Teacher says he was fired for being an atheist

[rug]

Posted on Jan 22, 2015
by Madeline Buckley

A former teacher for Middlebury Community Schools is suing the district, alleging it fired him because he is an atheist, and didn't participate in prayers the high school principal initiated.

Kevin Pack, hired to teach German at Northridge High School in 2013, filed a complaint in federal court on Wednesday that accuses the school system of violating his constitutional right to freedom of religion.

The complaint says the school's principal, Gerald Rasler, would ask faculty members to pray with him before meals and meetings. Pack was offended by this as an atheist and person "committed to the principle of separation of church and state," the lawsuit says, but he did not feel he could challenge the practice as a new hire.

Rasler would often incorporate religion into his communications with faculty, the lawsuit alleges.

http://www.southbendtribune.com/news/local/teacher-says-he-was-fired-for-being-an-atheist/article_fcfef98f-3f78-513c-863b-93d9721c10ce.html

[cbayer]

1. If this is accurate, I hope he wins and the principal is fired.

OTOH, they certainly appear to have documented a lot of other complaints about him.

For the courts to decide.

[Turbineguy]

2. German?

Last edited Sat Jan 31, 2015, 07:18 PM - Edit history (1)

Ain't that one 'o dem furrin lingoes? Serves him right. He probably believes in science too.

In my Latin class we always seemed to be reading about Roman soldiers sticking their swords in their scabbards. Just the thing for a bunch of hormone addled 13-year old kids.

[struggle4progress]

3. ... The findings of fact used to terminate Pack state he showed students two films

the board felt were inappropriate. Allen said neither had ever been shown at the school, to her knowledge.

The first, “Lola Rennt,” an rated R movie, features a scene with a man bent over a sofa, wearing nothing but a dog collar and a leather thong ...

The board’s findings also state that a book Pack kept on his counter and pointed out to students offended some of them. Its German title was “something along the lines of ‘All the German You Were Never Taught in School.’” The book featured nude drawings, foul language and sexual content involving animals, the findings state.

The findings included complaints from students that Pack used swear words and made an inappropriate Jewish joke during a lesson over the Holocaust. Co-workers expressed concerns about Pack’s ”stability,” saying they felt unsafe working in the same building with him ...

Pack’s attorney ... provided a copy of the Indiana State Teachers Association’s proposed findings of fact, which refute many of the allegations ...

Fired Northridge teacher, an atheist, sues Middlebury Community Schools for religious discrimination
Jeff Parrott
Posted on Jan. 23, 2015 at 12:02 p.m.
http://www.elkharttruth.com/news/crime-fire-courts/2015/01/23/Fired-Northridge-teacher-an-atheist-sues-Middlebury-Community-Schools-for-religious-discrimination.html

[cbayer]

4. Thanks for that. I was wondering about the specific complaints and these

are pretty bad.

[PassingFair]

5. "Lola Rennt" is the German title for the great film "Run Lola Run".

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0130827/


A fantastic movie and probably a great way to learn German.

How HORRIBLE!!!1!

[cbayer]

6. Yes, I really liked it.

Didn't watch it with an eye as to whether it would be appropriate for all ages and don't know what the protocol was at the school, though.

[PassingFair]

7. My children both saw it in high school. They loved it.

I hope that teacher sues the asses off of that school district.

I have been in positions where group prayer was inappropriately asked for.

It has a chilling effect on your relationship with management and co-workers.
There is no place for it in the workplace.

[cbayer]

8. I would like to know more before taking a position.

If the reports of the behavior and requests of the principal are true, then he is way out of line and should be sanctioned.

Whether they had grounds to dismiss the teacher is still not clear, at least to me, but if it were even in part due to his being an atheists, I agree that they should be sued.

[PassingFair]

9. Of course, showing Run Lola Run was...

"pretty bad".

[cbayer]

10. Was it? I really don't know.

I suspect there is a protocol at the school for showing the kids movies that they would not be able to see in a movie theater without their parent or guardian.

Perhaps he followed it.