Following “aggressive email messages,” an Indiana school district has suspended a teacher who claimed the gays have no purpose and tried to create a separate prom that would ban LGBT students.
Superintendent Mark Baker of the Northeast School Corp. in western Indiana’s Sullivan County issued a statement saying the teacher has been placed on administrative leave out of concern “for the safety and security of everyone in our buildings.” He added that “as a precaution” the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Department and Indiana State Police “have deemed it necessary to station an officer” at North Central Junior-Senior High School in Farmersburg, about 75 miles southwest of Indianapolis.
He said the “administration and one school employee in particular” at the school have received “aggressive email messages.”
While Baker didn’t name the teacher, it doesn’t take a homophobic rocket scientist to ascertain that he was referring to special education teacher Diana Medley, who stated that she believes gay people have no purpose in life and compared gay students to special needs kids.
Medley could not be reached for comment, but Baker reaffirmed that the school does not share her beliefs.
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“As many of you know and appreciate, our school corporation is continuing to manage as responsibly and respectfully as possible the fallout from comments made by an employee as she attended a meeting outside of school or a school activity,” he said. “We have conveyed our disappointment and our disagreement with these statements and have emphasized her comments do not reflect our schools’ views or opinions.”
2eo
There was not a single threat or even a threatening overtone to ANY E-mail she, nor the school has received.
To answer the other question, yes I have seen all the E-mails. No I didn’t use my hacking skills [which I don’t have] to have a look, they were posted on the usual sites.
mlbumiller
The administration obviously think this will just go away with time but we need to let them know that is not the case. Please keep sending letters to these Individuals. She should not be administrative leave, she should be suspeneded with out pay until a review of her condutct as a teacher has been made or better yet dismiss for actions as they caused an unsafe environment to her school and students. She is accountable to the Division of Professional Conduct for her statements and her actions. This unfit teacher is entitled to her opinion but by expressing publicly these discriminatory and inflammatory opinions and actions toward the LGBT community she is accountable not only to the Division of Professional Conduct but to her school system, staff, and student body.
She made her comments in her opinion as a teacher, not as a member of the community, this has nothing to do with her rights it has to do with her conduct as a teacher.
Mark Baker: Northeast School Corporation – Superintendent [email protected]
Becky Bowman … Administrator, Indiana State Board Of Education Division of Professional Conduct … [email protected]
Chris Stitzle: Sullivan School Superintendent [email protected]
Chad Hunt
@mlbumiller: LOL … I think someone cut and pasted several of my statements together. LOVE THAT! Immitation is the best form of flattery. LOL
My understanding is that she was put on administrative leave with pay because of threats to herself and the school. No idea if that is true or not. If it is true that is definitely not a suspension.
Diana Medley should be terminated, clear and simple. Mark Baker, the superintendent, should also be terminated for his gross negligence in handling the situation.
Chad Hunt
People, this is not a good thing. What has happened here is Diana Medley has been given a paid vacation.
Now, I certainly don’t condone anyone who issued any type of threat toward Diana Medley, Mark Baker, or the school in general, but let’s face it, they have handled this situation terribly. The school headed by superintendent Mark Baker decided to do nothing to a teacher that made discriminatory remarks about a part of the student body. This in and of itself is worthy of termination.
Teachers are always subject to the Division of Professional Standards in and out of school. She is clearly in violation of the standards set forth under Indiana state licensure practices.
Diana Medley has the absolute First Amendment right to say as she wishes but free speech does not come without consequences. Inflammatory speech, discrimination, slander, and inciting people to violence etc are not without consequence.
She has gone beyond speech in her attempt to host a discriminatory prom from allowing LGBT students to attend. Again, an act worthy of termination.
Clearly what is happening is the administration is trying to let the whole thing go unpunished in hopes it blows over.
Please keep sending letters and remember to be non-threatening but firm in your displeasure and state what appropriate action needs to take place.
MickeyP.
Also,please remember that this is a special needs teacher! With what she has said about her students,as well,I shudder to think that she is in any classroom! She needs her license to teach REVOKED.
1EqualityUSA
crazy-eyes. She and Michelle Bachmann need to get together and chat.
Cam
So she isn’t terminated, she is given a vacation with pay.
Just curious, if she had made a comment about Asians, or Women, etc… I’m doubting the school would be bending over backwards to keep her on staff.