Posted on 05/25/2006 6:25:18 AM PDT by NYer
LAS VEGAS -- As a Bishop Gorman High School teacher for six years, Jeff Crouse relished imparting knowledge to young minds.
With his doctorate in film and television studies from the University of Warwick in England, Crouse handpicked cream-of-the-crop seniors to take his college-level classes in philosophy and film studies.
He was active outside the classroom, too _ challenging students through a Philosophy Society Club and heading the school's chapter of Amnesty International.
A former seminarian, Crouse, 45, said he appreciated the Catholic culture at Bishop Gorman because of the freedom it allowed him to develop his classes and to teach from a religious perspective.
But he discovered Bishop Gorman's absolute intolerance on some matters when he promoted himself on the popular Web site MySpace.com, where he detailed his taste in music, movies _ and men.
It somehow came to the attention of school administrators. Within a week, he was fired.
Crouse said he was called into the principal's office May 12 and told he was being terminated, per his contract, for "maintaining, by word or action, a position contrary to the ordinary teaching of the Catholic Church."
According to Crouse, when he asked what the infraction was, officials showed him material from his MySpace page, but wouldn't elaborate.
Las Vegas Diocese and school officials declined to comment on Crouse's case, citing personnel confidentiality.
Crouse would not discuss whether he regretted posting his personal profile on the Web site, or whether he plans to fight his termination.
He has found himself in the same lot as other Catholic teachers across the country who have been fired for espousing beliefs or acting contrary to church teachings.
Violating church doctrine is grounds for immediate dismissal, according to a contract all Bishop Gorman teachers sign.
Crouse wrote on his Web site that he was gay and looking for "straight-acting single men." The church teaches that same-sex relations are a sin.
The Catholic Church expects teachers to serve as role models for students and to know, act and teach in accordance with church doctrine, said Richard A. Facciolo, chancellor and superintendent of schools for the Las Vegas Diocese.
At school, Crouse did not discuss his sexual orientation and did not mention the Web site, students said.
"He's a really good teacher, very creative," said a student who asked not to be identified. "He really tries to get the kids into learning. He should have every right to do what he wants as long as he doesn't bring it into the school, which he didn't."
But Catholic educators disagree.
"The ideal is to kind of practice what we preach," said Leonard DeFiore, an education professor at Catholic University and past president of the National Catholic Education Association. "Parents entrust their children to Catholic schools with the understanding that they are going to get teachers and a curriculum that reflects that Catholic faith."
There are various examples of Catholic teachers being fired for violating church doctrine.
A Milwaukee teacher is appealing her 2004 firing for getting pregnant through in vitro fertilization. In April, a football coach at a Massachusetts school was fired for getting his girlfriend pregnant. In November, a young Brooklyn, N.Y., teacher was fired for getting pregnant out of wedlock. And in October, a Sacramento, Calif., teacher was fired after officials learned she had previously volunteered at an abortion clinic.
In earlier cases, teachers have been fired for espousing pro-choice beliefs and for getting remarried without having the previous marriage annulled.
The church teaches that sexual acts are reserved for marriage, for purposes of procreation. Anything else is considered a sin, including premarital sex, homosexual acts, using birth control or artificial means of getting pregnant.
Nonreligious employers are legally prohibited from discriminating on the basis of religion or sexual orientation, but religious organizations can hire and fire on the basis of their religious beliefs. That allows them to put restrictions on employees, including their sexual orientation, said Lee Rowland, a public advocate for the American Civil Liberties Union.
"Bishop Gorman may consider that a bona fide part of the job is to be straight, which we believe is unfortunate," Rowland said. Crouse's pages on the MySpace site contain no mention of Gorman. He identifies himself as a 45-year-old Catholic single man who "adore(s) my job and I have all summer off."
Walt Rulffes, superintendent of the Clark County School District, wouldn't speculate how the incident would have been handled if the teacher involved was a public school employee.
However, Rulffes said, "All individuals in positions of trust who work with children must be held to the highest standards."
That's a tough one 8-)
The Church's "official" position is that it opposes artificial means of birth control. The best natural means of birth spacing is largely a matter of science. NFP is currently the preferred method. It's superior to "the rhythm method."
Plain and simple you argue for the homosexualization of society on FR -the argument you specifically attempt here is the same flawed argument put forth by those wishing to impose homosexual "leaders" upon the Boy Scouts...
I will hit abuse button and hope that after the moderator reviews your recent history you will be suspended with a warning at a minimum... I myself would choose a zotting for your postings supporting the homosexualization of society...
Yea, its just a church teaching... not like the Bible says anything about it or anything... just those pesky Catholics making up meaningles rules arbitrarily again.....
That's actually a matter of linguistics and culture. Have you learned enough in the years since you graduated High School to understand that?
