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October 03, 2004
Coarsening of the culture
As the Left has come to dominate cultural institutions (i.e. education and the arts) one of its main goals has been to "confront" any and all traditional cultural norms. Arising from the sixties' mentality of "never trust anyone over 30", to the oft repeated mantra "question authority" some of this mindset is evidenced by the accepted way children address adults, even virtual strangers, by their first name. Dress codes are fought tooth and nail in any school system, with the ACLU invoked at times. Even the common sense approach to "dressing appropriately" for any number of occassions is sorely absent from our culture where what's legal is now the only consideration of what's acceptable.
Which brings me to a story that on first read I figured must be fiction. Shockingly, it is not.
Let me ask, did you go to public school? Do you remember somewhere in your classroom was displayed the American flag? Do you remember also your teacher probably had a bulletin board with an Americana display ... The Constitution, The Declaration of Independence, even some portraits of Presidents. I clearly remember it was usually George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and whoever was the current President.
Pretty standard fare, correct? Would you ever think that such a display, in a public school room would be controversial? That a teacher would be threatened over having such a display in his/her classroom? Well, it's not fiction.
UPDATE WABC in New York picks up the story. See below.
UDATE 2 Drudge is now linking to the WABC story I have below in my first update.
SOUTH BRUNSWICK: A middle school teacher walked out on her job after being asked to remove a picture of the president from her classroom, she said.Though she says he has not resigned, the teacher's situation at Crossroads Middle School South is not yet resolved.
Shiba Pillai-Diaz's walkout involved the local police, left school officials mum and appalled the local Republican Party.
Pillai-Diaz, 33, a volunteer with the Bush campaign and an English teacher, has had a publicity picture of the First Couple hanging in her classroom since the start of the school year, she said.
The photo became an issue last week.
Parents e-mailed an assistant principal accusing Pillai-Diaz of suppressing free speech because the teacher refused to talk to pupils about why the color photo hung in the room.
"Students said, 'You like George Bush? He's killed people,' " Pillai-Diaz said. "As a rule I don't talk about my politics in the classroom."
According to Pillai-Diaz, Assistant Principal Mark Daniels said he had no problem with the photo, which hung next to posters of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence. But Daniels told the teacher she should address questions that arose because of the photo.
"He wasn't giving me the power to direct conversation in my classroom," said Pillai-Diaz, who regarded the picture just as an image of the current president.
Thursday, at back-to-school night, the controversy exploded after a parent asked why the picture was up, Pillai-Diaz said.
"The way she asked was a political assault," the teacher said.
Then the parents started their own debate about the picture, and one mother stormed out of the classroom, Pillai-Diaz said.
Friday morning, the teacher, who is in her sixth year of teaching and her first in South Brunswick, was called into the assistant principal's office. Daniels told her to remove the picture, Pillai-Diaz said.
"He said, 'If you care about your job, you'll take the picture down,' " she said.
Pillai-Diaz told the assistant principal to take the picture down himself. Then she sought Principal Jim Warfel, who gave her an upbraiding.
"He said, 'You've caused more disruption, hatred and anger than anyone I've ever known,' " she said.
The teacher said the principal told her to "get out," so she left and headed to the South Brunswick Police Department.
An officer accompanied Pillai-Diaz back to the school because she said she feared for her safety when she went to collect her belongings, police said.
Once Pillai-Diaz felt safe at the school the officer left, police said.
In the school, Pillai-Diaz had a two-hour meeting with Superintendent Gary McCartney and a representative from the teachers' union. Both parties told the teacher she would lose any fight she would try to start about the picture, Pillai-Diaz said.
"They weren't interested in the substance of the issue," she said.
I don't know what to add about such an appalling, disgusting situation when a teacher has a picture of the sitting US President in her classroom and is threatened for it by students, parents, the school administration and even her own union.
Is it any wonder that from music lyrics to published books to websites, BDS and the Left have no problem advocating the murder of GW Bush??
Thanks to Digger at the Command Post for bringing this story to light.
UPDATE WABC adds some salient points to the story.
Rita Bianco, Parent: "Children should know their president and their first lady!"Parents expressing outrage after a teacher is kicked out of her public school for hanging a picture of President Bush next to pictures of other presidents in her classroom.
Shiba Pillai-Diaz, Teacher: "It happened on a small bulletin board near the American flag and also with a poster of the Declaration of Independence." ...
