John Freshwater is holding his ground. This veteran, revered teacher in Ohio is keeping his Bible on his desk in his classroom, a practice he has stuck to for over twenty years. School administrators have ordered him to remove several items from his classroom, and he removed all of them except for his Bible.
But don’t worry! A monitor has been assigned to his classroom to make sure the Bible doesn’t harm any of the students. You know how dangerous those things can be!
SOURCE: “A Battle Over a Bible for a Teacher (and a Nation)” by Bob Burney
UPDATE: A couple of commenters have said that there’s more to the story than a teacher’s refusal to put his BIble away. I was aware of other details of the case but did not find them relevant to the issue of the teacher’s right to have his Bible on his desk.
Here’s more information, if you want it:
“Mount Vernon Bible Flap: Students Back Defiant Teacher,” The Columbs Dispatch, April 19, 2008
“investigation Under Way Against Freshwater,” Mount Vernon News, May 5, 2008
4 responses so far ↓
languagelover // May 21, 2008 at 8:10 pm
I’m not even sure what to say…I keep thinking I can’t be shocked, and then something like that happens. You have to give credit to that teacher…it’s tough to stand against that kind of pressure.
Does the ACLU ever do anything good? All I ever hear about is them threatening to sue someone for something ridiculous.
RG: Actually, to be fair, they often do. I find myself approving their actions about 10% of the time. I can’t think of anything off the top of my head, but there have been cases where they have actually helped defend people’s true Constitutional rights.
mary // May 22, 2008 at 9:05 pm
You really need to post the rest of the story. The Bible on the desk is the least of the problems involved.
RG: Do tell.
languagelover // May 22, 2008 at 10:53 pm
I did find a link with some more details on the story that add a little more detail to the story. Apparently, the teacher would demonstrate an electrical current by leaving a red cross-shaped mark on the student’s arm and he had a demonstration involving Legos and Creation theory. So, there is more to the story than just the Bible on the desk.
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/04/19/protest.ART_ART_04-19-08_B1_QU9VKT7.html?sid=101
RG: Thanks for pointing out that there is more to the story. I appreciate your holding me accountable. The part that concerns me is the order that Freshwater not have his Bible on his desk. The rest will have to be sorted out, hopefully though the proper procedures. Most of the allegations involve actions that have taken place continually for many years. I wonder why they were acceptable before but not now. My guess is that the Bible issue has led to the school’s investigation of the other issues, so that they have something besides the Bible on his desk to punish or fire the teacher for.
In cases such as this one, the truth usually lies between the allegations and the defenses. Freshwater sounds like a renegade, but he also sounds like he is well-loved by most of the students and by most of the community. So far, the school is handling the case pretty well. I hope that they continue to do so.
me // June 21, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Oh yeah, burning crosses into kids’ arms… Preaching against homosexuality in a public school science classroom. This guy is a real winner.
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