freshwater is accused of saying in class: [ ? ] 'science is wrong and we see that. There's a recent study in Time magazine where they said that they found a gene that is linked to homosexuality, but the Bible says homosexuality is a sin and therefore those who choose to be homosexuals are sinning. (Continued…)
Paul Burnett
posted 1/29/10 @ 7:20 PM EST
The device Freshwater used to burn crosses on students is technically not a "Tesla Coil" - but let that be. And forget all the pro-religious / anti-science classroom activities. (Continued…)
Paul Burnett
posted 1/30/10 @ 10:16 AM EST
Sam Stickle continues to wiggle: "Freshwater has, in fact, very adamantly stated that he never harmed a student."
Ah, but did Freshwater use the Tesla coil-like device to burn a mark on a student? In the long run, no student was "harmed" by the transient effects of the Tesla coil-like device, because the "burn scars" went away after a week or so. (Continued…)
Sam Stickle
posted 2/01/10 @ 3:35 PM EST
Paul Burnett,
Even the H.R. On Call investigators made a distinction between a burn and slight redness:
"In the presence of Principal Bill White, one of the investigators tried the device on own arm. (Continued…)
Alum
posted 2/02/10 @ 10:04 AM EST
Sam and Paul,
Regardless of the semantics, this guy is a nutjob plain and simple. I'm surprised that one of the fathers of the children didn't handle this the old school way! I can promise you, if someone ever touched my daughter that way, with a burning coil or anything remotely close, there would be no need for a trial. (Continued…)
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