On Thursday, there was a back-to-school night for parents of students. Veteran English teacher Shiba Pillai-Diaz says she was shocked when three parents confronted her. The three, insisting the teacher either add John Kerry's photo to the montage of presidents or remove the Bush photo.<.b> ...[emphasis added]
Excuse me. Kerry is not President so his picture doesn't belong on a bulletin board that has a montage of Presidents. WTF is wrong with these parents' thinking?
Posted by Darleen at October 3, 2004 08:57 PM
Comments
You're welcome for the kind comment.
Posted by: Digger at October 3, 2004 10:25 PM
Thanks for the update that Drudge was linking to the story.
Posted by: Digger at October 4, 2004 01:53 PM
I just emailed the school superintendent today (Gary.McCartney@sbschools.org) and he emailed me a letter that the school is using to respond to the story. I don't know what to believe.... (and sorry it's so long...)
SOUTH BRUNSWICK TOWNSHIP PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Joanne Kerekes Gary P. McCartney, Ed. D. Jeffrey R. Scott, RSBA
Assistant Superintendent for Superintendent of Schools Assistant Superintendent for
Curriculum & Instruction Business/Board Secretary
P.O. Box 181 • 4 Executive Drive • Monmouth Junction, New Jersey 08852 • (732) 297-7800 • FAX (732) 422-8054
www.sbschools.org
"Expect the Best…And Get It!"
October 3, 2004
District Statement Regarding Bulletin Board at Crossroads Middle School
In an incident that has recently been reported to several media sources, a claim has
been made by South Brunswick Middle School teacher Shiba Pillai-Diaz, that she was fired for
not removing a picture of President George W. Bush from a classroom bulletin board. The
claim is false. While I am normally reluctant to discuss personnel matters in public, Ms. Pillai-
Diaz’ distortions of the facts, along with her aggressive efforts to get herself national media
attention, leaves the district no choice but to set the record straight.
The facts are as follows:
Ms. Pillai-Diaz is a new Language Arts teacher in the South Brunswick Schools.
Recently, the school administration began receiving complaints from students and parents that
Ms. Pillai-Diaz was using her position, classroom and teaching time to engage in partisan
politics. Students reported that she had made statements which denigrated one party over the
other. The conversations included Ms. Pillai-Diaz telling some students who offered opinions
contrary to her statements, that she was “glad they were not old enough to vote.” Other
comments to students, including such statements as, “you should be ashamed to be a
Democrat” have been verified through student interviews.
A classroom bulletin board, normally intended for curriculum-related matters, was set
up as what she herself described as a “personal bulletin board.” On the bulletin board she
placed a picture of the President, the President's dog, the Oval Office and several other
Presidential artifacts. In addition, she placed a stuffed elephant on a classroom cabinet, which
generated student reaction and discussion about partisan politics.
Following receipt of complaints from parents, the Assistant Principal met with Ms.
Pillai-Diaz and cautioned her not to engage in partisan political discussions in her Language
Arts classes. He did not initially ask her to remove the picture of the President. As the issue
grew in intensity, the teacher herself chose to remove the stuffed elephant because of student
comments. In the ensuing days, parents expressed increasing concern about the teacher's
classroom behavior, the misuse of classroom instructional time and the personal bulletin board.
The level of concern resulted in a classroom confrontation between some parents and Ms.
Pillai-Diaz at the Back-to-School night program. It was at this point that the school
administration decided to intervene again.
On Friday morning, October 1, Ms. Pillai-Diaz was directed by the Assistant Principal
to remove bulletin board materials because they were being viewed as contributing to an
ongoing disruption of the teaching-learning environment. She refused. She then met with the
Principal who repeated the directive. At this point, Ms. Pillai-Diaz abruptly left the building,
abandoning her post of duty and her classroom responsibilities.
-2-
At no time was she told to leave, asked to leave or given authorization to leave.
School was still in session. At no time was she told she was suspended or fired. With
professional responsibilities of a classroom teacher waiting, Ms. Pillai-Diaz chose, of her own
volition, to walk out of the school, contact various media sources and claim she had been fired.
