Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter



CAT Tracks for March 29, 2009
KEEP THOSE CARDS AND LETTERS COMING

'Bout time...

Have to admit to being impatient this morning.

Made my rounds of news sources...hoping not to find anything...wanting to "get on with it"...the story brought to my attention last night by an avid CAT reader.

I mean, first of all, I truly appreciate "contributions" from the reading public. As I sit...alone...in my writer's garret, it's nice to know that I'm not simply baying at the moon...sending fanciful "missives" into the void of cyberspace. It's nice to know that somebody out there is listening, uh, well, at least reading.

Many of you who keep returning to CAT Tracks probably are inclined to give me all the credit...which I am more than happy to accept!!!

However, truth be told (and THAT is all you ever get in the electronic pages of CAT Tracks), I do occasionally get help! (Okay, okay...not that kind of "help".)

For instance, many of you were moved to comment on the "laughing cat" edition...which closely followed the "cat on the keyboard". Well, I did indeed compose the stories, but the motivation...the "inspiration"...came from readers like you.

Knowing that I am a cat fancier, one reader innocently sent me the cute picture of the kitten lying reposed on the keyboard. After I posted "the story" on CAT Tracks, a different reader was moved to send me the "maniacal laughing cat", which actually had something to do with the IRS giving back huge sums of money...figuring, I think, that "Hey, if like a sleeping kitten, you'll just love this!"

And, of course, the rest is history...

And THAT is the "background" for this story...a "not-so-innocent" reader sending me a "heads up" on an article that the reader had run across while perusing the website of the National Education Association.

I'm going to take you directly to the article, but I shall return (below the article) with "the rest of the story..."


From the NEA Website...


Link to Original Story

The Whole World (Wide Web) is Watching

Cautionary tales from the 'what-were-you-thinking' department.

Way back in 1974, California teacher and aspiring actor Lou Zivkovich famously was fired for posing nude in Playgirl magazine. His response, as reported by Newsweek, "I didn't murder anyone."

Nowadays, thanks to advances in technology, you don't even need a major publisher to get fired; just post your racy photos, sexually graphic writings, or wild party stories on a personal Web blog. You'll be amazed by how quickly tech-savvy students can disseminate your postings to their friends and your employer.

Here's a roundup of some of the recent horror stories:

In Virginia, high school art teacher Stephen Murmer was fired after posting photos of his "butt art" on the Web, which were viewed by scores of students. The budding artist applied paint to his posterior and genitalia, which he then pressed onto canvases. With the help of the ACLU, he sued the school district last fall claiming a violation of his First Amendment rights.

Band director Scott Davis from Broward County, Florida, was dismissed after school officials viewed his MySpace profile that included his musings about sex, drugs, and depression.

A Colorado English teacher lost her job after composing and posting sexually explicit poetry on her MySpace site. Police were even called in to investigate.

Nashville teacher Margaret Thompson was removed from teaching after posting "racy pictures" of herself, along with candid photos of her students, on her MySpace profile.

Florida middle school teacher John Bush was terminated because of "offensive" and "unacceptable " photos and information on his MySpace page.

Massachusetts teaching assistant and Massachusetts Teachers Association member Keath Driscoll was first suspended and then fired for his MySpace postings including "sexually suggestive" photographs, videos of drinking alcohol, and references to women as "whores." MTA took his case to arbitration and won almost a complete victory. In a decision dated March 24, 2008, the arbitrator ruled that Driscoll should not have been fired and ordered him reinstated with back pay, seniority, and benefits. The arbitrator did conclude, however, that Driscoll had engaged in misconduct that warranted some form of discipline, which he determined to be a three-day suspension.]

But the clueless award goes to Atlanta-area high school football coach Donald Shockley, who was forced to resign in early 2008 for storing on his school computer photos of his assistant principal dressed in lingerie and posing in sexually suggestive ways. The photos were discovered by a student whom Shockley had asked to work on his computer and who then posted the photos on the Internet and sent them to other students at the school.

In October 2007, reporters for The Columbus Dispatch conducted an investigation of MySpace profiles posted by Ohio teachers. The newspaper quoted one 25-year-old teacher bragging that she's "an aggressive freak in bed," "sexy," and "an outstanding kisser." Another teacher wrote on her page that she had recently "gotten drunk," "taken drugs," and "gone skinny-dipping."

In the wake of these reports, the Ohio Education Association urged all OEA members to remove any personal profiles they may have posted on MySpace or Facebook. The Association also warned members that such profiles "can be used as evidence in disciplinary proceedings," which could "affect not only a teacher's current job but his/her teaching license" as well.

But what about free speech? Don't school employees have the right, on their own time, to blog about their private lives without fear of losing their jobs? Probably not.

It's the general rule that school employees can be disciplined for off-duty conduct if the school district can show that the conduct had an adverse impact on the school or the teacher's ability to teach. And it wouldn't be too difficult to make that showing if the teacher's blog includes sexually explicit or other inappropriate content and is widely viewed by students.

As to a possible free speech claim, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2004 that it was not a violation of the First Amendment for the City of San Diego to fire a police officer for posting a sexually explicit video of himself on the Internet. The unanimous Court said that such speech was "detrimental to the mission and functions of the employer."

And last year, a U.S. District Court ruled that a Connecticut school district's decision to fire a probationary teacher because of his postings to his MySpace page did not violate the teacher's First Amendments rights. The court called the online exchanges between the teacher and his students "inappropriate" and added that "such conduct could very well disrupt the learning atmosphere of the school."

There's an old lawyer's saw that goes something like this: Never put in writing anything that you wouldn't want read in open court or by your mother.

Maybe it's time for an updated adage: Never put in electronic form anything that you wouldn't want viewed by a million people, including your colleagues, students, and supervisors-and your mother.

Michael D. Simpson
NEA Office of General Counsel


So, help me out here!

If you run across graphics or stories that appeal to you, feel free to share. I make every effort to "reward" my loyal readers...while maintaining confidentiality.


And, now, for the rest of the story...

Actually, "confidentiality" is the purrfect lead-in.

The reader who submitted the above story, having a sense of humor similar to my own (for better or worse!), made what some might term a "catty" comment in reference to the faculty of CJSHS.

I immediately threatened the reader with exposure, as in revealing my source to ALL the fine readers of CAT Tracks...not any indecent exposure related to the above article.

Then, so that my reader would not panic, I gave reassurance using my oft quoted favorite line from John Wayne in the movie, McClintock..."I won't, I won't...the hell I won't!".

So just what was the "catty" comment made by the reader/contributor?

Well, I'm glad you asked...

MEOW!!!

Gosh, that last sentence puts my "editorializing to heighten emotion" to shame. I wish I had said that!

But...I didn't, I didn't...I really didn't!



Speaking of public indecency...

The Virginia art teacher getting fired for "butt art"...

The next time the Cairo Superintendent of Schools knowingly violates the law...commits an unfair labor practice...defames his employees...in short, the next time that Leotis D. Swopes shows his butt, would that be grounds for dismissal???

Sincerely,

The (former) Sleeping CAT