Children of Military harassed

“This is why FOX News is relevant.
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Military Kids Allegedly Harassed at School -- by Teachers
Thursday, February 27, 2003
By Liza Porteus

NEW YORK — Children of military parents across Maine are being harassed in school, in some cases by teachers who claim the little ones' mothers and fathers are wrong to fight for their country, according to families' complaints.

Parents in at least five different locations have alleged that their children were subjected to verbal abuse, some of it from teachers "saying the war on Iraq is unethical," said Maine National Guard spokesman Maj. Pete Rogers.

"Family members were coming in saying their children were subjected to some abuse at school," said Maj. Rogers. "The kids were already suffering from losing a parent. We were very concerned with what's going on."

Supporters of the U.S. military expressed outrage at the stories of harassment, first reported by a local Maine television station.

"Any teacher who harasses a child for the job their parents do to protect all of us and our freedom should be fired, and as far as I'm concerned, deported," said Marc Curtis, Webmaster for www.military-brats.com. "They are supposed to be teaching, not brainwashing," he added.”

“Uh, if saying that the war in Iraq is unethical is the extent of the harassment, it sounds a little like they might just be pushing too hard for whatever the political right calls its version of political correctness.”

“The Maine Education Association -- the state arm of the National Education Association -- said "99.9 percent" of the state's 17,000 teachers properly reacted to that information, but conceded others may not have.

"I'd say a miniscule minority seems to have hit some kind of public nerve and is bouncing across Web pages and chat rooms in the United States," said MEA spokesman Keith Harvie. "It's a bit astounding to think that some comments which, I should note, have only been alleged and haven't been proved or demonstrated, are causing such a ruckus."

So at least 17 teachers have harrased children as young as 7 years old and thats not worthy of a ruckus, but let one teacher teach the definition of niggardly and heads will roll.”

“Seriously, this article has no mention of what the actual harrassment was... It seems like a "Protect the children" bit of propaganda to me at this point.

If this is why Fox news is relevent, I'm underwhelmed.”

“I'd need more in-depth information about this before I flipped out over it. That's a pretty vague charge to be using such incendiary language... but don't let something like that hold you back, LOLOL

It appears that Fox has done exactly what the mainstream media are always accused of... they've squandered their integrity so that their stories aren't taken at face value anymore.

"Consider the source," right guys?”

“I heard about on a local conservative radio talk show here in Nashville. The show mentioned it had happened in elementary schools but they didn't say where.

My wife is a teacher (4th grade) and I asked her what she thought about it. She said whether you agree with the war or not that is something you don't do to the kids.

If the teachers did harass the kids they need to be disciplined.

If your a high school teacher and want to discuss it in a class and I mean discuss then that is ok. At least you can present both sides and let each person make their own decision.”

“I understand teachers are human. I have many friends who teach. But, they should teach. Not promote their own views.”

“The article did say that the Maine National Guard advised parents to notify the childrens schools when there were troop movements so that the school personel could watch for problems from kids whose daddies were going off to war. No matter what level the harassment took it was still the exact opposite of the purpose for which the parents were notifying the school.”

“This is the same as if teachers were telling the childern of single mothers their mom was immoral and unethical.
This is wrong.”

“What is wrong? A teacher saying in the classroom that the war on iraq is unjust?

What if she'd said it WAS just and that the parents protesting it were unamerican?”

“CNN would cover it if the teacher said that the kids parent was wrong for being a homosexual. I promise you that.”

“this is truely sad....


what if they ridiculed a kid if his mommy was a lesbian?


or for being black?



or for being a polotician, lawyer, abortion doctor?



government funded schools.....


i just can't believe the nerve of some people, to make a lil kid feel bad about his dad facing death, for the safety of the nation.....it's hanous”

“I'd like to see the evidence of the case. All I've seen so far is rhetoric and emotional pleas.”

“GO Strat GO!!”

“What is wrong? A teacher saying in the classroom that the war on iraq is unjust?


Phaedrus



look again phaeddy. they told the kids that they're daddies are bad people, their mommies are baby killers. not that the war is unjust(which is no better). they should be fired is this turns out to be true. i would pull my kid outta that class in a heratbeat. i don't care if i had to move, i would do it.


the NEA is behind this. they are a HUGE contributor to the democratic party and EXTREMELY liberal organization. they got ahold of our school system somehow. perhaps this will wake up americans to the NEA's trtue agenda, which is creating little liberals.....


sorry if i sound extreme here...i just calls um likes i sees um....”

