NationStates Jolt Archive

Monday, Oct. 4, 2004 11:11 a.m. EDT

A New Jersey middle school teacher who displayed a portrait of the president of the United States in her classroom side-by-side with pictures of other U.S. presidents and the Declaration of Independence was thrown out of her school on Friday for refusing to take the Bush photo down.

"I'm requiring that you take the picture down," Shiba Pillai-Diaz says she was told by Mark Daniels, assistant principal at the Crossroads South Middle School in Monmouth Junction. The teacher refused and now faces dismissal for insubordination.

According to Pillai-Diaz, who recounted the incident to WABC Radio's Steve Malzberg on Sunday, Daniels told her he had consulted with the school's principal, Jim Warfel.

The consensus: "We decided that there was a very destructive atmosphere in your classroom and that you're going around the school spreading your political views."

But Pillai-Diaz - an admitted Bush enthusiast who attended the GOP convention - said she leaves her politics at home when she comes to work. "I don't discuss politics [in my classroom]. I wouldn't go near it with a ten-foot pole," she told Malzberg.

The trouble started Thursday during parents night, when one mom omplained about the Bush picture and demanded that Pillai-Diaz explain: "What is he doing up there? Don't you think you should have the other side also?"

"Having the picture up wasn't in any way political," she responded. "He's the current president. The picture was sent to my fourth-grade class last year."
The photo was "next to my desk on a bulletin board that had the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution [and] some printing from Ben Franklin's printing press" in a display that had nothing to do with politics.

After the initial complaints, parents e-mailed school officials claiming that the teacher had suppressed the free speech of her students - with some questioning why she liked George Bush even though "he's killed people."

In a Friday morning meeting with Principal Warfel, Pillai-Diaz says she was told: "You have caused more disruption to this school and to these students with your partisanship and your hatred and your inflammatory ways. Get yourself and get out of the building."

But Warfel may not have had the last word on the dispute. New Jersey Sen. Jon Corzine, who followed Pillai-Diaz on Malzberg's show, said Monmouth Junction school officials had gone overboard.

"If it's just a straight-up picture of George Bush and Laura, then I don't understand the issue at all," the leading Democrat said. "I don't see why [a picture] of the president of the United States can't be displayed."

Sen. Corzine promised to help Pillai-Diaz if she contacts his office.

If you're going to copy/paste articles as much as I've noticed you do.. same rule as TRA, keep it to one a day and don't forget to link to the source.

Thank you.
Stephanie
Game Moderator

That was messed up. Since when is posting a picture of the current President on a bulletin with ALL the other former Presidents a bad thing? this country is so screwed blue and tattooed. :(

Did she have the picture up along with all the other presidents, or was George W. the only one? Because early on in the article it says the picture was up with other presidents, but later on it says that it was up with political documents.

I can see if Bush was the only one up there how a parent might potentially think it was an endorsement of Bush. But if it was up there with other presidents, then the parent who complained is just ridiculous.

The photo wasn't up with other presidents, it was with replicas of historical documents from American History, the other presidents were elsewhere in the room. She had Bush alone by the constitution and the declaration of independance.

Wrong. But I don't think you'd find many liberals supporting it, either. So it doesn't work as a sweeping generalization over all liberals.

But for what the article is worth, it was stupid and wrong to do something like that to the teacher.

Hypothetical situation (might not be what happened here):
You have up on the wall the declaration of independenca and the pictures of the 4 greatest presidents. You add the picture of Bush.
Whether you like it or not, it does link bush with the great achievements of past presidents. That's why I would complain.

If there's like 25 of the former presidents up on the wall, I don't see why it would make a fuss.

The photo wasn't up with other presidents, it was with replicas of historical documents from American History, the other presidents were elsewhere in the room. She had Bush alone by the constitution and the declaration of independance.

Ok, lets say you are correct....she said otherwise in the interview I saw.....so what?

Why should a picture of the President NOT be posted in ANY classroom in the US?

It's too scary for the children to have a picture of chimp-chump in their classroom.

I don't know where in the Constitution it says she can't do that. It's not suppressing free speech as the students merely need not agree with her political views.

It's too scary for the children to have a picture of chimp-chump in their classroom.

Yes, let's all think of the children now...like good little conservatives.

it is never wrong to have a picture of any US president in any public school classroom in the united states.

but some administrator are so afraid of controversy that they just don't understand the difference between president and politics. these are the same people who don't let kids say prayers on the playground. its not really a liberal thing its a CYA in the wrong way thing.

Ok, lets say you are correct....she said otherwise in the interview I saw.....so what?

Why should a picture of the President NOT be posted in ANY classroom in the US?I expressed no opinion, I just reported the facts, but since you asked...... The teacher is a vocal Bush supporter, she admits that. She has a photo of W and the missus next to historical documents that people equate with American freedom while the other pics of president are official portaits hung all in a row elsewhere in the room.

I don't see how anyone could mistake her actions for an endorsement of the shrub [/sarcasm]

Funny thing I heard once in highschool: "Oh my God, are they really allowed to have a prayer meeting in there?"

Funny thing I heard once in highschool: "Oh my God, are they really allowed to have a prayer meeting in there?"

Gentlemen, you can't fight in here!! This is the war room!!

--Dr. Strangelove

I expressed no opinion, I just reported the facts, but since you asked...... The teacher is a vocal Bush supporter, she admits that. She has a photo of W and the missus next to historical documents that people equate with American freedom while the other pics of president are official portaits hung all in a row elsewhere in the room.

I don't see how anyone could mistake her actions for an endorsement of the shrub [/sarcasm]

The whole thing is stupid....just like the woman who was fired for having a Kerry bumbersticker on her car. :rolleyes: Totally ignorant, the principle should be fired and the woman who was fired, her boss should be fired too.

The school district has released the following statement:


October 3, 2004

District Statement Regarding Bulletin Board at Crossroads Middle School


In an incident that has recently been reported to several media sources, a claim has been made by South Brunswick Middle School teacher Shiba Pillai-Diaz, that she was fired for not removing a picture of President George W. Bush from a classroom bulletin board. The claim is false. While I am normally reluctant to discuss personnel matters in public, Ms. Pillai-Diaz’ distortions of the facts, along with her aggressive efforts to get herself national media attention, leave us no choice but to set the record straight.


The facts are as follows:


Ms. Pillai-Diaz is a new Language Arts teacher in the South Brunswick Schools. Recently, the school administration began receiving complaints from students and parents that Ms. Pillai-Diaz was using her position, classroom and teaching time to engage in partisan politics. Students reported that she had made statements which denigrated one party over the other. The conversations included Ms. Pillai-Diaz telling some students who offered opinions contrary to her statements, that she was “glad they were not old enough to vote.” Other comments to students, including such statements as, “you should be ashamed to be a Democrat” have been verified through student interviews.


A classroom bulletin board, normally intended for curriculum-related matters, was set up as what she herself described as a “personal bulletin board.” On the bulletin board she placed a picture of the President, the President’s dog, the Oval Office and several other Presidential artifacts. In addition, she placed a stuffed elephant on a classroom cabinet, which generated student reaction and discussion about partisan politics. Following receipt of complaints from parents, the Assistant Principal met with Ms. Pillai-Diaz and cautioned her not to engage in partisan political discussions in her Language Arts classes. He did not initially ask her to remove the picture of the President. As the issue grew in intensity, the teacher herself chose to remove the stuffed elephant because of student
comments.


In the ensuing days, parents expressed increasing concern about the teacher’s classroom behavior, the misuse of classroom instructional time and the personal bulletin board. The level of concern resulted in a classroom confrontation between some parents and Ms. Pillia-Diaz at the Back-to-School night program. It was at this point that the school administration decided to intervene again.


On Friday morning, October 1, Ms. Pillai-Diaz was directed by the Assistant Principal to remove bulletin board materials because they were being viewed as contributing to an ongoing disruption of the teaching-learning environment. She refused. She then met with the Principal who repeated the directive. At this point, Ms. Pillai-Diaz abruptly left the building, abandoning her post of duty and her classroom responsibilities.


At no time was she told to leave, asked to leave or given authorization to leave. School was still in session. At no time was she told she was suspended or fired. With professional responsibilities of a classroom teacher waiting, Ms. Pillai-Diaz chose, of her own volition, to walk out of the school, contact various media sources and claim she had been fired. I had occasion to meet with Ms. Pillai-Diaz, along with a union representative and a police escort that she had requested, for approximately two hours when she returned to the building later that same afternoon. After listening to her story, I asked if any member of the administration had used the phrase “you’re fired” or anything that remotely sounded like it. She admitted that no one had used any such language. When I further pursued why she reported to media sources that she had been fired, she said that she “thought” that she had been. I explained that principals cannot fire employees, that only Boards of Education can do so. With her union representative present, she said that she now understood. I asked that when she next spoke with the media, that she clarify her new understanding.


I fully support the actions of the Principal and Assistant Principal. It is never acceptable for a teacher to utilize the classroom to advocate for political purposes or advance personal beliefs. The courts have always admonished teachers for proselytizing in public school classrooms. This issue is not about a picture of the President, but rather a zealous misuse of seventh and eighth grade student instructional time. The South Brunswick School community is enormously respectful of the Office of the President of the United States, President Bush and the democratic process for choosing our
President. Anyone trying to suggest the contrary has the worst of intentions. Under other circumstances, the display of a picture of the President would have been viewed as completely appropriate and uncontroversial.


It is important to note that pictures of President Bush are openly displayed in all of the South Brunswick Schools. The teacher’s own actions here, however, took it out of the realm of education and made the presentation appear partisan to many of our students and parents. Under these circumstances, our actions in directing the removal of the display were singularly appropriate.


Gary P. McCartney Ed D.
Superintendent of Schools
South Brunswick School District


If they're telling the truth, then I think they've done the right thing

Before everybody starts spitting at each other, we should find a source for the article if it even happened.

We should also look as to the details of the situtation.

It could very well be that she was preeching to the class about the glory of the shrub and was told to knock it off.

However, it is interesting that she choose to put the shrub next to the consititution since he has done things against it.

But the questions to ask. Did she have Clintons picture up? Was it in the same place?

If not then she is playing politics and it's not a case of simply having the President up.

Monday, Oct. 4, 2004 11:11 a.m. EDT

A New Jersey middle school teacher who displayed a portrait of the president of the United States in her classroom side-by-side with pictures of other U.S. presidents and the Declaration of Independence was thrown out of her school on Friday for refusing to take the Bush photo down.

"I'm requiring that you take the picture down," Shiba Pillai-Diaz says she was told by Mark Daniels, assistant principal at the Crossroads South Middle School in Monmouth Junction. The teacher refused and now faces dismissal for insubordination.

According to Pillai-Diaz, who recounted the incident to WABC Radio's Steve Malzberg on Sunday, Daniels told her he had consulted with the school's principal, Jim Warfel.

The consensus: "We decided that there was a very destructive atmosphere in your classroom and that you're going around the school spreading your political views."

But Pillai-Diaz - an admitted Bush enthusiast who attended the GOP convention - said she leaves her politics at home when she comes to work. "I don't discuss politics [in my classroom]. I wouldn't go near it with a ten-foot pole," she told Malzberg.

The trouble started Thursday during parents night, when one mom omplained about the Bush picture and demanded that Pillai-Diaz explain: "What is he doing up there? Don't you think you should have the other side also?"

"Having the picture up wasn't in any way political," she responded. "He's the current president. The picture was sent to my fourth-grade class last year."
The photo was "next to my desk on a bulletin board that had the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution [and] some printing from Ben Franklin's printing press" in a display that had nothing to do with politics.

After the initial complaints, parents e-mailed school officials claiming that the teacher had suppressed the free speech of her students - with some questioning why she liked George Bush even though "he's killed people."

In a Friday morning meeting with Principal Warfel, Pillai-Diaz says she was told: "You have caused more disruption to this school and to these students with your partisanship and your hatred and your inflammatory ways. Get yourself and get out of the building."

But Warfel may not have had the last word on the dispute. New Jersey Sen. Jon Corzine, who followed Pillai-Diaz on Malzberg's show, said Monmouth Junction school officials had gone overboard.

"If it's just a straight-up picture of George Bush and Laura, then I don't understand the issue at all," the leading Democrat said. "I don't see why [a picture] of the president of the United States can't be displayed."

