Atheist files suit after being fired from teaching position

[Panich52]

Kevin Pack, a former German teacher at Northridge High School, has filed suit against the Middlebury (Indiana) School District alleging he was fired because he identifies as an atheist. Pack was hired by the district in 2013 but was fired in April 2014.  The school district maintains it fired Pack for insubordination, immorality and incompetence.

(snip)

Pack filed suit alleging he was fired in retaliation for questioning the proselytizing of the school’s principal, Gerald Rasler.

(snip)

Pack complained to the Human Resources department about the proselytizing, and the corporation did, in fact, find that Rasler had engaged in proselytizing conduct prohibited by law. However, after the snow email in the example above, Pack began to get negative reviews and disciplinary warnings.

More from DailyKos:

http://m.dailykos.com/story/2015/01/26/1360353/-Atheist-Files-Suit-After-Being-Fired-From-Teaching-Position?detail=email

[Goblinmonger]

1. Worst part if the bullshit they are making up as a reason to fire him.

They talk about him referencing the movie Run, Lola, Run and how it has brief moments of naughtiness in it. Run, Lola, Run is a great German film and it would make sense a German teacher would talk about it. I tell kids to watch it during my senior film class because it is really innovative in regard to narrative structure.

I hope he wins a crap ton of money.

[JDDavis]

2. I think I saw this some other place on DU but

it will be interesting to see how this discussion goes here.

I am curious as to the time line of the complaint about the principal and the subsequent performance reviews. Perhaps there are other news sources on this somewhere?

Performance reviews of teachers seldom result in immediate or quick termination. Of couse, I realize that this may not be a public school with strong teacher unions to defend a fair process, so perhaps the conditions of employment are more rigid.

Was he performing his job as a teacher in accordance with expectations? Probably yes, or close to what is expected. In which case, perhaps this is, indeed, a retaliatory termination.

Many comments from teachers at your link.

Imposing religious obligations or activities in a public school should have been reason for termination of the school principal. My two cents worth.

[Curmudgeoness]

3. "Immorality".

There is that word again. Just that one word gives me reason to believe that it was all about his complaints about the principle and his atheist identify.

That is, unless he did a full monte strip-tease on top of his desk in class.

[Lordquinton]

5. That is what stuck out to me as well

Do they have a code about immoral acts in the contract? And do they define them, or is it left as some nebulous catchall so they can just apply it at will/ not have to actually put god in there?

[JDDavis]

4. Another link from Patheos on the topic.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2014/06/16/did-a-teacher-get-fired-because-he-was-an-atheist/



After you read the teacher's email about the snow and prayer issue, perhaps the teacher was fired for poor spelling.

No, I'm being facetious.

This looks like an improper termination, especially of a new teacher, for questionable reasons.

[Act_of_Reparation]

6. Obviously, the teacher is lying.

The Kumbaya Rapid Deployment Squad's Legal Defence Fund has reviewed the issue in great detail and has concluded atheists face no discrimination whatsoever and only file lawsuits because they like the attention, and because they like hanging out with lawyers. I mean, who doesn't like hanging out with lawyers?

[JNelson6563]

9. There's that Christian love and acceptance again!