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”. 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. 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
Common sense is apparently uncommon these days
An academic education is of no value without common sense. My initial impulse is to call for a PLB (parking lot beating), but the people who did this already suffer from head up the butt syndrome. However, then I would be acting like these idiots and I don’t want to do that.
Now you can see why the government wants to outlaw home schooling, because these students don’t follow the herd like the kids and the teachers have to do to stay in school or teach in the public schools.
Maybe this will lead to an increase in parent participation at the school, if they still have parents night, where the parents can go to the school and see what’s going on and speak out about idiotic school rules. Just when you think it’s safe to go back in the water……
This is a sad world we are living in
Well, I would hate for them to come into my middle school cooking classes and watch my kids using Chef’s knifes and fire!
This is absurd!!!! Poor guy:/
time to outlaw horticulture and how to live on your own too then, and it’s also time for us to learn how to live without having to put forth any effort on our own unless it’s getting someone else to provide for us. Did i get even close?
The “hazardous” tools in question were pliers, screwdrivers and wrenches, these are not gardening tools, but still crazy he got in trouble. Illinois sucks
This is how starts in Authoritative Dictatorships! A little slice here and there gone from your personal freedoms in the name of safety. Everyone is made to feel guilty. Do not question the officials, or your name will be given to the Homeland Enforcers to put you in a Gulag or to a reeducation camp! Read the book Gulag, or The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. We are now them!
How ridiculous is this country getting? No wonder other countries make fun of us…sheesh!
Famous quote show how schools not teaching world famous common practice even the U.S. Department of Transportation is even admitting to, and it shows again how schools are limiting us, controlling our death rates;
Famous fact;“More of us died in cars than all the wars in history combined”. + Many schools for many years taught “H2O(Water)Electrolysis” = making unlimited free combustible fuels.
Many fleets of vehicles in the U.S & many countries use 100% natural gas many years.
Schools are suppose educate simple important things. We use to teach out side on farms, in work shops, no more work shop class either?
Recently, finally after billions of YouTube viewers, reacting from so much simple free fuel videos of H2O+12volts=Hydrogen, from endless lists of world wide examples for years. This is common practice for many years by millions and not needing less reliable deliveries.
Finally the U.S. Department of Transportation has admitted “Hydrogen and Home made Hydrogen” or “Hydrogen made on board” as many vehicles do, is the best fuel being it is more efficient, safer being less dangerous rising up away from you faster, leaves no much less residue on anything it touches, This is on the graph page alongside of other fuels not listed in most related pages of the D.O.T. as listed in one the related “Water Electrolysis” or “H2O = gas” pages for gas research places many years already.
As may YouTube videos show these simple examples how to wire a auto battery and makes bubbles in water using just a car battery or in house for heat or generator.
(this comment was deleted twice already, if there is a limit of words or no extension of comments please say so to let others know because that is the whole point of this ‘health & economy’ related page listing a school with faulty practice’ related article).