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| Florida Teacher Suspended For Allegedly Writing non-P.C. Letter To Congressman |
| 2005-08-24 |
| A fifth-grade teacher at Sadler Elementary School, accused of making disparaging remarks about Puerto Ricans and immigrants, was removed and suspended without pay Wednesday. Orange County Superintendent Ron Blocker reacted quickly to growing outrage among Hispanic parents and community activists, saying that discriminatory behavior would not be tolerated. "For anyone who is not clear on this, Orange County public schools educates all children. We are a diverse community," Blocker said Wednesday. "There is no room for racism and discrimination, and there is no room for not being sensitive to a child and providing a safe and supportive environment." It's unclear whether the teacher, Jan P. Hall, wrote the letter that was translated into Spanish and published Wednesday by Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Dia. District officials said Hall, 59, who had taught at the south Orlando school for five years, told her principal that she had written a letter to an unidentified member of Congress. She could not be reached for comment. In a published version of the letter that began "Dear Honorable Congressman," the writer said Hispanics and other Caribbean newcomers are taking all the jobs and that "foreigners are the largest users of taxpayers' money." It also charged that Hispanics and immigrants in general were hurting the quality of schools and dragging down educational achievement. The letter also charged that Puerto Ricans are destroying Orlando, and that laws should be changed so Puerto Ricans -- who are U.S. citizens by birth -- would stop moving to Central Florida. It complained about Mexicans, Middle Easterners and Haitians, adding that Mexicans bring drugs and incurable diseases and that Haitian children are too aggressive. Puerto Rican teachers who work here, the letter went on, have the equivalent of a fifth-grade education. "If this [letter] is true, she basically has a problem with anyone who doesn't belong to her race," said Marytza Sanz, president of the advocacy group Latino Leadership, adding that the schools should offer sensitivity training to teachers. School Board attorney Frank Kruppenbacher said that regardless of Hall's protected constitutional right to free speech, discriminatory statements violate the "Code of Ethics and the Principles of Professional Conduct" that all Florida educators must follow. The code states that educators "shall not harass or discriminate against any student" based on race, national origin or ethnicity. Because the letter referred to Sadler and Hall identified herself as a teacher, the code applies, he said. Kruppenbacher said the schools have had a tough stance against discrimination and brought termination proceedings last year against an unidentified Winter Park High School teacher who wrote what he called "a rather racist" letter. The Sadler incident fired up controversy among Hispanic community-watchdog groups and led to an immediate school-district investigation. Activists and parents complained that those remarks should not come from an educator -- particularly because she teaches at a school where 58 percent of the students are Hispanic. The Puerto Rican government office in Orlando also intervened, writing to Blocker that Hall's behavior was "intimidating and repugnant" and a violation of the Civil Rights Act. "I am very upset about this," said Evelyn Rivera, who leads the Parent Leadership Council that represents parents of bilingual children in Orange schools. "To me, the letter writer is a very ignorant person who doesn't know how valuable it is to know two languages. I wouldn't call this person an educator, because she has a lot to learn and lacks the sensitivity to be a teacher." David DeMond, who leads the Classroom Teachers Association, said his organization was not ready to elaborate but said the union would provide legal advice for Hall if she is a member. "Teachers have the right to express an opinion," DeMond said, "but they are aware of the code of ethics and should be able to read and understand what it means." |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #4 hell, even Rep John Boehner's (R-Ohio) cell phone calls were intercepted by a couple retired Dems "out for a drive with a scanner and recorder on the front seat". Apparently, anything's possible in Fla, and totally explainable to the right ears |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-08-24 21:57 |
| #3 How about it being a Democrat congressperson or one of their aids? That might be an abswer. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet 0´ Doom 2005-08-24 21:54 |
| #2 I'd be very interested to know how a Puerto Rican newspaper got hold of private correspondense to a Congressman. If this member of Congress distributed it with the teacher's name, I'd say he/she has some 'splainin to do. |
| Posted by: BH 2005-08-24 21:46 |
| #1 What? THERE IS NO ELEPHANT IN THIS ROOM! And - If there were an elephant, nobody should SAY anything about it. It just wouldn't be fair to comment on the size of the elephant anyway. He's just born that way. |
| Posted by: Leigh 2005-08-24 19:57 |