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Another Creationist Teacher Bites The Dust

Skwim

Veteran Member
The termination of John Freshwater.

For those unfamiliar with the case, reading the following will quickly bring you up to speed. (The bold text are the pertinent points.)
RESOLUTION TO TERMINATE ANY AND ALL EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS OF JOHN FRESHWATER WITH THE BOARD OF EDUCATION EFFECTIVE 11:59 P.M. ON JANUARY 10, 2011

WHEREAS, John Freshwater (“Mr. Freshwater”) is currently employed by the Board as an eighth grade science teacher as Mount Vernon Middle School; WHEREAS, as a result of his position with the Board, Mr. Freshwater is a member of the bargaining unit represented by the Mount Vernon Education Association (“MVEA”) and is governed by the terms and conditions of employment set forth in the collective bargaining agreement between MVEA and the Board (the “Agreement”);

WHEREAS, the Board has promulgated reasonable policies, rules and standards for the management and control of its workforce and for the safe and efficient governance of its employees, in compliance with State and Federal law;

WHEREAS, the Board not only expects, but requires, its employees to adhere to the reasonable policies, rules and standards promulgated by the Board, as well as State and Federal law;

WHEREAS, Mr. Freshwater is an employee and charged with and compensated for not only his performance while at work but also for his knowledge of and adherence to the aforementioned Board policies, rules and standards, as well as State and Federal law;

WHEREAS, Ohio Revised Code §3319.16 sets forth that a teacher employed by the Board of Education may be terminated for “good and just cause;”

WHEREAS, under the Agreement and the statutory law of Ohio, Mr. Freshwater is subject to R.C. §3319.16 and may be terminated for “good and just cause;”

WHEREAS, under Section 3319.16, Mr. Freshwater was provided notice, signed by the Treasurer, of the Board’s intention to consider the termination of his teaching contract(s);

WHEREAS, Mr. Freshwater filed a written statement with the Treasurer on June 30, 2008, requesting a public hearing before the Board;

WHEREAS, the Board requested that a Referee preside over the hearing, as appointed by the State of Ohio Superintendent of Public Instruction, pursuant to Section 3319.16 of the Revised Code;

WHEREAS, a Referee conducted a public hearing, commencing October 2, 2008 and extending through June 22, 2010, with testimony and evidence offered by Mr. Freshwater and the Board;

WHEREAS, the Referee issued a Report on Friday, January 7, 2011, recommending “the Board of Education of the Mount Vernon City School District … terminate John Freshwater’s contract(s) for “good and just cause;”

WHEREAS the Board adopts the Referee’s Report, finding the following conduct as “good and just cause” under Revised Code Section 3319.16 for the termination of Mr. Freshwater’s teaching contract(s):

§ Mr. Freshwater injected his personal religious beliefs into his plan and pattern of instructing his students. In doing so, he exceeded the bounds of all the pertinent Bylaws/Policies of the Mount Vernon City School District;

§ In 2003, Mr. Freshwater unsuccessfully petitioned the Board to allow him “to critically examine the evidence both for and against evolution.” Despite the Board’s rejection of this proposal, Mr. Freshwater undertook the instruction of his eighth grade science students, as if the suggested policy had been implemented;


§ On more than one occasion, Mr. Freshwater was reminded by his superiors that he must abide by the Bylaws & Policies, as they related to religion in the curriculum;


§ Mr. Freshwater’s “evidence” against evolution was based, in large part, upon the Christian religious principals of Creationism and Intelligent Design;


§ Mr. Freshwater’s use of “against evolution” materials ran afoul of the District’s Bylaws/Policies;


§ Mr. Freshwater used unauthorized handouts to challenge evolution, based in large part upon the Christian religious principals of Creationism and Intelligent Design;


§ Mr. Freshwater used motion pictures (Expelled; No Intelligence Allowed) and videos (the Watchmaker) to challenge evolution, which were based in large part upon the Christian religious principals of Creationism and Intelligent Design;


§ Mr. Freshwater taught his students to use the code word “here” when teaching students to question printed materials from science textbooks, which were approved and provided by the Board;


§ Mr. Freshwater taught his eighth grade students that homosexuality is a sin, so anyone who chooses to be a homosexual is a sinner. Mr. Freshwater also taught his students that science and scientists can be wrong when they declare that there is a genetic predisposition to homosexuality;