Sen. Corzine promised to help Pillai-Diaz if she contacts his office.
do you need a tissue? maybe some cheese?
no really, sthu, i stopped caring before you started, but you've become worse than the babbling persona of MKLUTRA, you are not intelligent nor are your articles unbiased or liberals slammnig innocent bystanders

"several other Presidential artifacts..."

I thought that phrase was funny. A picture of a dog is a Presidential Artifact.

I saw a 30 second overview of it on CNN. They said that she had it with all of the other presidents. Of course the documents that Typhenia showed us (assuming that they were factual) that without a doubt she was wrong. Also, considering that she was a language arts teacher (I assume that means English) there isn't really a point to be showing anything remotely political, although as long as she had all of the presidents up, it would've been enough to let her slide.

To the starter of this thread You are now on my Fascit list with MK and TT

Maybe you should stop using all of your posts as flames against liberals, Eutrasca. You're worse than MKULTRA.

Trying to stop the teacher from putting the pic of Dubya up with other presidents was a very unliberal thing to do.

Maybe you should stop using all of your posts as flames against liberals, Eutrasca. You're worse than MKULTRA.

Trying to stop the teacher from putting the pic of Dubya up with other presidents was a very unliberal thing to do.
no hes a slight bit better then MK of course its all about what side of poltics hes on anyway.

One thing that I know is true about this thread: the title.

I'd say this has in fact been "Another liberal position defended!"

It just goes to show that the liberals think they can do whatever they want and get away with it, if the teacher was a Democrat who refused to put up Bush's picture we would never hear the end of it. 10 to 1 says that the title really is the only true part in the thread

It just goes to show that the liberals think they can do whatever they want and get away with it, if the teacher was a Democrat who refused to put up Bush's picture we would never hear the end of it. 10 to 1 says that the title really is the only true part in the thread
Geez, anyone else smell the bias from this guy. "Liberals", no. School officials yes. (Grammer no but eh)
She has been a problem in past. The teacher was a problem by advocating one side since the start.
And if she was refusing to put up Bush's picture We of the left would still be upset.
One would think you could do yours lesson in school without those exact props.

It just goes to show that the liberals think they can do whatever they want and get away with it, if the teacher was a Democrat who refused to put up Bush's picture we would never hear the end of it. 10 to 1 says that the title really is the only true part in the thread

:rolleyes:

Hardly.

Next time read the thread, especially the response from the school.

All presidents are evil & their images shoud be removed from classrooms. Who really cares though?

You're worse than MKULTRA.

Ouch, that's an insult. Prepare to be banned by the mods.

Now back on topic : I think someone posted the school's response, and if that is indeed true, this teacher deserved what she got. There's nothing wrong with a picture of George W. Bush in the class. There's not even anything wrong with posting a "Great Presidents of the United States" under that picture.

But it IS wrong to say that she's glad they're too young to vote, and it is wrong for her to use the school for her own political side.

She wasn't fired (or whatever) for havin' a picture of Bush jr.

It just goes to show that the liberals think they can do whatever they want and get away with it, if the teacher was a Democrat who refused to put up Bush's picture we would never hear the end of it. 10 to 1 says that the title really is the only true part in the thread

Those garsh darned liberals. Too bad Gary P. McCartney seems to disagree with the original poster's story. Scroll up to read what he says. Who's that? None other than the Superintendent of the South Brunswick School District.

Especially considering the original poster neglected to leave a source.

I was inclined to believe that story when I first read it, reminding me of the woman fired for the Kerry bumper sticker. However, it seems that story was just bits and pieces of the story.

Of course, it could all just be a liberal conspiracy going up to the Superintendent eh?

Gee, and I thought conservatives hated unions? Yet, when this woman had a beef, she ran straight to the union. Hmmm. Also, the Superintendent's rebuttal sounds a lot more reasonable than the original hysterical post.

Of course, it could all just be a liberal conspiracy going up to the Superintendent eh?

-Cuffs him one on the head-

Shut up or they will find out!

Hold on folks-the spin here will throw you right off!

-Cuffs him one on the head-

Shut up or they will find out!

Sorry, I'm being affected by that Brain scrambler Kerry used in the debate vs Bush.

Gosh darn it, I did it again. Too bad there isn't a "Backspace" or "Delete" button on keyboards...