SwiftVets.com

[Rdtf]

see below the form letter they are responding with. I removed phone numbers and email addresses, etc.
Unbelievable.

SOUTH BRUNSWICK TOWNSHIP PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Joanne Kerekes Gary P. McCartney, Ed. D. Jeffrey R. Scott, RSBA
Assistant Superintendent for Superintendent of Schools Assistant Superintendent for
Curriculum & Instruction Business/Board Secretary
"Expect the Best…And Get It!"
October 3, 2004

District Statement Regarding Bulletin Board at Crossroads Middle School

In an incident that has recently been reported to several media sources, a claim has
been made by South Brunswick Middle School teacher Shiba Pillai-Diaz, that she was fired for
not removing a picture of President George W. Bush from a classroom bulletin board. The
claim is false. While I am normally reluctant to discuss personnel matters in public, Ms. Pillai-
Diaz’ distortions of the facts, along with her aggressive efforts to get herself national media
attention, leaves the district no choice but to set the record straight.
The facts are as follows:
Ms. Pillai-Diaz is a new Language Arts teacher in the South Brunswick Schools.
Recently, the school administration began receiving complaints from students and parents that
Ms. Pillai-Diaz was using her position, classroom and teaching time to engage in partisan
politics. Students reported that she had made statements which denigrated one party over the
other. The conversations included Ms. Pillai-Diaz telling some students who offered opinions
contrary to her statements, that she was “glad they were not old enough to vote.” Other
comments to students, including such statements as, “you should be ashamed to be a
Democrat” have been verified through student interviews.
A classroom bulletin board, normally intended for curriculum-related matters, was set
up as what she herself described as a “personal bulletin board.” On the bulletin board she
placed a picture of the President, the President's dog, the Oval Office and several other
Presidential artifacts. In addition, she placed a stuffed elephant on a classroom cabinet, which
generated student reaction and discussion about partisan politics.
Following receipt of complaints from parents, the Assistant Principal met with Ms.
Pillai-Diaz and cautioned her not to engage in partisan political discussions in her Language
Arts classes. He did not initially ask her to remove the picture of the President. As the issue
grew in intensity, the teacher herself chose to remove the stuffed elephant because of student
comments. In the ensuing days, parents expressed increasing concern about the teacher's
classroom behavior, the misuse of classroom instructional time and the personal bulletin board.
The level of concern resulted in a classroom confrontation between some parents and Ms.
Pillai-Diaz at the Back-to-School night program. It was at this point that the school
administration decided to intervene again.
On Friday morning, October 1, Ms. Pillai-Diaz was directed by the Assistant Principal
to remove bulletin board materials because they were being viewed as contributing to an
ongoing disruption of the teaching-learning environment. She refused. She then met with the
Principal who repeated the directive. At this point, Ms. Pillai-Diaz abruptly left the building,
abandoning her post of duty and her classroom responsibilities.
-2-
At no time was she told to leave, asked to leave or given authorization to leave.
School was still in session. At no time was she told she was suspended or fired. With
professional responsibilities of a classroom teacher waiting, Ms. Pillai-Diaz chose, of her own
volition, to walk out of the school, contact various media sources and claim she had been fired.
I had occasion to meet with Ms. Pillai-Diaz, along with a union representative and a
police escort that she had requested, for approximately two hours when she returned to the
building later that same afternoon. After listening to her story, I asked if any member of the
administration had used the phrase "you're fired" or anything that remotely sounded like it. She
admitted that no one had used any such language. When I further pursued why she reported to
media sources that she had been fired, she said that she "thought" that she had been. I
explained that principals cannot fire employees, that only Boards of Education can do so. With
her union representative present, she said that she now understood. I asked that when she next
spoke with the media, that she clarify her new understanding.
I fully support the actions of the Principal and Assistant Principal. It is never
acceptable for a teacher to utilize the classroom to advocate for political purposes or advance
personal beliefs. The courts have always admonished teachers for proselytizing in public
school classrooms. This issue is not about a picture of the President, but rather a zealous
misuse of seventh and eighth grade student instructional time.
The South Brunswick School community is enormously respectful of the Office of the
President of the United States, President Bush and the democratic process for choosing our
President. Anyone trying to suggest the contrary has the worst of intentions. Under other
circumstances, the display of a picture of the President would have been viewed as completely
appropriate and uncontroversial. It is important to note that pictures of President Bush are
openly displayed in all of the South Brunswick Schools. The teacher’s own actions here,
however, took it out of the realm of education and made the presentation appear partisan to
many of our students and parents. Under these circumstances, our actions in directing the
removal of the display were singularly appropriate.
Gary P. McCartney Ed D.
Superintendent of Schools
South Brunswick School District

