Doug Bartlett, a veteran teacher with an upstanding record of 17 years, has filed a lawsuit against the school district of Chicago for suspending him without pay after giving a lesson on gardening tools to his second grade students.
The incident took place on August 8, 2011 at Washington Irving Elementary School.
Mr. Bartlett recently filed suit on April 17, 2013 saying that he suffered humiliation and embarrassment as a result of his reprimand.
The “hazardous” tools in question were pliers, screwdrivers and wrenches that only the teacher handled. The tools were kept in a locked toolbox high on a shelf out of reach before and after the gardening lesson.
The district says that Mr. Bartlett exhibited negligence in supervising the children and for “possessing, carrying, storing, or using a weapon”. Â He was subsequently suspended without pay for 4 days.
Mr. Bartlett’s lawsuit claims the suspension violated his Fourteenth Amendment right to due process as he asserts that there was never a full hearing on the incident. Â Further, he was disciplined without ever having the opportunity to plead his case.
According to the Rutherford Institute which is representing him, Mr. Bartlett is seeking damages and requesting the suspension be expunged from his teaching record.
It is important to have electronic records in order as the charge of possessing a “weapon”, in this case gardening tools, has the potential to prevent Mr. Bartlett from seeking employment elsewhere.
The incident is yet another example of an over the top reaction by school officials demonstrating poor judgment and a gross lack of common sense.
A related story occurred in the Fall of 2012 when the Vice Principal of a California school suspended a boy for bringing kombucha in his lunchbox.  With no parent or guardian present at any time, the boy was interrogated in the school office by school administration and a police officer and was ultimately suspended for 5 days for “violating” the school’s drug and alcohol policy. No tests were ever performed on the beverage which is able to be legally purchased by minors at local stores.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
Teacher Who Showed Garden Tools to Second Grade Students is Suspended Without Pay
Is there no commons sense anymore…….this is just plain stupid!!!!
I bet it’s tough on the school maintenance personnel, having to work without tools.
What next, will parents need licenses to have gardening tools at home as well? And god forbid that someone have carpentry tools! How absolutely ludicrous!!
they’re going to create a national registry for those of us that own gardening tools with out fingerprints and dna so they can match us to any gardening crimes that occur.
oops, with *our* fingerprints, not *out*
A pencil can be used as a weapon. Should everyone with a pen or pencil be kicked out? Asinine.
Heck, they’ll probably start amputating fingers because they can poke someone’s eye out! Someone please stop the crazy train!
WTF?
now this goin on to the extreme bunch of idiots
A school that does not have common sense…pathetic…and this is where children are supposed to learn? One man’s action that is definitely going in the right direction apprehended by the school admin? What a shame! Is there a petition or a way to let the school learn about how disgusted the public is with their action?
My husband, currently a soldier, formerly a teacher said “Good for him! He will probably fail… I hope he doesn’t, but he probably will.”
Why would you post this article without mentioning that it was the pocket knife that he was actually suspended for, not the gardening tools? I’m not saying that makes the suspension justifiable, but it makes their decision a little more understandable.
http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2013/04/18/Chicago-teacher-sues-over-pocket-knife-suspension/UPI-30621366302601/
I don’t think so. The boy scouts always have pocket knives. Pocket knives come in very handy in many situations. Why are we so paranoid? Do we really think so little of our children now that if we show them how to use a pocket knife they will become a mass murderer. If parents are doing their job, the kids should turn out just find.
Gee…I guess this educator should have just known that these seemingly common, everyday tools were actually weapons. The way he just brandished these lethal pieces of garden weapons in front of those poor kids is APPALLING! I guess he should have known better and just showed the kids pictures of them instead, but that would probably still be way too much negligence on his part. He could have taught them how to use plastic spoons to dig dirt, but not forks or knives, because again, just way too DANGEROUS!! This is why more and more people are turning to private school and home schooling, the public school system is so wack sometimes! Ridiculous. Poor guy. I hope he can get a better job somewhere else, but I’d bet more than anything he would like to have his job back, only that would be kind of awkward I suppose.