Teacher suspended for teaching about hand tool files suit

Teacher suspended for teaching about hand tool files suit

Incredibly, the leftist overreaction to potential weapons on school property seems to be limitless. Judging by a complaint recently filed on behalf of one elementary school teacher shows virtually anyone with virtually anything can be portrayed as a threat.
Teaching at a public school in Chicago, Doug Bartlett introduced his second-grade class to common tools such as wrenches and screwdrivers. He used the tools for their intended purpose during a presentation, though students at no time came into contact with the items.
Regardless, administrators suspended the teacher of 17 years – without pay – for four days because of his alleged possession and use of a weapon on campus.
In a lawsuit on his behalf, the Rutherford Institute claims Bartlett experienced “humiliation, embarrassment, mental suffering, and lost wages” as a result of the school’s decision to suspend him.
The organization’s president, John Whitehead, said the school district is not alone in embracing overzealous standards.
“What makes this case stand out from the rest is that this latest victim of zero-tolerance policies run amok happens to be a veteran school teacher,” he added, calling the “gross overreaction to a simple teaching demonstration” shows “exactly what is wrong with our nation’s schools.”
Though I sympathize with the suspended teacher, decisions like this highlight a much more serious and widespread problem. While focusing on unrelated periphery in a purported attempt to reduce violence, today’s leaders are woefully inadequate when it comes to dealing with the real root causes of such deadly acts.
Chicago, a city defined by both strict gun laws and rampant gun crimes, is a prime example of a city whose sights on this issue are hopelessly misaligned.
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