From a high school classmate of mine comes this article concerning the resignation of Tom Westerhaus, the schools superintendent of Prior Lake, Minnesota, following the election to the school board there of a disciplined former employee, Chris Lind, who was fired after repeated warnings about talking to students on campus about sexual orientation and telling them it was "National Pick on Lesbians Day."
Sections from the article, additional information and links follow:
In June, with Westerhaus' recommendation, the Prior Lake-Savage school board fired Lind, who worked as a campus supervisor at Prior Lake High School. Lind, a devout Christian, had been at the high school for four years. In that time, he had developed a reputation among students as an adult willing to befriend them and mentor them in their faith.
The district said it fired Lind for "job performance and insubordination" after receiving complaints about his talking to students on campus about their sexual orientation and telling a student that the day was "National Pick On Lesbians Day." The district also warned him about maintaining appropriate boundaries with students and the need to separate the role of supervisor of students from the role of friend.
Additional perspective via a conservative Christian blog.
Further reporting hereprovides additional background.
It seems to me that Mr. Lind almost certainly behaved in an unprofessional or immature manner in his previous position. Apparently it has been argued (not not confirmed perhaps) that Mr. Lind was offered direction on appropriate boundaries. Boundries between students and staff (or employees and managers for that matter) are vital to a proper learning (or work) environment. I think the comments of the local minister in support of Mr. Lind are ill-considered at best. Being a "nice guy" to some students (probably not to gay ones) and being willing to "mentor" students in their faith--activities that have a time and a place that are not public school time or a public school campus--hardly seem like an over-arching reasons for Mr. Lind to have been retained, as his supporters seem to imply that they were. Being a nice guy to those who seem willing to share his opinions--in a school board where many voters clearly do--has helped him get elected, no doubt. It does not change that simple fact that he demonstrated a lack of wisdom at best--insubordination at worst. What is more, the voters decided that that was okay. I don't see that Lind has much of a legal case at all--he was an employee at will; it was not a "right to work" situation, given the evidence at hand. However, he may be vindicative enough to sue anyway, just to cost others money.
It seems to me that all of this could have been avoided if Lind had done his politicking and proselytizing with students in the private sphere: grab a root beer at McDonald's after school and talk about it there, or invite a student to church.
It would seem as though the voters of this district care more about ideological purity and religious matters than professionalism, even in the public sphere, even in the realms of public administration and education.
Karl Marx would be very comfortable with that.