“I just heard on tv news the teachers were telling the kids their daddies whom the military had just been called up and left were immoral.”

“Deport those teachers to Iraq, Afganistan or any other Middle East country. Then we'll see if they're still b!tching on the U.S soldiers.”

“that's sick $h\t!”

“the NEA is behind this
stratdewd
09:33:39 PM
02/27/03

thats bull#&%!$ dewd, no where was the NEA mentioned. I don't agree with it if the teachers did do that but to say it was the NEA is crazy.”

“it's my opinion euker. i didn't hear them tell the teachers to say that. i just know what they are all about ....which is creating little liberals.


i'll bet you a bandana i'm right.”

“You're flaking out....”

“You are so far out to the 'right' that you cannot SEE the middle anymore.”

“aww tilt, don't do that. phaeddy used to dismiss me as stupid too........”

“tell me where i'm wrong, oh enlightened one......”

“We're just calling it like we see it....LOL”

“look again phaeddy. they told the kids that they're daddies are bad people, their mommies are baby killers.

Where did you see that? It sure wasn't in the article on your favorite Fox news.


not that the war is unjust(which is no better).

You're serious?

they should be fired is this turns out to be true. i would pull my kid outta that class in a heratbeat. i don't care if i had to move, i would do it.


If what you said was true, then yes, they deserve to be fired. If they harassed the children by claiming that their parents were baby killers, they should be fired.

I, having some common sense, doubt that it happened like that.”

“aww tilt, don't do that. phaeddy used to dismiss me as stupid too........"

Still do. You are.”

“When my aunt was the president of the NEA in the mid-60s (Thelma Davis, you can look it up) what she had to fight against was people saying that blacks shouldn't be taught how to read.”

“Hmm those people trying to teach blacks how to read would have just been a bunch of LIBERALS back then, huh?

Silly liberals!”

“If what you said was true, then yes, they deserve to be fired. If they harassed the children by claiming that their parents were baby killers, they should be fired.

I, having some common sense, doubt that it happened like that."
Phaedrus


you doupt it cuz it makes liberals look bad .


phaeddy used to dismiss me as stupid too........"
Still do. You are."
Phaedrus

well at least your not mean spirited phaeddy. it's nice to see a liberal truely say what he thinks . i guess us poor dumb dirt farmers in arkansas just ain't smart enough for you french kissin, ivy leaguers....


TT DECREE; only people who think like phaedrush have intelligence.....”

“I would bet that they won't come forth with any names of teachers who actually harrassed any children. This stinks to high heaven, but then, as we have been told many times before, conservatives can't argue logically because their emotions get the best of them.”

“tilt, in the 60's the republicans voted for the civil rights bill...al gore sr voted against it. don't bring up the past and race...the dems we're the slave states and you know it. most blacks don't even know lincoln was republican.

dan, the only thing that makes me emotional is when people call me stupid.

you think that's gonna shut me up? is that all you got? geesh ya'll are .... poor debaters.


limbaugh...first they called him stupid, then they said he was crazy. then they said he was just a fad. then they tried to sencor him. then they tried to say he was a liar. then they said he was mean. then they tried to ignore him............now they wanna immulate him(liberal radio network)”

“
you doupt it cuz it makes liberals look bad .

I doubt it because it's silly to think that a teacher - someone who has dedicated his or her life to teaching children - would, for a political statement, harasss children in the manner you depicted. Oh and then there's that pesky little thing called evidence.

well at least your not mean spirited phaeddy. it's nice to see a liberal truely say what he thinks . i guess us poor dumb dirt farmers in arkansas just ain't smart enough for you french kissin, ivy leaguers....


TT DECREE; only people who think like phaedrush have intelligence.....

Yeah, that was mean spirited.

I'm sure you'll get over it eventually though, and whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
:)”

“Strat, It's not our duty to educate you. Go read a book on the sixties, look up the meanings of the words liberal and conservative, and you'll either change your mind or not understand a word of what you just read.

Either way, it'll keep you busy for a while.”

“whatever insults my intelligence looses my respect. that makes me sad cause i actually like you phaed.



i bet you're right. all those kids prolly made the whole thing up...........simultaniously, in 15 different locations.....”

