Indiana teacher suspended over anti-gay remarks

[doggie]

Remember that nasty lady who though gays had no purpose but of course as a christian she loved them? Well she is getting what her god fearing jesus loving Butt deserves.

FARMERSBURG, Ind. (AP) - An Indiana school district reeling from the uproar over a teacher's comments that she believes gays have no purpose in life suspended the woman Wednesday.

Superintendent Mark Baker of the Northeast School Corp. in western Indiana's Sullivan County issued a statement saying the teacher has been placed on administrative leave out of concern "for the safety and security of everyone in our buildings." He added that "as a precaution" the Sullivan County Sheriff's Department and Indiana State Police "have deemed it necessary to station an officer" at North Central Junior-Senior High School in Farmersburg, about 75 miles southwest of Indianapolis.

He said the "administration and one school employee in particular" at the school have received "aggressive email messages."

"We are turning over to law enforcement all such communications," Baker said.

The superintendent did not identify the teacher, but special education teacher Diana Medley's comments have circulated widely on social networking sites amid news coverage in nearby Sullivan of a non-school sanctioned prom that would ban gay students. Sullivan, a city of about 4,200, is near the Illinois border.

"I just ... I don't understand it," Medley said when asked whether homosexuals have a purpose in life. She was speaking to WTWO-TV of Terre Haute at a planning meeting earlier this month for the anti-gay dance.

Medley, who has no published telephone number, couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday. She didn't immediately respond to a message that The Associated Press sent to her school email account.

"As many of you know and appreciate, our school corporation is continuing to manage as responsibly and respectfully as possible the fallout from comments made by an employee as she attended a meeting outside of school or a school activity," Baker said. "We have conveyed our disappointment and our disagreement with these statements and have emphasized her comments do not reflect our schools' views or opinions."

As of Wednesday, a petition on Change.org calling for Medley's dismissal had generated more than 19,500 signatures from as far away as the United Kingdom, and a Facebook page supporting a prom that includes all students had more than 28,000 likes. Meanwhile, some gay rights groups are trying to bolster the confidence of gay teens with a Facebook page that will collect supportive videos.

[lilwriter85]

I don't know if she should have been suspended. But I'm glad she is feeling additional heat from her comments.

[anjulibai]

Good.

Do you have a link to the article?

[doggie]

I don't know if she should have been suspended. But I'm glad she is feeling additional heat from her comments.

I Would not want her in her position. she was one of those condescending Christians and special ed and gays don't need that crap. They should make her a lunch lady or janitor.

[doggie]

Good.

Do you have a link to the article?

not much on it.

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_268743/conten ... d=MglIDWga

[Phoebe]

Aw, poor Snookums is probably going to say at this point that those mean gay people are persecuting her...it couldn't have happened to a nicer person. :violin:

[tropaka]

Looks to me like they're covering their asses and protecting her because some idiots have decided to send threatening emails. While I don't think anyone with her attitude should be allowed to be teaching I doubt they'll fire her; I don't know if the teachers are unionized there but I'm certain she could and would fight it on religious discrimination or some other bs.

[AtroposHeart]

Oh, those mean gay people looks like they have a purpose in life now, Tormenting Christian teachers!

(In case you couldn't tell that was sarcasm

[RosyDaisy]

Something very similar to this happened in my SO's hometown. I personally think he should that teacher and this one should be fired not suspended. Teachers are hired to teach what's in the curriculum not their own personal beliefs.

[valsa]

Good.

The school has a duty to protect the health (including mental) and wellbeing of its gay students. I hope they fire her because I don't see how they can fulfill that duty and continue to allow her to teach there.

[anjulibai]

not much on it.

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_268743/conten ... d=MglIDWga

Thanks!

[Seal]

Good! She deserves it. And it pisses me off that she feels that she has the authority to say who does and does not have a purpose in this world. Also, it's funny to me that they are for such a "traditional" prom experience when traditionally prom is associated with couple dancing fairly provocatively, drinking before and after, as well as the infamous "prom night virginity loss". Don't they realize that they can't blame people who are "different" for the behavior of "kids these days"? Straight people make plenty of mistakes.

