There have been no comments by the teacher. What you're reading is what the FATHER claimed the teacher said. The school's message has been consistent.
The school's message has been 'no comment', we will never know if they did anything wrong or not.
The Taunton School District released a written statement.
You can read that here:
Taunton School Department Statement | ABC6 | Providence/New Bedford News, Weather and Sports | Web Extra
Okay, let's look at the comments.
Taunton Public Schools - Response to Recent Allegations
TAUNTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
110 County Street
Taunton, MA 02780
Phone (508) 821-1100
Fax (508) 821-1177
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 5 P.M. EDT, December 15, 2009
It has been reported in the media that a student was suspended over drawing a rendering of Jesus Christ on the cross. This report is totally inaccurate, and the student was never suspended. This incident occurred nearly two weeks ago, it was handled appropriately, and the school staff and family had been working together in a cooperative and positive manner.
What incident? They are refuting that there was any picture at all, let alone the one that the father showed to the media. They are refuting that the child was suspended. So, apparently the child was sent for an evalution, but they aren't saying way, but they are admitting that there was 'an incident'.
The drawing published in various media outlets is not the same drawing that was discovered by the teacher. It has not been established whether the drawing was actually completed in school. Contrary to what has been reported, there was no request or assignment by the teacher for students to sketch something that reminded them of Christmas or any religious holiday.
So, now they are saying there was a drawing, but nothing more is said about it, other than they don't know where it was even drawn or even if he drew it.
The inaccuracies in the original media story have resulted in a great deal of criticism and scrutiny of the system that is unwarranted. In this case, as in any other case involving the wellbeing of a student, the administration acted in accordance with the school departmentÂ’s well-established protocol. This protocol is centered upon the studentÂ’s care, wellbeing and educational success. The protocol includes a review of the studentÂ’s records, discussions with staff, central administration, school psychologists and other community resources. Decisions were made only after this protocol had been completed, including a consultation with a veteran staff member with a background in clinical psychology and a Ph.D.
They're the one making a judgement call as to whether or not scrutiny was warranted? I think if a parent is questioning what a school is doing with their child, then they have every right to question. It's a fine line that's drawn between what rights a school should have over a child in front of the parent's rights.
It is unfortunate that the actions of our district staff have been classified as “religious” in nature when, in fact, they were based solely on the wellbeing of the student. At this time of year, Christmas is one of many religious and secular holidays. Taunton, known as The Christmas City, takes pride as a community in celebrating this Christian holiday together with Hanukah, Kwanzaa, and many others. In the school district, it is our goal to provide the opportunity for all students to be well-rounded, and it is our responsibility to help them attain their social, emotional and academic goals regardless of their religious affiliation.
Politically correct BS.
Administrators in the Taunton Public Schools have an open-door policy and a willingness to discuss and examine any parental concerns and/or actions taken by the teachers, administrators, and other staff. It is difficult for us to address issues when they originate in a media news story, and it is unfortunate that this is the path that was taken in this case. As with any issue involving a child, regardless of a parentÂ’s choice to discuss it in the media, it is the school districtÂ’s responsibility to act first in the best interests of the student and family, which we will continue to do in this matter. We will not now, nor will we ever, compromise our obligation in this regard.
So, they're implying that the parents went directly to the media and never talked with the school over their child being placed in some sort of evaluation? If you were sent some kind of a notice that your child was being involved in some sort of psychological examination due to some picture that was found, you would go to the media first?
Something just isn't right with this whole thing, there are lots of pieces still missing.