§ Mr. Freshwater not only injected his subjective, biased, Christian religion based, non-scientific opinion into the instruction of eighth grade science students but also gave those students reason to doubt the accuracy and or veracity of scientists, science textbooks, and/or science in general;


· Mr. Freshwater acted in defiance of direct instructions and orders of the administrators (Insubordination);


§ Mr. Freshwater was directed to remove or discontinue the display of all religious articles in his classroom, including all posters of a religious nature, and whereas, Mr. Freshwater has failed to comply with that directive and, further, has brought additional religious articles into his classroom, in a direct act of insubordination;


WHEREAS, the Referee’s Report has determined that the multiple incidents described above, in total, represent a sufficient bases/grounds for termination; the Board further determines that each individual action independently constitutes “good and just cause” for the termination of Mr. Freshwater’s teaching contract(s), whether considered individually or jointly;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board terminates any and all employment contracts of Mr. Freshwater with the Mount Vernon City School District Board of Education. The Treasurer shall furnish Mr. Freshwater with written notice, denoting the Board’s termination of his employment contract “for other good and just cause,” in accordance with Ohio Revised Code §3319.16 and the collective bargaining agreement.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Mr. Freshwater’s termination shall take effect at 11:59 p.m. on January 10, 2011.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that it is hereby found and determined that all formal actions of the Board of Education concerning and relating to the adoption of this Resolution were adopted in an open meeting of the Board, and that all deliberations of the Board and any of its committees that resulted in such formal action were open to the public when required by law, in full compliance with the law.

UPON ROLL CALL AND THE PASSAGE OF THE FOREGOING RESOLUTION, the vote was as follows:

Mrs. Paula Barone: Yea

Mrs. Jody Goetzman: Yea

Mrs. Sharon Slane-Fair: Yea

Mr. Steve Thompson: Nay

Dr. Margie Bennett: Yea

The foregoing is a true and correct excerpt from the minutes of a meeting of the Board of Education of the Mount Vernon City School District conducted on January 10, 2011.

source
Unfortunately, the cost of Freshwater's
freshwater-folo-art-g9ub85bc-1freshearing-cwh0111-jpg.jpg
 Homo dolt
deliberate defiance of direct instructions and orders of the administrators has cost the Mount Vernon's taxpayers more than $900,000.
 

outhouse

Atheistically
Great american ignorance at its finest.

he should be sued for the money as well as sued for the childrens education lost to a myth
 

bobhikes

Nondetermined
Premium Member

§ In 2003, Mr. Freshwater unsuccessfully petitioned the Board to allow him “to critically examine the evidence both for and against evolution.” Despite the Board’s rejection of this proposal, Mr. Freshwater undertook the instruction of his eighth grade science students, as if the suggested policy had been implemented;


Fine for Mr Freshwater, but I would like to find out why the above quote is impossible to do.

Here is what the internet says.

The scientific evidence supporting this conclusion is overwhelming and there is essentially no real scientific disagreement with this aspect of evolution theory.

Over and over again yet it is still a theory.

I can find scientific disagreement with just about everything else but not 1 word on scientific disagreement on evolution.

Whole portions of evolution such as intelligence will never be proven yet no one disagree's scientifically.

I have to find at least 3 qualified results and 1 qualified negative result before I trust something. I can not trust evolution because I can find no qualified negative results and if one is implied is is quickly ruled unqualified.

Newton, Einstien, etc can all be questioned and scientifically as well but no one can question evolution scientifically. It seem to me as evolution is the equivalent of god for science.

It's to good to be true.
 

outhouse

Atheistically
I can not trust evolution because I can find no qualified negative results and if one is implied is is quickly ruled unqualified.

evolution is both scientific theory and fact.

Is there anyone really discounting gravity??????????????????? no your idea doesnt work.

Newton, Einstien, etc can all be questioned and scientifically as well but no one can question evolution scientifically

yes people can be questioned such as you listed and there hypothesis added to as they are old.

evolution is added to and new disoverys are questioned to no end.

It's to good to be true.

facts regarding evolution are just that, true
 

bobhikes

Nondetermined
Premium Member
Yes there are various scientific arguements against the standard use of gravity as well as what actually causes it.

I believe Einstien actually modified previous thought of gravitational forces and he is currently being modified as well.

Nothing is that true only falsehoods.
 
A

angellous_evangellous

Guest
I wonder how the heck it cost the district $900k?
 