“Strat - WHERE are you getting that 15 different locations story?!

You're making stuff up! Most of us quit that at like 12 or 13. C'mon, cite your source!”

“you mean read a book written by the NEA?



[baby huey voice]dum-de-dum-dum-dum....duuuhhhh, ok”

“Strat, I sense that this strikes close to home with you. Was there some awful, mean teacher in your past?”

“dewd, did you see what I posted in my original post about my wife being a teacher, if not I will copy it here

"My wife is a teacher (4th grade) and I asked her what she thought about it. She said whether you agree with the war or not that is something you don't do to the kids."

If the NEA is behind it do you think she would have said that. Now I will say my wife can't stand Bush but she is a teacher who is there for the kids and does her best to give them the best education she can. She has every type of child you can imagine in her class, poor kids, middle class and upper middle class, good kids, bad kids, evil kids, black, white and every color in between but she treats them all the same.

I get so pissed at people who want to blame the public school teachers for everything that is wrong. It is always the NEA who is doing this and sayng that. I bet 99% of the teachers couldn't even tell you who is in charge of the NEA. You have the big wigs who got there somehow and run there mouth and don't even lookout for the teachers they represent, kinda like our politicians.”

“this is so rich. Libs defending people who verbally abuse kids. Of course, that isn't really surprising. libs are quick to verbally abuse anyone that isn't as opened minded and taloerant as they are.

Whats really bad is they do it after the dad (or mom) is gone, depriving said mom or dad the pleasure of sinking their size 10 boot up the teacher's @ss”

“Hey hyway, what was said to the children? Please cite your source.”

“and wasn't it said while the kids were at school so the parents could come in the next day and kick the teacher's @ss”

“It is interesting how quick some people are to swallow this story when they are so sure that other stories that don't support their political beliefs are undoubtedly lies. Why should this story be taken as fact, AND in what way did these children get harrassed? This couldn't be some strategically placed misinformation, could it? Would that be possible? What facts do you base your belief in this story on?
If any children were harrassed, then fire the teachers. Let's find out the facts first, why don't we? I want names of people and names of the towns where this happened. Why were both so conspicuously absent????????????”

“here's you NEA connection, from the original article. a link is on www.militarybrats.com---it goes to the fox story...and i quote...

"The problems apparently began after Maine Guard officials encouraged military parents to tell their children's schools when orders for deployment came, which would presumably allow teachers and psychologists to keep an eye on youngsters unequipped to fully handle their parents' departure.

The Maine Education Association -- the state arm of the National Education Association -- said "99.9 percent" of the state's 17,000 teachers properly reacted to that information, but conceded others may not have.
..."

sorry euker, i was just guessin, but this confirms my astuteness...not bad for an old hick from da sticks....


now euker, i never said that teachers were bad. i said the NEA is liberal, and i agree it comes from the top. all i'm saying is sometimes it spills over onto the kids. i see it all the time with my 3 boys in their schools.

its like i said to phaed, it couldn't happen in 5(not 15) different locations simulatnoiusly if it was just a couple rouge teachers doing it out of the blue. they asked for the teachers to watch for signs of trouble in kids who had parents going to war...and instead they told the kids theie dad's were bad people for going to war....

we are in agreement here euk.”

“That is the quote I posted earlier and is being ignored by the three blind mice. Even the Maine teachers assoaciation is claiming that 17 teachers verbally abused children. For those who have trouble with math. 99.9% of 17000 leaves 17 teachers who failed to properly react to the request to keep an eye on youngsters unequipped to fully handle their parents' departure. So your 15 seperate sites is probably correct.”

“Strat, it's good to see that you listened to Limbaugh today. That's a direct quote about the emulation thing, isn't it?
Try to be a little more independent, will you?”

“Strat tells it like it is and you have to attack him personally, really classy. I guess that is that open minded stuff you are always preaching about. Open to every opinion but a conservative one.”

“Why do all the liberals consistantly fall lock step together? Their moral compass is stuck and they are headed straight for hell.”

“I was given a memo two weeks ago, stating that our union is against the war. The memo tells us what we can do, including:

1. "Invite a speaker on the war to your membership meeting to eductae members about why this is not a just war."

2. "Pass a resolution against the war at your membership meeting."

Hmmmm, I haven't got around to any of this yet, and, after checking my schedule, I'll be able to concentrate on this in June, 2087.”

