The Columbus Dispatch reports that an Ohio school board begins a hearing today regarding various allegations against eighth-grade public school science teacher John Freshwater, including a charge that he burned a cross into a student's arm. Here's a snippet from the piece:
In December, a student reported waking up in pain the night after Freshwater
used a high-voltage lab tool to burn a cross into his left arm. Photos taken by
the boy's parents show red, raised dots, a mark that they said lasted for three
to four weeks.
The manufacturer of the device, which is used to test gases in experiments,
said it should never touch human skin. Now, the boy's parents are suing
Freshwater and the school board.
Freshwater first told investigators he put X's -- not crosses -- on students.
But he has since denied burning or branding any children.
He has filed a countersuit against the boy's family, claiming defamation and
infliction of emotional distress. He also says the school board's allegations
that he taught creationism and intelligent design and sought to discredit
evolution are not true.
Freshwater is to have a chance to contest the allegations at a hearing on the
school board's intention to fire him. Officials expect the hearing to run today
through Friday and to resume on Oct. 28.
There are also allegations that Freshwater advocated for his religious
beliefs in class and "slammed scientific theories." Dick
Hoppe, a visiting biology professor at Kenyon College near Mount Vernon, put it this way: "It
looks to me like he was running what amounts to a private Christian school
embedded in the public school."
The article notes that "Freshwater and his defenders have called it a biased investigation." They have mounted a dogged and wide-ranging campaign in favor of Freshwater, complete with a website that sells T-shirts showing "a picture of Freshwater standing in a crowd
speaking [with] a quote attributed to God: I support Mr.
Freshwater." The website is here.
The Mount Vernon News provides additional details about the hearing. Here are some of them: