Superintendent: “Appropriate action” will be taken against teacher who lectured serviceman’s daughter
posted at 4:55 pm on November 7, 2008 by Allahpundit
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You know the one I mean. This vid is actually one of the clearest examples I’ve ever seen that we are, well and truly, in the YouTube age: Not only did the superintendent issue a written statement earlier today, he actually cut a clip and put it online in the expectation that all the righty bloggers who linked yesterday’s video would eat this one up and help spread his exercise in damage control for him. And here I am, eating it up. Well played, sir.
Some commenters always get carried away in these threads, so let me remind you again to please not post any personal information about this woman. The school district’s on the case. Chapter closed.
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Since I can’t see the video… what is the action? Dismissal? Suspension?
upinak on November 7, 2008 at 4:57 PM
Ha ha! Maybe she can spend the next 100 years collecting unemployment and watching Oprah?
Punchenko on November 7, 2008 at 4:57 PM
racist
custer on November 7, 2008 at 4:57 PM
Probabaly a promotion. Disgusting.
Torch on November 7, 2008 at 4:58 PM
Appropriate measures…such as a stern talking-to?
flipflop on November 7, 2008 at 4:58 PM
“appropriate acting”
meaning….
nothing will happen.
lorien1973 on November 7, 2008 at 4:59 PM
ACLU standing by to stop this rich white man.
lodge on November 7, 2008 at 4:59 PM
Meet the new Superintendent.
MDWNJ on November 7, 2008 at 4:59 PM
But not the book. If nothing happens we can flood him again. Right?
BadgerHawk on November 7, 2008 at 4:59 PM
“Appropriate action”.
Are there any school administrators out there with guts? Where’s Fred? I want any anti-NEA candidates I can get my vote to.
MadisonConservative on November 7, 2008 at 5:00 PM
He seems sincere. Hope he gives the little girl a hug.
Bullhead on November 7, 2008 at 5:00 PM
She’ll be given the Congressional Medal of Freedom, NEA Teacher of the Year award and promoted undersecretary of education under William Ayers.
J.J. Sefton on November 7, 2008 at 5:01 PM
You better believe Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson will be on the case. Bank on it.
goldeagle11 on November 7, 2008 at 5:01 PM
Dont forget a Free Speech Award
MDWNJ on November 7, 2008 at 5:02 PM
I wrote to Asheville initially, as that is where it was posted she was. They wrote a very gracious reply along with saying that they found her actions “reprehensible.” I appreciated their candor. I did find the e-mail addresses for the school board where she does work and wrote all of them. I think they are serious about discipline. Let’s hope.
Glynn on November 7, 2008 at 5:02 PM
Secretary of education is her next stop . . . the One has spoken.
rplat on November 7, 2008 at 5:04 PM
If any teacher did that to my kids while there dad is away fighting for this country not only would I go off on the teacher, I would have their dad call the teacher and let him tell her what he thinks of this. This is unacceptable and she should not be teaching.
Brat4life on November 7, 2008 at 5:05 PM
God-willing, the girl’s father returns home safely.
Christien on November 7, 2008 at 5:05 PM
The rich, white, male Superintendent will be apologizing to the poor, black, woman teacher by Monday.
He will
resignretire by Friday.albill on November 7, 2008 at 5:05 PM
An example of why I sent my daughter to private school. I worked extra hours to make the monthly payments…IT WAS WORTH IT!
hoi polloi on November 7, 2008 at 5:06 PM
Amen.
Glynn on November 7, 2008 at 5:07 PM
I’ll believe it when I see it.
Send in Barney the dog
clnurnberg on November 7, 2008 at 5:07 PM
Yeah, while the ACLU completely ignores the abuse of power and invasion of Joe the Plumbers privacy!
Liberty or Death on November 7, 2008 at 5:08 PM
Maybe they’ll make her diet and exercise…
That woman is disgusting beyone belief…
Our son was a victim of some nonsense at a quaker school (they are liberal beyond belief). We pulled him out and placed him elsewhere.
Anyway, after obama was elected my son asked how bad things were. I told him “you know how they treated you.. Those were liberals.. However, they have to pretend they are quaker, christian and that they care about kids… Now imagine liberals with complete control when they no longer have to pretend…” The look on his face was priceless. An “Oh Sh*t” coupled with sudden awareness
bullseye on November 7, 2008 at 5:09 PM
Hand pink slip, point to door.
Bruno Strozek on November 7, 2008 at 5:09 PM
Yes but will this go on her permanent record?
landshark on November 7, 2008 at 5:09 PM
The only “appropriate action” is termination.
Star20 on November 7, 2008 at 5:10 PM
This is why we lost this election. They have been doing this and worse for 40 years.
eaglesdontflock on November 7, 2008 at 5:10 PM
One, I can’t believe a Swedish film crew did a documentary in his school and he didn’t see it before it was posted to Youtube. Therefore, he would have done nothing but for the fact that people are angry.
Two, “appropriate action” is HR speak for she will be transferred and promoted to a supervisory position.
Blake on November 7, 2008 at 5:11 PM
Well, yeah. He’s trying to take away her right to free harrassment of little kids!! How can we stand for this?!
MattMacD on November 7, 2008 at 5:11 PM
She’ll get written up at most…likely nothing more than a verbal reprimand that won’t go into her record. Fire her and she’d sue the district and they would settle for cash and probably hire her back. There is really no way to get rid of a bad employee at a public school.
The only way to get fired from a school district is to be openly racist against minorities or molest the students.
Asher on November 7, 2008 at 5:12 PM
Well played, indeed. Bravo.
Jaibones on November 7, 2008 at 5:12 PM
Please, a slap on the wrist is all that is coming here.
goldeagle11 on November 7, 2008 at 5:14 PM
Now the economy tanks and many people have no alternative but the public school system. It does us no good to bury our heads in the sand. Again, the public schools are why we lost this election, why the gay marriage issue is not a slam dunk, why the drug and STD problem is out of control.
Just ask George Soros about his Open Society mantras,
eaglesdontflock on November 7, 2008 at 5:14 PM
well WE SHALL SEE…………..
REST ASSURED THAT THE VIGILANTES WILL
SHOVE A MICROSCOPE UP YOUR A$$ IF YOU
DO NOT ACT…………… mr superintendent
tamtam20 on November 7, 2008 at 5:14 PM
I think its fair to allow the school to take action. Give the system a chance to work.
William Amos on November 7, 2008 at 5:14 PM
The Superintendent said it was a single act by one teacher. He sounded sincere and I hope he is right in his assessment, but I have to wonder how often the hierarchy in our school systems actually poke there head in the door to see if the teacher is teaching Biology or Communism.
A final note. A tip of the hat to the blogosphere.
fogw on November 7, 2008 at 5:14 PM
Based on past experience, I vote for the worst possible punishment. Sensitivity training classes that run 2 days. She’ll come out scarred for life.
a capella on November 7, 2008 at 5:16 PM
That’s a tad naive, I must say.
It’s not even remotely “closed’ until that ‘appropriate action’ is taken.
How many times have we seen gasps and befuddlement on the faces of school administrators at the actions of a public school teacher under their charge, only to have our thirst for justice slaked with nothing more than lip service being meted out in the end?
Nope. Not even close to being closed.
FlatFoot on November 7, 2008 at 5:16 PM
Teacher’s unions, highly paid suits and educational directives that were originally written by a founder of the Soviet system. A tainted national educational atmosphere where deranged criminals like Ayers are rewarded, and fake Native Americans receive tenure.
This woman will not suffer any loss to her pay and will continue to be trusted alone with children. She can’t even speak English well. Now this lazy, racist approach of putting sub standard people in charge goes all the way up to the presidency, but at least his typical white grandmother taught him how to speak well.
Hening on November 7, 2008 at 5:16 PM
Uh huh.
I have no idea of the particulars about that state’s union contracts with those NEA teachers, but a common phrase through out this nation’s public schools concerning problem teachers is ‘pass the trash’.
You, see, it’s terribly difficult to fire a tenured teacher – for any reason – even for abuse, theft, or poor performance.
Was this teacher tenured? I don’t know. But my guess is this teacher will simply be ‘passed’ to another school or district until the dust settles.
Union contracts and NEA lawyers are more feared by the school district than the pesky public or bothersome parents expecting service for their tax dollars.
Your tax dollars at work, people.
locomotivebreath1901 on November 7, 2008 at 5:17 PM
It was clearly awful, and the school district will likely fire this lady. I’m sure that they didn’t even know about the video until it came to light yesterday. The young girl in question probably didn’t feel safe telling anyone about the situation.
Illinidiva on November 7, 2008 at 5:17 PM
And don’t forget to remind her that Obama will be picking up her mortgage payment and filling up her gas tank.
Oldnuke on November 7, 2008 at 5:17 PM
The teacher in question, Diantha Harris, will probably escape any professional or personal consequences for this reprehensible behavior, thanks to her race and to the efforts of her union…which only adds poison to an already vile incident.
The area where they live isn’t some back-of-beyond nowhere…Ashville isn’t that close to Fayetteville, NC, where the superintendent says he’s speaking from, but — for those who don’t know — Fayetteville is a rather special place.
Fayetteville is the home of Fort Bragg, which is itself home to the troops generally sent in first, along with strike aircraft and Marines, whenever anything serious happens. The thought that some teacher arrogated to herself the task of “straightening out” kids — who can’t vote, she needs to be told — who “support” John McCain, and that those kids might be children of service 82nd Airborne Division or Special Forces soldiers boils my sluggish blood!
Add to this, the fact that these are elementary school kids, and that she was requiring them to take positions (per the transcript), and it’s easy to see (for me, anyway) that we have here a case of a person who’s mistaken her vocation. She thinks that she was called to be a teacher of impressionable children…when, in fact, she was called to be anything but a teacher…a fry cook, a prison guard, a real estate agent…anything but a person within 100 miles of any child’s intellect.
Putting out this video was a start, and a proper thing to do. They probably have dozens of regulations regarding releasing of information pertaining to this incident — when treachers misbehave, they can count on their unions to glom around them, defending the indefensible — and even though the public interest was wounded, the public will never see justice done.
From now on, every time teachers unions cough up that old saw about low pay, I think we ought to bring up some of these sorts of cases…and ask “What? To pay for this?”
…sauce for the goose….
Puritan1648 on November 7, 2008 at 5:18 PM
Required Volunteerism
PappaMac on November 7, 2008 at 5:18 PM
That has the hallmarks of a sternly written letter all over it.
Dr.Cwac.Cwac on November 7, 2008 at 5:18 PM
Truth to power!
carbon_footprint on November 7, 2008 at 5:18 PM
After the discrimination lawsuit.
Dr.Cwac.Cwac on November 7, 2008 at 5:19 PM
Obamalujah!
BobH on November 7, 2008 at 5:20 PM
Can someone tell me what the teachers were chanting on the stage at the end of the video? Thanks.
Blake on November 7, 2008 at 5:21 PM
Not the comfy chair!!
TexasDan on November 7, 2008 at 5:21 PM
See McCain? Not hard to put out a statement. I bet you got a bigger staff than this guy.
CanadianGuy on November 7, 2008 at 5:21 PM
The superintendent seems sincere, but I’m sure he will have an uphill battle going against the teacher’s union.
Where are all the wealthy conservatives and their lawyers when things like this happen? Why don’t they step up and represent the conservative case?
Y-not on November 7, 2008 at 5:21 PM
Al Sharpton’s Plane landing in Asheville NC in 5,4,3,…..
goldeagle11 on November 7, 2008 at 5:22 PM
Well – If any portion of “appropriate action” includes ever allowing her in a class room again I suggest we badger Bill O’Reilly to pay them a visit. That failing – maybe WE should go after her!! ??
IMO people like her are worse than evil.
Hal-9000 on November 7, 2008 at 5:23 PM
Film crews are not allowed to walz into a school and start filming. They had permission from what I can only believe was high up the food chain. So, I think they and he did know.
Blake on November 7, 2008 at 5:23 PM
She will get a 2 month paid suspension. And she will spend that time with ACORN registering another 10K phantom voters in NC. Public schools will lead to the final demise of this once great country.
angryed on November 7, 2008 at 5:25 PM
“Well played, sir.”
HA!
patriette on November 7, 2008 at 5:25 PM
Is “She stinks” considered personal info?
Jim Treacher on November 7, 2008 at 5:25 PM
Again, can some tell me what the teachers were chanting at the end? Because it look like an Obama rally with mandatory attendance and more than one teacher was involved.
Blake on November 7, 2008 at 5:26 PM
If they fire her, she will be on Oprah right away. Free car and front row seats to the inauguration with Oprah, Stedman, Will, and Jada.
Then a book deal and a movie.
JeffinOrlando on November 7, 2008 at 5:27 PM
A b-slap and a pink slip would be appropriate.
whitetop on November 7, 2008 at 5:27 PM
I believe the family of the little girl that was singled out in the original video may have a legal claim against the teacher and the school district. Someone needs to step up in the community to help them.
d1carter on November 7, 2008 at 5:27 PM
Jessie Jackson is probably weeping again because he has finally found work.
Blake on November 7, 2008 at 5:28 PM
A raise, a plaque and a honey-baked ham?
Chuck Schick on November 7, 2008 at 5:28 PM
The question we should all be asking is:
“Is this girl a Rove plant, and can we have a detailed inventory of the contents of her vagina?”
Darth Executor on November 7, 2008 at 5:28 PM
Why have Republicans been whining about not being able to get a message out, or whining about the liberal media? This guy got a message out for free, right away.
Why don’t Republicans talk directly to us like this all the time? This is 2008, right? The technology is there, right?
nottakingsides on November 7, 2008 at 5:29 PM
Knock off the common sense!
Blake on November 7, 2008 at 5:32 PM
In other words the bitch is protected by her union.
Jdripper on November 7, 2008 at 5:32 PM
Whaddya wanna bet that we find out that this kid owes taxes on her Barbie Dream Home and once failed to obtain the proper licensure to operate a lemonade stand.
patriette on November 7, 2008 at 5:33 PM
Yeah but most people don’t use it enough. Just because this guy did doesn’t mean we can get all our messages out to the entire population. Especially busy working people who don’t have hours to waste on the internet and get all their
newspropaganda from cnn.Darth Executor on November 7, 2008 at 5:34 PM
Of course, they knew about the film, but I don’t think they knew about the teacher berating her students. I don’t think the Fayetteville school board is going to go out of its way to watch a Finnish documentary.
Illinidiva on November 7, 2008 at 5:34 PM
Darth,
You need to leave. Now.
Christien on November 7, 2008 at 5:36 PM
Why?
Darth Executor on November 7, 2008 at 5:36 PM
Yes the Public School System does indeed doctrinate our children, but this is where parenting comes in. A prime example is my son, presently in Grade 5. His class was learning about elections and at some point his teacher mentioned that she would vote for Obama if she could. (we are Canadian, so she couldn’t. Funny thing is, she supported Harper for our PM). Anyway, my dear son proceeded to inform her of all the ‘evils’ of Bambam last Friday. Come Monday morning his teacher told him that she would change her vote to McCain. Seems she went home and researched Bambam. She told my son that he sure seemed to know a lot about Politics. He told her that yes, his mom ‘watches it all the time and talks to him about it’. (The funniest part was when he told her about how when he broke his leg in Jan he was ‘forced’ to watch because he was home for 2 months). So see, there is something to be said about talking our kids. They do listen. The one thing that I try to drive into my kids is that they need to think for themselves!!! Never take anyone’s word for anything. Do your research and come to your own conclusions. Even if, God forbid, they differ from mine :)
pcbedamned on November 7, 2008 at 5:37 PM
Why not? I would be both concerned and interested in any documentary that I had some connection with. Hell, how many people go to movies just because it’s filmed in their neighborhood, or in their school, etc.
Blake on November 7, 2008 at 5:38 PM
I think Darth was making fun of the Trig controversy he wasnt asking for this girl to be examined.
William Amos on November 7, 2008 at 5:39 PM
Frankly, I’m surprised if there was not an administrator sitting in the back of the room watching the filming.
Blake on November 7, 2008 at 5:39 PM
I wonder if Ohio Governor Ted Strickland will take “appropriate action” as well.
Update on Joe the Plumber.
