TEACHER WHO ALLEGEDLY MADE ANTI-SEMITIC REMARKS FIRED + smf’s 2¢

-- Rick Rojas/LA Times – LA Now | http://lat.ms/pUjTgM

October 18, 2011 |  3:33 pm - Los Angeles schools Supt. John Deasy condemned the alleged anti-Semitic remarks by a district employee taking part in the Occupy Los Angeles protest and said she would no longer work for the school system.

In a video that gained traction in the conservative blogosphere, Patricia McAllister, a substitute teacher for L.A. Unified, said that Jews run the nation's banking infrastructure and should be forced from the U.S.

"I think that the Zionist Jews who are running these big banks and our Federal Reserve, which is not run by the federal government -- they need to be run out of this country," McAllister said in the video by Reason.tv, a Libertarian-leaning news organization. She said in the video that she was an employee of L.A. Unified, although she was representing herself at the protest.

Deasy, in a statement released Tuesday, acknowledged that McAllister was offering her "private opinions" and said the district recognizes "the law is very protective of the freedom of speech rights of public employees when they are speaking as private citizens during non-working time."

However, Deasy said McAllister, as a day-to-day substitute teacher, was an at-will employee, and as of Tuesday she was no longer employed by the district.

Deasy said that district officials would "never stand for behavior that is disrespectful, intolerant or discriminatory."

 

smf: I have a huge problem with the words allegedly said – and the allegations are accompanied by a video of them being said. That said I have a huge problem with the words “allegedly” and “fired” being used in the same headline quoting any employer, anywhere.

Another bad teacher has been outed.

There has been no due process – no hearing, no HR investigation.  There is only a blacklist – with names named and published in the newspaper.

When I was in the eighth grade at Le Conte Junior High my best friend was Marc Bigheart, an Osage Indian. He and I were troublemakers – causing more than we got caught for. 

I hope Marc for one has redeemed himself.

We had Math  for fifth period. At had one point our teacher had all he could take of us on an un-air conditioned day – and he sent us from his classroom “Get Out!” …and calling after  – in his thick and oft-imitated Middle European accent: “…Little Scotty Folsom – pipsqueak!”  (I  was small for my age) …and “Marky Bigheart – Indian boy!”

Insensitive, politically incorrect, racist language? Yes.

We were more outraged than wounded.  And liberated from fractions we conspired elaborate revenge.

It was a sweltering day; our teacher had taken off his coat – unusual for a man so formal. And he had the thin numbers tattooed on the inside of his left forearm.