[ADoyle90815]

Good! She deserves it. And it pisses me off that she feels that she has the authority to say who does and does not have a purpose in this world. Also, it's funny to me that they are for such a "traditional" prom experience when traditionally prom is associated with couple dancing fairly provocatively, drinking before and after, as well as the infamous "prom night virginity loss". Don't they realize that they can't blame people who are "different" for the behavior of "kids these days"? Straight people make plenty of mistakes.

QFT. Straight people have been doing these things even before there were proms.

[Mama Mia]

I think it is very unfortunate that the reason they are giving for suspending her is due to the threats. That really takes away from a message that she can't be hateful and it turns her into a victim.

I don't know their particular regulations - but if they could have found a way to suspend her, or in some other way discipline her that addressed HER actual behavior - that would of been a much better message.

[marmalade]

I Would not want her in her position. she was one of those condescending Christians and special ed and gays don't need that crap. They should make her a lunch lady or janitor.

That's an insult to lunch ladies and janitors.

[Jinger Jar]

Good.

The school has a duty to protect the health (including mental) and wellbeing of its gay students. I hope they fire her because I don't see how they can fulfill that duty and continue to allow her to teach there.

A school has a duty to protect the health and safety of everyone on campus- students, faculty, and staff. Bigoted, hateful comments hurt everyone. The target(s) are hurt, obviously, but when other students see a particular group targeted, especially when the hate monger also is an authority figure, students feel as if it's somehow Okay for them to do the same thing. That's one reason why this teacher's words are so odious.

[Jinger Jar]

One thing that strikes me about this is that Medley's a SPED teacher. In my experience SPED teachers are among the most vocal in defending the under-served and and marginalized students in their schools. They've made a choice to enter a field of teaching where they will be serving students who have traditionally been less than welcome at traditional public schools. I just find the whole idea of a SPED teacher making comments like her mind boggling.

And one more thing - if my stepdaughters attended her school, her classroom would be the last place I'd want them. I'd go all the way to the school board to ensure that they had another teacher if I had to.

[doggie]

That's an insult to lunch ladies and janitors.

true they are usually nicer people.

[doggie]

I think it is very unfortunate that the reason they are giving for suspending her is due to the threats. That really takes away from a message that she can't be hateful and it turns her into a victim.

I don't know their particular regulations - but if they could have found a way to suspend her, or in some other way discipline her that addressed HER actual behavior - that would of been a much better message.

it may be better then getting into the ugly business of religion. then they may have all of the religious freedom fighters attacking them. You know all those kind Christians that think hate is all right.

[TheEnglishButterfly]

Good.

The school has a duty to protect the health (including mental) and wellbeing of its gay students. I hope they fire her because I don't see how they can fulfill that duty and continue to allow her to teach there.

I agree. I am a teacher and I am encountered with situations where I have to make the quick decision.... do I go "A" and potentially hurt a student and make my feelings feel better, or do "b" and make myself feel uncomfortable, but the student feels good? I do B. Always.

Though, I have a very diverse view of the world and my students don't really shock me. I had a student come out to me in an assignment. It honestly was the greatest "gift" I have ever been given. I seriously cried when I read those few sentences from that student telling me she was a lesbian but not "out." She secretly loved a gay rights activist poet and was THRILLED when I showed her works in class. So instead of saying "Hey guys, Annie loves this poet so we will see more of her in class!" I just said that I loved her and we were going to study more GLBT works. I used my students thoughts as my own so she didnt have to "out" herself. To see my student sit at the back of the class and smile and move around in her seat happily using her thoughts as my own.... was priceless.

Why more teachers can't be like that.... I don't know.

[mockingbird]

Though, I have a very diverse view of the world and my students don't really shock me. I had a student come out to me in an assignment. It honestly was the greatest "gift" I have ever been given. I seriously cried when I read those few sentences from that student telling me she was a lesbian but not "out." She secretly loved a gay rights activist poet and was THRILLED when I showed her works in class. So instead of saying "Hey guys, Annie loves this poet so we will see more of her in class!" I just said that I loved her and we were going to study more GLBT works. I used my students thoughts as my own so she didnt have to "out" herself. To see my student sit at the back of the class and smile and move around in her seat happily using her thoughts as my own.... was priceless.

This is awesome. I had a teacher do something similar for me in high school although in my case I missed a lot of school for health problems and didn't want the whole school to know the details of what was going on. We are still really close.

On the subject of the original teacher, I'm glad she was suspended but I do agree I wish it had been published that it was because of what she said, not the threats. I agree it sends the wrong message.