Painting about racial violence rasises controversy in Kentucky school; parent wants it removed

[davidn3600]

A Kentucky father is calling for school officials to remove a piece of art from his daughter’s classroom.

Dave Hamblin’s daughter attends North Oldham High School. He noticed a picture in his daughter’s classroom, which he called “hatred filled propaganda," WDRB reports.

The picture shows a flashback to 1930 with a Ku Klux Klan member pointing a gun at a black man. Next to it, the picture says 2015 with a police officer pointing a gun at a black child. The picture also features the confederate flag and American flag next to each other.

Hamblin is now calling for the picture to be taken down. He took to Facebook on Feb. Feb. 23 to express his concern. Hamblin wrote:

I sent out a request to take it down and it seems that the school and school administrators believe this to be an appropriate form of discourse and educationally noteworthy. The teacher stated, “it's a really good example and shows how racial violence has evolved”. My daughter was subjected to this yet again, and my requests to the school to abstain from this obvious hostile learning environment were met with deaf ears.

I now ask that each of you who care, share this with every first responder you know. I cannot sit back and allow the teacher’s supposed right to free speech when the courts have found that the right to freedom of speech is not absolute if it compromises a student's right to learn in a hostile-free environment. For example, the courts have held that professor's use of vulgar language is "not germane to the subject matter." The courts have held that instructors must avoid indoctrinating or proselytizing.

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/social/dad-took-one-look-piece-art-hanging-his-daughters-classroom-and-was-outraged-you-decide-if

[Wednesdays]

1. How does this "Hostile learning environment" compare

to the hostile environment depicted in the art piece? Such myopic thinking, indeed.

[XemaSab]

2. I'm offended

by the terrible art.

[saturnsring]

3. the teacher’s *supposed* right to free speech ......... wtf

[saturnsring]

4. The courts have held that instructors must avoid indoctrinating or proselytizing. i

unless you want to preach jesus, right?

[saturnsring]

5. and finally some backbone

“We believe that our role as educators is to prepare our kids for the world beyond the classroom and sometimes things are gonna be controversial,” Green said. “So at this point, they're continuing on with that assignment. It's up to the teacher if she feels like it's causing a distraction and wants to take it down she can, but we're certainly not going to ask her to.”

[ShrimpPoboy]

6. According to the article the kids were assigned

To do something involving racial justice. This is one student's interpretation. It's not like it's just some random picture the teacher found and hung on the wall. The daughter and dad both need to thicken their skin.