I had occasion to meet with Ms. Pillai-Diaz, along with a union representative and a
police escort that she had requested, for approximately two hours when she returned to the
building later that same afternoon. After listening to her story, I asked if any member of the
administration had used the phrase "you're fired" or anything that remotely sounded like it. She
admitted that no one had used any such language. When I further pursued why she reported to
media sources that she had been fired, she said that she "thought" that she had been. I
explained that principals cannot fire employees, that only Boards of Education can do so. With
her union representative present, she said that she now understood. I asked that when she next
spoke with the media, that she clarify her new understanding.
I fully support the actions of the Principal and Assistant Principal. It is never
acceptable for a teacher to utilize the classroom to advocate for political purposes or advance
personal beliefs. The courts have always admonished teachers for proselytizing in public
school classrooms. This issue is not about a picture of the President, but rather a zealous
misuse of seventh and eighth grade student instructional time.
The South Brunswick School community is enormously respectful of the Office of the
President of the United States, President Bush and the democratic process for choosing our
President. Anyone trying to suggest the contrary has the worst of intentions. Under other
circumstances, the display of a picture of the President would have been viewed as completely
appropriate and uncontroversial. It is important to note that pictures of President Bush are
openly displayed in all of the South Brunswick Schools. The teacher’s own actions here,
however, took it out of the realm of education and made the presentation appear partisan to
many of our students and parents. Under these circumstances, our actions in directing the
removal of the display were singularly appropriate.
Gary P. McCartney Ed D.
Superintendent of Schools
South Brunswick School District
Posted by: SFC Thomas at October 4, 2004 06:38 PM
Uh oh.... SFC Thomas, it looks like they've decided to attack her. That story is so contrary to what has been reported so far as to be amazing.
Thanks for posting the email you received. I'm going to pass it on.
Posted by: Darleen at October 4, 2004 06:44 PM
SFC Thomas
I watched the segment of the teacher on O'Reilly. If she is a liar, she's a damned cool one.
Her statements are diametrically opposed to what the Superintendent is saying. She said, as a six year teacher, she never discusses politics in her classroom. She even refused to tell students and teachers what party she belonged to. She stated that the picture of GW and Laura was the only one of them on her bulletin board. She was quite detailed on what the board consisted of: Constitution, Declaration of Independence, a sheet with all the President's signatures from G. Washington to present, generic White House postcards and the pic of GW/Laura. She stated that she was accused of "suppressing free speech" in her classroom but was never given an example. (and I find that strange because students never have a "right to free speech" during classroom time ... or did something happen in the last few years??).
I'm going to hazard a guess here, which I will retract if wrong, but I think you're seeing a typical smear job on this teacher because she embarrassed the school and the school district by "going public." That is an unforgivable act of blasphemy in the Church of Public Education.
Posted by: Darleen at October 4, 2004 09:16 PM
On the other side of the equation, Darleen, is the woman in Moulton, Alabama who got fired from her job for having a John Kerry bumper sticker.
Here's the link:
http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/news/040912/sticker.shtml
Posted by: Brad at October 5, 2004 12:58 PM
Brad
That's pretty egregious. I have no idea what the labor laws are in that state, but if she has a case she should go for it.
Now, what gave you the idea I didn't think that indecent people came from all sides?
Posted by: Darleen at October 5, 2004 10:20 PM
So the teacher may or may not have stated her political stuff in class. Are these 7th graders going to go out and vote? I think not. Are they goning to change their parents voting choice? I think not.
As the saying goes pre-teens and teens wake up in a new world everyday. meaning. They are just learning who they are. Do you really think that a Photo of George Bush is really going to change the opinions of 7th graders.
give me a break!!
Posted by: matt at October 5, 2004 11:10 PM
I work in this particular school district. It's not so cut-and-dry as you and members of the media are making it out to be. It was her behavior that prompted the asking of the photos to be take down... not the photos themselves. This woman had a political agenda... and expressed it to the students. Perhaps the whole story will come out soon and you will all realize that you've been suckered by this woman who wants 15 minutes of fame.
Posted by: Eric at October 6, 2004 05:43 AM
Eric
I've listened to this woman speak. And her story is 180 degrees from what the Superintendent (who is, along with the principal, refusing to be interviewed) is saying about her and what you are saying.
She states not only did she not talk to the kids about politics, but because she is a literature teacher (and 95% of the classroom bulletin boards are devoted to literature) she didn't allow any political discussion in her classroom which the principal then accused her of "suppressing freedom of speech"
She's in her 6th year of teaching and said she is well aware of the pitfalls of doing anything in class that could be considered "controversial."
