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Misanthrope
23 May 2008, 11:43pm
Fuck me sideways, this isn't very far from where I live either.

Source (http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2008/04/22/freshwater_investigation.html?type=rss&cat=&sid=102)


MOUNT VERNON, Ohio — Mount Vernon City Schools announced Tuesday that it will launch an independent investigation into allegations made against an eighth-grade science teacher by parents.

According to a complaint, John Freshwater used an electrostatic device to burn crosses onto students’ arms. One of the students said that the pain was so severe that it prevented him from sleeping at night.

Attorney Jessica Philemon said her client was one of the students involved. She referred to the student as John Doe, 10TV's Tanisha Mallett reported.

"The cross-burning happened during an eighth-grade science class," Philemon said. "It happened with a science machine that uses an electric shock to cause a burn, and the teacher chose to burn a cross onto John Doe's forearm."

Philemon said parents complained to the district after the alleged incident in December 2007.

10TV News reported last week that Freshwater agreed to take down the Ten Commandments from the door of his classroom, along with posters containing Bible verses and Bibles on a shelf. However, he refused to remove a Bible from his desk.

The complaint charges that Freshwater used his classroom to advance religion in violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. In a recent class, it was charged that Freshwater taught the meaning of Good Friday and Easter.

“The allegations against Mr. Freshwater are very serious,” said Steve Short, the school superintendent. “This is not about his personal Bible on his desktop. It is about the totality of his conduct.”

According to the district, there were also allegations that Freshwater conducted prayers and engaged in a “healing session” as part of a Fellowship of Christian Athletes meeting.

After Freshwater acknowledged he may have engaged inappropriately as a participant rather than monitor the meetings, Short directed the middle school principal to remove Freshwater as a monitor.

Until the investigation concludes, Freshwater's classroom will be monitored, the district said.

According to the Ohio Department of Education, there is no state rule or policy on religious articles. It leaves the decision up to individual school districts to decide.

10TV obtained a copy of Mount Vernon's policy and it states that the district does not allow "devotional exercises or displays of a religious character," Mallett reported.

Short said he was made aware the policy was being violated after a parent complained.

"The complaint involved the Ten Commandments and I believe eight to 10 Bibles that were stacked on a shelf," Short said last week.

Italian Jew
24 May 2008, 12:01am
And the teacher thought this was a good idea why?

At least he wasn't catholic, or he would've fucked the boy. Crazy people in the world...

juku
26 May 2008, 03:43pm
And the teacher thought this was a good idea why?

At least he wasn't catholic, or he would've fucked the boy. Crazy people in the world...

Not trying to defend catholic religion or anything, but it isn't only that religion that the incidents happened.So it could happen to any religion.
http://www.reformation.com/CSA/lutheranabuse.html

http://www.examiner.com/a-677916~Jewish_Times__Rabbi_was_molester.html

Italian Jew
26 May 2008, 03:54pm
Yeah I know catholics aren't the only ones, but they love them boys the mostest! :rlol:

Repeat
26 May 2008, 04:29pm
My aunt and uncle live in Mount Vernon! I'll have to ask them about it. Fucked up, though.

Misanthrope
26 May 2008, 04:44pm
I tend to take the stance that all religion is bad for you, I just chose this article since it's local.

Repeat
26 May 2008, 06:17pm
I tend to take the stance that all religion is bad for you, I just chose this article since it's local.

I tend to take the stance that burning kids with scientific equipment is bad for you.

SpikedRocker
27 May 2008, 02:28am
I tend to take the stance that burning kids with scientific equipment is bad for you.

Agreed. I don't think an FCA meeting ever talked about burning anything. The people who act like this and get into the media always seems to drag their religion in the mud more than bring it to light.

Veggie
27 May 2008, 03:06am
Terrible when it takes something like this for the School staff to be more involved with whats going on.

juku
27 May 2008, 05:01am
I tend to take the stance that burning kids with scientific equipment is bad for you.

Agree:thumbup1: any burn hurts and is bad and lasts awhile too. though would you believe what this site says about easing the pain with virtual world.
I don't trust it since you must be really sucked into it to ease that kind of burn. even then it is bad he doesn't feel pain.:001_unsure:

http://www.apa.org/monitor/apr02/burn.html