[Bystander]

It seems to be a case of she said/he said right now. I received the same response after emailing the Supt. of Schools. I wonder where the truth lies? Will we ever know?
_________________
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
..................................Eleanor Roosevelt

[FirstKlassAct]

Teacher Pulled From Classroom Can Put President Bush Photo Back Up


SOUTH BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- Was a New Jersey schoolteacher trying to teach her kids to vote the way she does?

School officials say that appears to be the case. They say middle-school teacher Shiba Pillai-Diaz will be allowed to return to the classroom if she stops making political statements.

She'll even be allowed to put her picture of President Bush back up on her bulletin board.

http://www.wftv.com/newsofthestrange/3783904/detail.html

[Rdtf]

They came thier senses - I am sure we helped! That teacher needs to sue them. I am disgusted that they chose that path. Even with a he said/she said it was still wrong - they caved to the complaints of a few liberal parents that felt uncomfortable with her teaching their kids. They should have stood behind their employee and at the very least NEVER asked her to take that photo down. Whether those wacko liberal parents like it or not, Bush is our sitting President. Like or move to Cuba.

[FirstKlassAct]

[Bystander]

Glad to see this. Hope all the emails we sent did have an effect. I must remember to send a thank you note to tree-hugger Algore for inventing the Internet so that we 'little people' can be heard! :lol
_________________
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
..................................Eleanor Roosevelt

[FirstKlassAct]

[davman]

This is the email address for the NJ State Board of Ecucation and the school in question. This woman is not in the union yet, so they probably can not help her. We should. Please let them know this is not acceptable!

https://www.state.nj.us/njded/parents/contact.htm


Mailing Address:
Crossroads South Middle School
195 MAJOR ROAD
MONMOUTH JUNCTION, NJ 08852+9718

[Guest]

I saw her last night on BOR and what they did to her was the most dispicable display of bi-partisianship I have heard to date. It is totally un-american. My God, if I did not know better, I would think we were begining to look more like a third world country where they dictate to you who you must support and whose pictures to be allowed and not allowed to be put up. I am totally disheartened by what is happening in our country because of the lefties. It is imperative that Bush win this election or many of the rights we now enjoy will no longer be allowed. My God what is happening to us?? It is scarry.

[Navy_Navy_Navy]

I'll bet these folks will be glad to take up her cause.
http://www.thefire.org/index.php

And the parent whose daughter had to watch F911 as part of an indoctrination.... er.... middle school class.
_________________
~ Echo Juliet ~
Altering course to starboard - On Fire, Keep Clear
Navy woman, Navy wife, Navy mother

[SWVTsupporter]

"On the bulletin board she placed a picture of the President, the President's dog, the Oval Office and several other Presidential artifacts."

I like that they mention the picture of the President, his dog, the Oval Office but conveniently forget to mention specifically the other "artifacts' like the Declaration of Independence, The Bill of Rights, and the signatures of several Presidents, among other things

Just another liberal's attempt to distort the truth. There is no mention of the 3 groups of parents that demanded that John Kerry's picture be put up, nor the fact that the kids were saying that George Bush murders people. I mean, how do you respond to people like this?

[CrazyIvan]

The really infuriating part of this is that I am aware of any number of liberal teachers that actually attempt to indoctrinate that are protected by their administrators. Can the Gulag be far behind?

[shooter]

You can bet your butt the teachers union won't back this demonic republican. That bunch of socialist dimbulbs has been grabbing their ankles for the dems for years!!! Bless this lady for trying to stand up to them.

Who knows, with all the history RE-writing that's going on, they may try to write GW out of the history books.
_________________
ADC USN Ret.

For those that fought for it, Freedom has a flavor the protected will never know !!

Harley Davidson - If you have to ask, you don't understand !

Gun Control = Double tap - center mass

[davman]

Where is the ACLU?

[The Balloon Artist]

The school had to do something. We can't have 7th graders out there voting for Bush can we?

Ditto public schools being the "indoctrination" center of the left.
_________________
What about John Kerry's four months in Vietnam qualify him to be president?
Al Gore was there for five.