Posted on 05/16/2018 4:43:17 AM PDT by simpson96
MARLIN, Texas (KWTX) The Marlin ISD’s Board of Managers voted 3-0 Tuesday evening to terminate the contract of Marlin High School teacher Claude Kelley, who was placed on administrative leave for alleged comments he made during state testing.
Superintendent Michael Seabolt said it was reported that right before an Algebra I course exam last week, Kelley said in front of teachers and students, that “there were only a couple smart enough to pass it, anyway.”
“You can think bad things about my kids, but I better never hear it,” Seabolt said.
“I took it pretty seriously.”
Following the results of an initial investigation by the principal, Seabolt said he called the school district’s attorney and put Kelley on paid leave immediately after he found out about the alleged conduct the next day.
"Based on that we sent him home on paid leave, and then we decided to go ahead and terminate him for cause," said Seabolt.
“It’s pretty disheartening."
Seabolt said the comments violated the ethical conduct section of the Texas Education Code and probably violated district policies as far as interactions with the students.
(Excerpt) Read more at kwtx.com ...
Sometimes honesty is too much. LOL
Seriously though, as honest as the statement may have been, it is a thought that at exam time particularly is best left unspoken. It certainly would not likely have encouraged those who were struggling.
I think the teacher should only have been reprimanded, unless it was part of numerous such questionable events on the teachers part.
Can’t have a teacher talking like that and raising suspicions when scores are higher because answers have been changed before submitting the exams for grading.
Some of it is because they are stupid. The average human IQ is 100, so... And having taught 14 years in L.A., I can tell you, it’s depressing. I’ll tell a classroom, “This author was born in 1907 and died in 1943.” They ask how old he was, and I tell them to do the math. They just sit there blank-eyed, waiting to be told the answer. In a room of 32 students, there’s usually only about 3 who can figure it out. This is high school I’m talking about.
Firing a teacher for making a true statement? Maybe he should not have said it publicly, but that is too much.
And was he correct? Fired for being correct and sharing a factual statement?
So, is it 36?!
I'm not sure how public it was. The article said "in front of teachers and students.."
I wonder whether it was some student complaints through parents about their hurt feelings that precipitated the firing, or it was some extra-PC teachers feeling offended on the students' behalf.
Also, a few posts up, someone looked up the student demographics, and it was 93% minority. So, maybe his assessment was "raisis" to boot, regardless of its accuracy.
Needs to happen more often!
But somehow 85% of the Little Darlings Graduate? You bet they do...
Or his unusual collection of scotch tape dispensers?
Yeah, Cause he was telling the Truth.
“Seabolt said, prior to the incident, last month Kelley had filed a grievance for retaliation after learning his position was going to be eliminated.”
Teacher was already out the door, but looks like the Sup wanted to grind the guy under his heel before giving him the boot.
This district needs to be shut down and some other arrangements made for education.
They have been in the failure mode for the last several years.
See the following:
snip
According to the TEA’s letter notifying the district of its accreditation status,
if nothing changes, the Marlin ISD will close effective July 1, 2018.
Marlin school officials learned in August 2017 that the district had failed to meet
state standards for a fifth straight year, although there were some encouraging signs.
Buckholts fell short in accountability ratings in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017,
the TEA said.
end snip
I’m OUTRAGED that you assume Seabolt identifies as a man!!
/s
Then just read it in the test scores and student report cards.
-PJ
According to Index 4, 32% meet the grade level standard, yet 94% graduate.
-PJ
I remember reading a story in High School Literature class of a man who did this to teach his daughter to type. it worked.
He used a pencil and popped her on the head every time she hit the wrong letter. Soon she was writing without mistakes.
I was a special ed student in the 1080s. we did not have state testing but one of the worst experience I had in high school was from a teacher that talked openly in front of us about how stupid we were. it was so bad rather then taking the remedial class that he was teaching I transferred out of his class to a regular class. The idiot on the day I transferred proceeded to tell me how much smarter I was then the other students in the class. This was in front of the other students in the class. I went on to take the other class and barely pass with a D grade. my point is that he teacher in spouting off his belief in the inferiority of his students was doing real damage to those in his class that were struggling.....I can understand the teacher feeling this way and voicing his concerns to other teachers,administrators and to the parents of the children he is teaching but not to his students.
Seems a bit extreme? I thought it was near impossible to fire teachers.
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