At this point in time (and because I have had experience in how school administrations work), I'm taking the teacher's word.
Also in the teacher's favor is parents who have come to her defense. The only people spinning her as this "evil manipulative brainwashing Rethuglican" is the Superintendent (and you?).
If I may speculate, I believe she was "outed" as a Republican off-campus and her Americana bulletin board (which a few BDS parents objected to) provided an opportunity for a Democrat-dominated school admin to stomp on her (especially since she was new to the school and hadn't yet joined the union). I've seen similar M.O. before, and contrary to your talking point "15 minutes of fame" I believe she did the smart thing, and about the only thing in these situations to protect herself, is go public. That's about the only thing that matters to school admins.
Posted by: Darleen at October 6, 2004 06:16 AM
If this had happened back during the Clintonista era and Bubba's photo got yanked down, the Dems would be having six kinds of fits about it. But when easily 2/3rds of everyone in this story are Dems---and the teacher under fire is not---the aroma of partisan games is almost skunklike on the landscape.
Posted by: weaselteeth at October 6, 2004 04:29 PM
Sorry Eric, there are very few parents that have kids in her classes that are supporting this teacher. There have been parents interviewed that answered the question, 'Should this teacher be fired for having a picture of the President in her room?' as she originally said. To that, they've been supportive and who wouldn't be?
I live in the district, my wife works in the school and I know kids in her classes. There is a movement by the parents of her students to make sure she doesn't come back to teach. No, not because she has a picture of the president on her wall, because of things she does in class. I won't go into any of what I was told today because I'll be accused of 'spinning'.
I'm curious where everyone is coming up with 'Democrat-dominated' school administration, That's a speculation that has been presented because there are more registered Democrats in South Brunswick, NJ than registered Republicans. Show me where you found proof that our school's administration is Democrat-dominated, please, I'd like to see who put in the effort to find out what the political affiliation of all our administrators is.
Yes, she's taught for 6 years, but her most recent job was teaching 4th graders, they don't have opinions, 7th and 8th grade students do. A student of hers told me today that she didn't like students having opinions different than hers. I trust this kid (I've coached him in numerous sports for about four years) a lot more than I trust a woman that's been teaching in our district for one month and doesn't live in our town (she lives a few towns over).
Darleen, Eric and any others that feel strongly that they know what's going on here, keep an eye out over the next few days, things aren't as you seem to think they are...
Posted by: baseballdad at October 6, 2004 06:32 PM
baseballdad
I will wait for what happens.
I hope you've read everything I wrote and again, I will repeat that I'm only basing my opinion on the information at hand. I have her direct testimony, which I found credible, and only a press release from a district which has refused to go on record.
Again, the stories are so diametrically opposite. Either she was trying to brainwash the kids (as you are indicating) or she refused to discuss politics as she stated. And she said that some students were not happy that she refused to allow political discussion. Could it be that refusal is what the kid you know interprets as "not liking our opinions?" And certainly a teacher who ticks off a few students are going to have their parents bad-mouth her. Come on, baseball dad, are you trying to tell me that you've never ever heard of a teacher railroaded out of a school because he or she runs afoul of the school's politics?
Let's be real.
If this teacher is perpetuating a hoax, I'll definitely write about it. I've always qualified my opinions on this story as reported by the teacher. Indeed, SPF Thomas' comment shows what the district is taking as their line.
At this point, do you wish to offer proof that the administration is NOT dominated by Democrats since you are there and I am here in California? And while politics MAY have instigated this incident (someone's nose out of joint over the picture of GW/Laura) I also realize that its probably LESS Dem/Rep politics and just more of "teachers never go outside the club" pique right now. Indeed, you probably are more than well aware that is a "sin" that is rarely forgiven, even if the teacher is in the right.
Posted by: Darleen at October 6, 2004 08:25 PM
IF the story is true, then it is disgracefull. But so far the only info I can get is Diaz says this and Diaz says that. Normally there are two sides to a story, I would like to hear the other side. If it turns out that Diaz wasn't telling the entire truth, won't you all feel pretty stupid.
Posted by: Richard Witt at October 10, 2004 03:13 PM
Richard
Looks as if Diaz is returning to teaching at another school in the District AND she's going to have the same bulletin board, her new principal is all for it.
And the Superintendent still refuses to talk to the media.
Make of that what you will.
Posted by: Darleen at October 10, 2004 03:28 PM