Ohio Town Split Over Middle School Teacher's ActsBy MATT REED, Associated Press Writer
47 minutes ago
In this undated file photo released by Mount Vernon, Ohio,
City Schools as a part of independent investigation report,
a Mount Vernon student with a branded cross on his arm is
shown.
MOUNT VERNON, Ohio - This small city in central Ohio is dotted with churches of just about every denomination. "You can't drive two blocks here without running into a church," said Sam Barone, the executive director of the nonprofit Community Foundation of Mount Vernon and Knox County. "There may be communities elsewhere in the country that may be considered areligious, but this isn't one of them." That hallmark is helping fueling the debate over the fate of a science teacher accused of preaching Christianity in the classroom and burning the image of a cross on students' arms.
John Freshwater, who is battling to save his job at Mount Vernon Middle School, is seen either a courageous fighter for religious freedom or a public employee who brazenly violated the church-state divide.
"This is going to be a mess," said Dr. Allan Bazzoli, who has written letters to the local newspaper criticizing Freshwater.
"Resident against resident, and worse, student against student." Freshwater, 52, was fired last month after an outside consulting firm released
a report concluding that he taught creationism and was insubordinate in failing to remove a Bible and other religious materials from his classroom. He also faces a federal lawsuit filed by the family of a student who says Freshwater burned a cross on the child's arm with an electrostatic device and that the burn mark remained for three or four weeks.
Since then, Freshwater's supporters have rallied on the town's public square urging school board members to resign. A much-viewed sign planted along a roadside about a mile from town reads: "
If the Bible goes, the school board should follow." "The Bible, that should be OK to have," said James Mills, 25, a former student of Freshwater. "Isn't it in the Constitution that we have freedom of religion?" Freshwater, who has filed an appeal with the school board over his firing, said Monday he's disappointed with the way the investigation was conducted. His appeals hearing is scheduled for Aug. 26. "They used half-truths. They didn't interview people who had been in my classroom," he said. "Science teachers at the high school: Why would you interview them?"
Freshwater likely will be suspended without pay during the appeals process, which could extend into the fall, said David Millstone, the school board's attorney. Messages seeking comment were left with middle school Principal William White and other school administrators. Freshwater has served as a science teacher and wrestling and football coach in Mount Vernon City Schools since 1987. In their report, investigators noted that some students described him as a great guy.
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