Posted on 08/23/2006 3:44:34 PM PDT by ncountylee
A Jefferson County geography teacher was suspended on the second day of school for hanging several flags from other countries in his classroom at Carmody Middle School.
Eric Hamlin said the flags were part of a world geography lesson plan and refused to remove them. Hamlin was escorted out of class and Wednesday morning by the school's principal after he refused to remove the flags of China and Mexico.
The school district placed him on administrative leave, citing a Colorado law that makes it illegal to display foreign flags permanently in schools.
"Under state law foreign flags can only be in the classroom because it's tied to the curriculum. And the principal looked at the curriculum, talked to the teacher, and found that there was really no curriculum coming up in the next few weeks that supported those flags being in the classroom," said Jeffco Public Schools spokeswoman Lynn Setzer.
But Hamlin said although his curriculum may not speak specifically about those flags, they are used as reference tools for world geography.
"It's much along the lines of a science teacher who puts up a map of the solar sysem. They may not spend every day and every lesson talking about Mars, but they want the students to see that and to see the patterns of the planets and the order, and the students will observe that, and absorb that learning visually," Hamlin said.
Hamlin said that the school district is not only depriving him of a teaching tool but also taking away from his students' education.
"The major problem I see here is with the law that limits educators," Hamlin said.
"We have to uphold state law. We really have no discretion when it comes to upholding the law," Setzer said.
Hamlin said he understands that the district is following state law so he's met with the ACLU and he said, if necessary, he plans on fighting the constitutionality of the law.
Looks like nothing but an ACLU set up.
Sounds like the law of unintended consequences. I'm guessing the law was to prevent teachers from hanging the Mexican flag permanently in the classroom where they taught biology.
However, the teacher was given the opportunity to remove the flags and chose to be suspended instead, which proves he's too stupid to be a teacher.
What constitutional issues? Since when is it a violation of someones rights/freedoms to prohibit starting a fire in a classroom? Just the thought of an out-of-control fire in a classroom started by a 7th grade teacher makes my blood boil (and I work in public schools).
This is total idiocy...
you guys sound like the guys that Micael Moore shows in his movies...
He is a geography teacher. I guess I would need to hear the other side of the story to be sure but it seems odd that they would remove a geography teacher for having foriegn flags in the classroom.
Exactly...That's why he picked the Mexican and Chinese flags to display.
Okay, I'm all for hanging the American Flag - it's out on my front porch EVERY DAY since the 2000 election. And my daughter's in the military, so I'm totally behind any patriotic display...
but foreign flags are routinely used in Geography classrooms. ALWAYS HAVE BEEN since I can remember - and I remember back to the 1960s. This has everything to do with the class, and it better be in the curriculum - so why on EARTH would they suddenly decide to be "politically incorrect" NOW? Don't they have some "day of silence" lessons to go conduct, or a protest to attend, or something else equally liberal?
It's patently ridiculous that THIS is what they decide to enforce - it's a geography classroom, for cryin' out loud. As long as the American Flag is in the position of honor, I don't see any harm in hanging a row of foreign flags in a Geography classroom...
My mistake. I thought this was the Flag burning incident. Guess I'll read more carefully next time.
Heaven forbid American children should be able to identify foreign flags, know where Iraq or China are on a map, and maybe someday learn a foreign language.
Strange story. I don't see anything wrong with hanging foreign flags in a geography classroom, either, but judging by the involvement of the ACLU, I suspect there's more going on here.
Let's see. Geography class. Geography is learning about foriegn countries as well as our own. Go figure that flags of other nations would come into play.
I suspect they had other problems with this teacher and used the "flags" to get rid of him on a technicality.
Hey I've got no problem with the teacher hanging flags of China (Communist RED China as it used to be called) and Mexico, after all:
Aren't those two of the nations that we're being sold out to?
We had a teacher in high school who had flags of other countries, along with ours, in his classroom.
It caused a ruckus with some, but I had no problem with it.
I figured the American flag dominated all of them, regardless of how many others were shown.
Exactly. Could have picked the Aussie flag and the Polish flag, for example.
It's like being 1937 and putting up the German flag in a Austrian classroom.
Precisely. The law was written to stop teachers from hoisting the Mexican Flag to the position of honor in classrooms during the recent illegal immigration protests.
So now the school administrators will decide that they need a test case - and here it is! After it is all said and done, we'll see the law rescinded, and liberals preaching about how "conservatives" tried to shut down teachers...
Lawmakers need to specify that the American flag must be displayed prominently in the position of honor - and that foreign flags may be displayed in school rooms when they are part of the lesson.
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