Posted on 07/07/2006 7:56:42 AM PDT by SmithL
LEBANON — An Army reservist who served two tours in Afghanistan is suing the Wilson County school district, claiming it ended his contract to teach high school classes because of his extended service.
Capt. John Parker taught criminal justice and coached wrestling at Wilson Central High School and said he was recently told less than a month after returning from deployment that his contract would not be renewed for the coming school year.
"It just made me feel that the people I was fighting for were the exact people that were taking my job from me," Parker told WTVF-TV in Nashville.
The jobs of reservists and guardsmen are protected under federal law when they return from deployments.
Schools Director Jim Duncan said Parker's contract was not renewed because there weren't enough students signed up for his class.
"He was not fired," Duncan said, although he acknowledged that Parker's deployments were a concern. "It was like we got these classes going and you're supposed to be the teacher."
"Could he have said something to his superiors?" Duncan told the television station. "'Look, I really need to get back there. If everything is equal, I need to get back there (to Wilson Central High School) January 3rd because that's when my class starts and I need to be with those kids for the full semester.'"
When WTVF asked Duncan if he thought Parker should have made his teaching position a priority, Duncan said, "Firmly. Yes."
Parker's suit seeks his reinstatement at Wilson Central High School.
"He chose to risk his life. He didn't choose to risk his job," said Parker's attorney, Gary Blackburn.
"He was not fired," Duncan said, although he acknowledged that Parker's deployments were a concern. "It was like we got these classes going and you're supposed to be the teacher."
This functional idiot should be fired, and kept away from any aspect of education. His "reasoning" and "whining" is exactly why the federal law protecting soldiers was created; no more and no less.
There is always an inconvenience and a complication (for others) associated with putting your life on the line to protect his countrymen, including schools, administrators and teachers. The work involved in dealing with those complications pales in comparison to dying.
What a "progressive" total P---k!
A law that requires someone to be given back their job even though they haven't been doing it for months or years?
Smacks of rank socialism to me.
/sarcasm off
Cmon, guy's a hero. Give him his friggin job back.
Seems to me the administrator admitted that the school let the teacher go exactly because he was deployed - winning that case is a slam dunk.
Administrators like this fink are one of the reasons I quit teaching. No analytial powers; whiners; narrowminded; wusses; and such a long list of other nouns and adjectives--take your pick.
vaudine
Hmmmm...I don't think the Army brass would have been impressed with this line of reasoning considering that there are thousands of other reservists who have similarly had to leave their jobs as well.
lock this POS up in the same cell with gay bob.....
The Administrator has clearly broken the law and put the town at risk of a costly lawsuit. Here's to hoping the good townspeople have him fired for cause.
Mr. Duncan has given away the farm with his statements.
When he said "Could he have said something to his superiors? Look, I really need to get back there. If everything is equal, I need to get back there (to Wilson Central High School) January 3rd because that's when my class starts and I need to be with those kids for the full semester.'" He admitted that he fired Parker due to deployment.
Parker will own them because of what Duncan said.
Give that some more thought and you will change you mind. Where do you think the money would come from if the government paid for a temp? It would be tax money taken from the defense budget that would that would pay the salary of a temp. The school is able to hire a temp since it isn't paying the personnal who are called to active duty.
"I'm sorry sir, could you please put the war on hold so I can go back and teach a class."
Friggin' idiot.
Giving it even more thought and I wont.
As a reservist who has been called up more times than I care to mention.
I work in private industry, in IT.
When I am called up, someone needs to take my place a temp or contractor who would be more expensive to hire than me.
Who will cover that cost.
Who will cover there training expenses if that person needs to be trained.
Lets say the company does.
Lets say I get made redundant one day in IT it happens a lot.
Will another company risk taking me on, if there is a chance I will be called up, and they will have to cover the cost.
Um, no.
It is ALL tax money to begin with. His original Salary, any Salary paid to a "Temp" in his absence, all the same.
It is the pot from which the money would be taken that is of importance. It would not be your tax money if you didn't live in or do business in the state
where the school is located.
If the money was taken from the defense budget it would certainly be your tax money. However, paying a temp as you suggest would lessen the amount of money in the defense budget needed to defend out nation.
Thanks. I'll buy that with the clarification.
If he'd left it right there, Duncan might have had a case. But expressing "concerns" over Parker's deployment showed his hand.
Sue him. Fire him. And sue him again.
As an employer I will not hire any National Guardsman or newly released personel. I would deny I ever said this but it is not fair for my other employees if I hired one and they get called up to go off somewhere. We are required to keep their position open til their return and I can not do that. My company is just too small and each employee is vital. I know I am not alone in this feeling either. Bush* has pretty much damaged National Guard beyond repair.
Think now you are a employer, Would you hire me.
I was called up for the first Gulf, called up again for Bosnia, called up again for Kosovo, called up twice for the current conflict.
Would you hire me to work for you, in a skilled position.
If you do and I get called up, will you hire a contractor and keep my position open Contractors at a contracting rate, its going to cost you, or will you hire a permanent employee, to take my place, what happens then, when my tour is over.
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