This is one of the most appalling things I've ever read:
An unnamed Florida Congressman (or more likely their staff) took a letter from Orange County elementary school teacher Jan Hall and turned it over to a Spanish language newspaper. As her letter was filled with anti-immigrant rants from her perspective as a teacher at Sadler Elementary School, it ignited a firestorm which eventually lead to suspension, resignation, and now a lawsuit. You don't have to agree with Hall's opinions to be outraged that a piece of mail to a Congressional office would be deliberately leaked to a news organization solely to draw a massive amount of negative publicity to her private communication. You can read the whole sorted story at WorldNet Daily, or dive back into the history of the story via Google News.
I went to WND site and read quotes from the letter. From what I see, she's guilty of being politically incorrect and nothing more.
...I can truthfully say that Puerto Rican teachers at my school ask me continually for help with math, as they do not get but the equivalent of a fifth grade education in Puerto Rico. They almost always can do no algebra and rely on the system to get by.I find that Haitian children are more aggressive in the classroom and have not been to school regularly. Their poor conduct is yet another real problem...
Please be sure to note an on-the-job injury that didn't stop Hall from teaching before:
The private letter, which apparently was leaked to the Spanish paper by a member of Congress, was roundly criticized, resulting in Hall's suspension without pay by the school district."She has been removed from Sadler Elementary and will not be returning to Sadler Elementary regardless of the outcome of the investigation," Orange County Schools spokesman Frank Kruppenbacher said, according to WKMG-TV in Orlando. "The letter was written by an employee of our district that contained information that does not reflect the views of this school district or its leadership. Nor is it condoned by this leadership."
Hall submitted her resignation on Aug. 30, saying, "I'm tired of fooling with them. I'm sure I can go to work in a private school in another county."
WKMG reported Hall had gotten high marks from principals over the years – she's been a teacher for nearly three decades – but some Hispanics in her classroom have complained about how they were treated. The district offered several options, including teaching homebound students, if she apologized and met with a psychiatrist...
Hall said she rejected the offers because officials did not address her key issue – investigating how a principal at Englewood Elementary handled her complaints when a student battered her in 2002 so badly she underwent reconstructive surgery.
Emphasis mine. Try, if you will, to imagine the public outcry that would erupt if a teacher who had been attacked on the job were fired after she wrote a letter spouting the Cindy Sheehan moonbattery to her Republican congressman and he leaked it to a newspaper. It would be on the news channels 24-7 if it were to happen, which it never will.
Despite all the nonsense I've read over the years about the political brainwashing that takes place in some schools of education, it's hard for me to believe this has happened. Hall has resigned and is suing the school district. Blogger Pat Campbell is asking some blunt questions, and I'll be amazed if he ever gets any answers.
Some very serious charges are raised in this letter including the fact that many teachers are not properly certified. The school district superintendent Ron Blocker refuses to respond when asked if there is any validity to these charges. Also, a crime may have been committed here. Theft of mail is a federal crime punishable by jail time. How did this private letter fall into the public domain.? Why did the newspaper El Nuevo Dia publish it without Jan Hall's permission?Because someone hoped to gain by this. It will be interesting if we ever discover who that was.
Posted by kswygert at September 21, 2005 07:16 PM