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
Obviously, these school officials haven’t been to Mount Olympus recently; if they had, they wpuld have know that cultivation of grapes requires a working knowledge of gardening tools. My cousin Dionysus should pay them a visit, I’ll look into it.
Oh, my goodness! I think they should suspend all horticulture teachers. It’s awful! They are subjecting our children to gardening tools every class day! They even have the kids bring tools to class. I’m horrified! Now they will have to be expelled from school. Where will it all end? Oh, by the way, for all the liberals that agree with me, look up the word sarcasm in the dictionary.
Before everyone gets their panties twisted in a wad…understand that besides wrenches pliers and screwdrivers, the “gardening tools” also included a pocket knife and boxcutter. I’m quite sure that is what he was suspended over. Understandable, in this day and age, and a pretty poor decision on the teachers part to not clear this with supervisors in advance.
As a farmer, I carry a pocket knife on my belt most days – use it in harvesting and can be used for cutting animals out of electrical fencing if they get tangled – could SAVE a life. As for a box cutter, I use those to trim my irrigation lines, make neat cuts on plastic for row cover, etc. Remember the day when we used to use SAWS, HAMMERS and POWER DRILLS? If we don’t teach kids how to SAFELY use these things – they’ll either be scared of them or dangerous with them. Get a grip. I’m sure he was being safe and it even says he kept them locked up when not in use – by him.
Farmer Marie,
” Remember the day when we used to use SAWS, HAMMERS and POWER DRILLS? If we don’t teach kids how to SAFELY use these things — they’ll either be scared of them or dangerous with them.”
You said a mouthful there. My Dad was a machinist by trade. At his place of work, he had an assortment of fine tools. In the home toolbox, he had an assortment of dull cutting tools, blunt striking tools, and ‘bargain basement’ power tools. It took more energy to make the tools work than to go and buy what you wanted to make. Result: I am not good at using tools. I know what I want to do, but never developed the skill. I can do lots of things, but they ‘most always look un-finished.
“Result: I am not good at using tools.”
Yep, that what we have the Chinese for.
Doesn’t anyone read the obituaries? COMMON SENSE died some time ago. It must have, because it has been gone for some time now.
This is so stupid that I have trouble believing it actually happened! We get kids in high schools who don’t know how to measure or do anything useful because they’ve been so “protected” all their lives from household tools and other practical equipment and activities.
How do people so dumb get into positions of authority?
Well, let’s see… No tools. (they’re WEAPONS) No pop-tarts… (they can be chewed into a GUN SHAPE) No recess…. (little darlings might fall down and skin a knee!) Lets ban another potentially hurtful thing… THE PENCIL! It can be used as a weapon.
Zero tolerance is NOT going to accomplish what it was intended for. It never prevented ANYTHING but the education of children. You would be shocked (or maybe not) at what I took to school. As did lots of kids. Nobody was hurt. And we didn’t grow up into raving homicidal maniacs.