“Portland Press Herald

Friday, February 28, 2003
State: Be sensitive to Guard children

http://www.pressherald.com/news/state/030228guard.shtml

By DAVID HENCH, Portland Press Herald Writer

Copyright © 2003 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

Gov. John Baldacci and the state's top education and defense officials moved to allay the concerns of Maine's citizen soldiers Thursday after national media picked up reports that school personnel had been insensitive to guardsmen's children.

Baldacci said he was disappointed to learn from the Maine National Guard that it had received a dozen complaints through its family assistance centers about children feeling harassed or upset over the way schools handled the possible U.S. invasion of Iraq and their parents' military service.

"I am disappointed and disturbed by reports that a few insensitive staff members at Maine schools recently made comments that have caused concern and anxiety for the children of National Guard members," Baldacci said at a news conference. "Although these were isolated incidents, there is no place for them in Maine schools."

The complaints were received at family assistance meetings in Portland, Bangor and Augusta after Army Guard units in Bangor and Sanford were called up, said Maj. Peter Rogers, spokesman for the Maine National Guard. He would not identify the schools or the families, but said in one case, a middle school educator described the pending war with Iraq as "unethical and immoral" as was anyone who would fight in it. He said the incidents left children upset and confused.

"I certainly don't believe anybody has done this maliciously," Rogers said. "It may simply have been someone expressing an opinion who may not even have known a Guard member's child was in the classroom."

Rogers said the Guard has confirmed the complaints, though the parents involved have not sought intervention by the state or the Guard, choosing instead to deal directly with their schools.

Gen. Joseph Tinkham II, commissioner of defense and veterans services, said there were no incidents of educators taunting children, as had been reported in some national media outlets.

Rogers said the Guard is not upset with Maine educators. "A lot of the educators are actually guardsmen who are doing a fantastic job out there," he said.

Education Commissioner J. Duke Albanese said the anecdote recounted to him by the head of the Maine National Guard involved a teaching assistant who had been instructed to assume an anti-war position during a class debate. It is unclear whether that incident and the one described by Rogers are the same. The Guard did not provide details to the Education Department.

In two other cases referred to by Guard officials, an administrator refused to grant an excused absence to a student seeing off a parent being deployed, and a guidance counselor was insensitive to the needs of a child. The complaints also involve incidents of teasing by students.

Rogers said he didn't know the particulars of the complaints, such as how many stemmed from comments from teachers, other school personnel or other students, or how many took place in the classroom, elsewhere in the school or on buses.

Albanese said he believes the incidents are isolated and relatively rare given the 46,000 people working in Maine schools.

"But the children that were affected are real children and these are sensitive times for these kids," he said. "To think of dad or mom going away into what may be a life-threatening situation, we want to make sure people are sensitive."

He responded to the complaints by issuing a memo to all school districts urging staff to be sensitive to the needs of children whose parents may be leaving to face grave danger.

The memo advised teachers and staff to provide balanced information in classrooms that present different perspectives on the conflict with Iraq. He said discussion should allow for questions and differences of opinion, but "be grounded in civil discourse and mutual respect."

"Regarding instruction, most educators are being careful in their teaching about America's response to Iraq, although some reports indicate otherwise," Albanese wrote.

The Maine Guard has heard no new complaints since the memo was issued Tuesday, Rogers said.

The memo did catch the media's attention. By Thursday, newspapers in Washington, major broadcast networks and radio talk shows, including Rush Limbaugh's and Oliver North's, were reporting the story or calling state officials for comment.

Lee Umphrey, Baldacci's director of communications, said the state and its educators have in some outlets been unfairly criticized as unsupportive of National Guardsmen and their families.

"It's clear these are isolated incidents around the state," Umphrey said. "I think it's unfair for the national media to latch onto it as they have."

Rob Walker, president of the Maine Education Association and a teacher for 29 years in Lewiston, said the complaints, while unfortunate, are relatively few considering the 17,000 teachers at work in Maine schools.

"I think most educators are aware of the power and influence they have over a classroom. . . . The educator always has to be careful about forcing their views on everybody else," Walker said. "If there is a problem, it's a local problem and I'm sure local administrators are dealing with it, and if discipline is warranted, I'm sure it will be commensurate with what went wrong."

Staff Writer David Hench can be contacted at 791-6327 or at: dhench@pressherald.com”