Midnightrain on November 7, 2008 at 5:40 PM
I hope she is as fully investigated and reported on as our friend Joe the Plumber was. I want to know this woman’s tax records, and see if her teaching credentials are up to date.
redshirt on November 7, 2008 at 5:41 PM
True. But this teacher wasn’t encouraging debate or even teaching them about the election process. She was encouraging kids to spout hyperbole for Obama and then singling out and brow-beating kids who favored McCain. Did you see the look on the face of the kid sitting next to that girl? He basically got the message from his teacher that he could stare and mock at her because of her political positions.
patriette on November 7, 2008 at 5:42 PM
er, make that “stare at and mock” . . .
patriette on November 7, 2008 at 5:43 PM
+1
FloatingRock on November 7, 2008 at 5:45 PM
“Personnel laws” prevent him from revealing what he’s going to do…?!
There’s a way around that… paging Ohio’s Helen Jones-Kelly….
Republican on November 7, 2008 at 5:45 PM
William,
Obviously.
Christien on November 7, 2008 at 5:46 PM
If you want to know how in the world a terrorist-loving, America-hating, no-experience man became president…
…look no further than our public schools.
The liberals had it right – get to the children early and inculcate them with the ‘correct’ values.
If we want to change this country for the better, we conservatives need to push and support more conservatives into going into the teaching profession.
Religious_Zealot on November 7, 2008 at 5:47 PM
Darth,
I apologize. It’s not my blog, nor my place to determine what you need to do. That’s up to you and the blog owner.
Christien on November 7, 2008 at 5:47 PM
She will be warned to NOT to get caught!
grapeknutz on November 7, 2008 at 5:49 PM
Imagine what that child’s father must be thinking.
This is now on the world stage for everyone to see.
Middle schoolers get enough garbage thrown at them by their own classmates.
To be smacked down by your teacher on the world stage of instant video should leave a nice mark.
nor on November 7, 2008 at 5:51 PM
At least he seem’s to be addressing the problem, unlike those who head our colleges and univsersity’s who always ignore the problem when one of their professors go off the deep end. Agreed it will be a slap on the wrist or a transfer to another school. This “teacher” (and I use the term loosely) isn’t going to lose her job over it, and that’s a shame.
Hog Wild on November 7, 2008 at 5:51 PM
Having been on that guy’s side of the desk, ‘appropriate action’ means:
‘Don’t do that crap in front of a camera again.’
Notice the nuance?
TinMan13 on November 7, 2008 at 5:52 PM
This incident is quite despicable, I agree. All the more reason I am glad that I am raising FU kids when it comes to people’s opinions about their opinions. (Mind you, they can’t be FU kids when it comes to me…:)
pcbedamned on November 7, 2008 at 5:55 PM
Well, considering she’s no doubt a member of the NEA, and is preaching the union’s own politics, you might as well forget about her being fired. I’m pretty sure the only way that can happen anymore is if a teacher has sex with or maybe kills a student.
Blacklake on November 7, 2008 at 5:56 PM
There has to be some Brigade Command staff functionary alerting the little girl’s father of this abuse. I would not be surprised if a lawsuit naming the teacher, school administration and the janitor’s pet wombat as defendants is brought when Dad gets home.
The bigger picture is this teacher is what we get when the Feds take over local school districts. Thank you Jimmy Carter for the Department of
IndoctrinationEducation.SeniorD on November 7, 2008 at 5:56 PM
To heck with firing her for what she said to the kid about her father…she should be fired for ‘axe-ing’ a question.
And in the interest of fairness to the liberals, for also saying ‘Lord’ and ‘Jesus’ in the classroom.
James on November 7, 2008 at 5:57 PM
Good for him. I don’t care if he is a Dem or a Pub,, he’s classy and on the job.
JellyToast on November 7, 2008 at 6:01 PM
The message is – If you do not pay obiesance to the One,
yo daddy gonna be in irak for a hunerd years.
Fire the beyatch.
Kuffar on November 7, 2008 at 6:03 PM
Harris needs to be brought before the board on charges of ignoring the separation of church and statforcing Christianity on those poor, unsuspecting children!
RightTurnOnly on November 7, 2008 at 6:10 PM
This is why I send my children to a Catholic parochial school. Their 5th thru 8th grad had a mock election, and McCain/Palin got 112 votes, Obama/Biden 52, and Nader 2.
However, none of the teachers used intimidation tactics. In fact, none of the teachers were allowed to reveal who they voted for until AFTER the election.
ZzzzDad on November 7, 2008 at 6:13 PM
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