Skwim

Veteran Member
Isn't putting your job in jeopardy over a fairy tale a sign of mental illness?
This is an example of one of those instances that went a long way in disabusing my naive notion that teachers were deserving of more respect than other folk.


angellous_evangellous said:
I wonder how the heck it cost the district $900k?
Edit:

Here is a run down from Wikipedia on some of the expenses, some being paid by Freshwater’s insurer.
On October 27, 2010[27] it was announced the case was settled and the family would receive $450,000 plus attorney fees.[31] The settlement includes a $300,000 payment by Freshwater’s insurer to Stephen and Jenifer Dennis to compensate them “for mental pain and other damages suffered” as well as a $150,000 annuity for their minor son, Zach Dennis and a $25,000 payment to Jones Day, the Dennises’ attorney.[27] As part of the settlement, "Dennis family has agreed to forego recovery of the sanctions awarded to them by the federal district judge presiding over the case."[27] An attachment to the settlement from the family said they settled "to avoid having to put their son, Zach, and other Mount Vernon school students through the ordeal of what would likely have been a multi-week trial."[27] John Freshwater "said he had no comment regarding the settlement."[27]


On November 23, 2010 Licking County Probate Judge Robert Hoover approved the settlement agreement, making the case "officially settled."[32] According to documents, settlement included "$475,000 to the Dennis family includes $25,000 for attorney fees, $150,000 each to Stephen and Jennifer, and $150,000 to be used for an annuity for Zachary."[32]

source and more
 
Last edited:

scitsofreaky

Active Member
The scientific evidence supporting this conclusion is overwhelming and there is essentially no real scientific disagreement with this aspect of evolution theory.
bobhikes- you don't think it is true because biologists agree on evolution ? :areyoucra Why do you think they all agree? Could the reason perhaps be that it has been thoroughly tested for at least a century? Over this time a mountain of evidence involving many different disciplines has been obtained, reviewed and retested. That is why evolution is so widely accepted. To "disprove" evolution one has to find a way to account for all of the data. No one has been able to do this.
Whole portions of evolution such as intelligence will never be proven yet no one disagree's scientifically.
How can you be so sure it will never be proven?
 
A

angellous_evangellous

Guest
Yes, that is a good wonder. All I can offer is that the case has been going on since 2008. :shrug:

I bet the writer added up all the years this fella has been working at the district in an effort to demonize him.
 
A

angellous_evangellous

Guest
Well there ya go.

That's a great way to get fired.
 

Man of Faith

Well-Known Member
This is how the ToE is kept alive. If people were allowed to look at evolution critically then it wouldn't stand up. This validates the movie Expelled. The elite evolutionists are laughing at the herd of masses that they are brain washing.
 

Kilgore Trout

Misanthropic Humanist
This is how the ToE is kept alive. If people were allowed to look at evolution critically then it wouldn't stand up. This validates the movie Expelled. The elite evolutionists are laughing at the herd of masses that they are brain washing.

Those of use who understand evolutionary theory are certainly laughing, but not for the reasons you think.
 
A

angellous_evangellous

Guest
This is how the ToE is kept alive. If people were allowed to look at evolution critically then it wouldn't stand up. This validates the movie Expelled. The elite evolutionists are laughing at the herd of masses that they are brain washing.

Actually, they are.

But they are encouraged to do so responsibly.
 

Skwim

Veteran Member
If people were allowed to look at evolution critically then it wouldn't stand up.
Yeah, those damn facts keep messing it up.

This validates the movie Expelled. The elite evolutionists are laughing at the herd of masses that they are brain washing.
The only thing that might validate the movie Expelled is Daffy Duck.
 

AntEmpire

Active Member
[/indent]Fine for Mr Freshwater, but I would like to find out why the above quote is impossible to do.

Here is what the internet says.

The scientific evidence supporting this conclusion is overwhelming and there is essentially no real scientific disagreement with this aspect of evolution theory.

Over and over again yet it is still a theory.

Just like gravity is just a theory.
 

McBell

Resident Sourpuss
This is how the ToE is kept alive.
The ToE is "kept alive", as you put it, by the fact that it is supported by tons of evidence.

If people were allowed to look at evolution critically then it wouldn't stand up.
People are not allowed to look at evolution critically, they are encouraged to.

Problem is that creationists do not even know what the ToE says.
So all they do is attack strawmen.

This validates the movie Expelled.
Nothing can validate the movie Expelled.

The elite evolutionists are laughing at the herd of masses that they are brain washing.
Your transference is duly noted.
 
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