Board votes to fire 'cross branding' teacher
Published June 20, 2008 at 11:10pm
Photo released by Mt. Vernon, Ohio, School District are part of its investigation shows a "brand" mark on the arm of a student
A public school board in Ohio voted unanimously today to proceed with firing an eighth-grade teacher for allegedly teaching his Christian beliefs in science classes and "branding" students with crosses.
Responding to an investigation, the Mount Vernon School District board voted 5-0 to consider termination of John Freshwater's contract at its next meeting, July 7.
The report presented to the board today charged Freshwater used a high-frequency generator – a Tesla coil – to make a cross on the arms of students, taught the theory of intelligent design and refused to remove all religious articles from his classroom.
Board president Ian Watson told the Mount Vernon News the panel will proceed with termination at its July 7 meeting, unless Freshwater files a written request for a hearing within 10 days of receiving notice of the board's intent to fire him.
Freshwater and the school board have been sued by the parents of a student who says the teacher violated their son's civil rights by branding him on the arm with a cross. The mark lasted four weeks, the parents claim.
But a spokesman for Freshwater, Dave Daubenmire, downplayed the parents' accusations and called the investigation one-sided, with "old trumped-up charges brought back to the table."
Daubenmire insisted to WND that the "cross branding" was nothing of the sort. He characterized it as a science experiment Freshwater had been doing for 21 years in which he made X marks, not crosses, on the students' skin with a Tesa Coil to demonstrate electrical current.
"They tried to make it out to be a cross, because it made him look like some kind of idiot," Daubenmire said of the parents.
Daubenmire pointed out experts have affirmed the experiment causes no injury to students.
He said the experiment session at the center of the lawsuit, conducted in December, had already been investigated and dealt with.
Daubenmire argued that the accusations about teaching intelligent design or creationism date back to 2003, when Freshwater was challenging students to "clinically analyze evolution."
Just after the accusing family hired an attorney, school officials told Freshwater he had to remove all religious items from his classroom, including a personal Bible he had on his desk.
RELATED: Worshiping in 'God's igloo'
The lawsuit, filed in federal court, says, "Mr. Freshwater advised his students that although he is forced to teach from the textbooks, the teachings are wrong or not proven according to the Bible."
As WND reported, Freshwater took down the Christian items but refused to remove his Bible, which he has kept on his desk for 18 years.
Daubenmire, of Pass The Salt Ministries and Minutemen United, explained to WND at the time that Freshwater had not used the Bible in his interaction with students. But he said the teacher also believed he should not forfeit his constitutional rights just because of his occupation.
The lawsuit claims administrators knew Freshwater disregarded their instructions, but they allowed him to continue teaching and never disciplined him even after the branding, the Columbus Dispatch reported.
The district's attorney, David Millstone, told the paper the school administrators could not have disciplined Freshwater before completion of the investigation.
Tags: TESTING THE FAITH