Huh? I don't understand your points at all. Deviants come in all preferences. Both homo- and hetero- deviants, if unrepentant and active in the "lifestyle" should be expunged from the classroom--especially in Catholic schools.
I agree with you, that anyone showing a propensity to engage in illicit behavior with students should immediately be fired and if appropriate, prosecuted, regardless of sexual preference. And not just in Catholic schools, any school.
However, this article is specifically about a homo that got the boot. So why don't you try sticking to that subject?
You seemed to have little difficulty discussing the larger issue, the growing problem of improper student-teacher contacts, so I am merely responding to you. If you recollect, I took the position that the school had every legal right to fire the teacher.
You make it sound like that's not a given. Sheesh.
Don't mean to, but within a certain group here, it is all to often overlooked in favor of concentrating on 1.5% of the population.
What? So hetero teachers can't mention their wives or their children? That's just stupid and takes moral relativism to a whole new level.
Up to this point we have been discussing improper and illegal behavior. Do you wish to change the topic. You didn't earlier. The initial issue seemed to be whether or not the teacher's sexual preference found its way into the classroom in terms of his behavior.
Repeat after me if you can: "Heterosexual conduct within the bounds of marriage is good, healthy, natural, lifegiving and proper." Homosexual conduct is never any of those things under any circumstances."
I agree that it's not normal as only a tiny percentage of the population claims to be homosexual. The terms you put out are simply a straw man intended to divert the discussion from the teacher who was fired to a general discussion of the differences between hetero and homosexual unions and the results. As you sternly argued, let's stick to the topic.
Perhaps you didn't understand my previous statement. Two of the three were eventually fired for sexual abuse. The third was fired for unknown reasons--but if I were a betting man, I'd say it was because he did something improper with a student.
And any evidence of improper conduct should have warranted their firing.
And that's where we disagree. Homosexual propaganda is all about smoke and mirrors--presenting an image of what the "lifestyle" seems to be, as opposed to what it really is. If you don't know about this, read this article:
I've addressed this issue in other posts. I'm sure you don't read anything by Tammy Bruce, but her book The Death of Right and Wrong does a great job on this topic. The militant homosexual movement is dangerous by any definition. Bruce, an acknowledged lesbian herself points to this problem. But that's where the comparison ends. Every political movement has its spearhead that few would associate with. Civil rights had its Black Panthers, the women's movement had its "feminazis", and not even Tammy Bruce wants anything to do with the very militant homosexual movement today. Their attempts to infiltrate the schools with actual descriptions of homosexual acts is disgusting. And I agree with her completely on that.
But as with other extremist movements, most of those who are a part of that group want little to nothing to do with it. I imagine most homosexuals who are teachers are in that last group and just want to obey the law and provide the same quality education that most heterosexual teachers want to provide. Any evidence to the contrary should be dealt with swiftly. No homosexual should provide any type of education outside of the approved curricula.
Links? You asked for it---
The first link shows a study by a Dr. Rubin who apparently made a study in the 1980s. Cannot locate it. Dr. Gene Abel's study reflected that homosexuals who molest do it at a rate 5 times that of heterosexuals. It does not conclude at all that there is a higher preponderance of homosexuals molesting than heterosexuals as a group. The third was a Catholic defense of the priests, but admitting that molestation was a serious problem. We agree. On the other hand, there are a number of professional studies indicating there is no linkage between homosexuality and pedophilia. WebMD, the Journal of American Medicine, UC Davis Psychology Department study and quite a few individually financed studies by professional and doctors have reached the same conclusion. Whether in fact any of these is determinative is arguable. But we do agree that child abuse is a serious problem and must be dealt with. I believe however, that zeroing in on an entire demographic group without sufficient evidence tends to skew the focus from conduct of actual perpetrators to slapping a label on an entire group without any evidence of abuse.
Not at all. There are always capable teachers to be found. But if he was fired for his homsexuality, and if he was otherwise doing a good job of teaching, then my point is valid. But as I have stated, the school has that right.
True, that would have been better. But they didn't. I'm glad to see the church is taking a strong stance in this case so a similar error is not repeated.
Not sure I follow the linkage.
Really? I have never used my Latin, but the Spanish I learned has been quite helpful.
exactly the same reason i send my kids to Catholic school. you don't always get it, though. but that is the ideal. this guy had to go.
as a consumer of Catholic school education for my two high school aged children, i assure you that the DOGMA is precisely what i am paying for. you can get substance anywhere.
I suspect you've used that Latin more than you realise.
Catholic doctrine and dogma IS 'substance', in the educational sense of the word. Education is about (among other things) learning the Truth. You simply won't get that in pagan schools.
point taken, but you know what i meant : ) the catholic worldview. it is sadly missing even from ostensibly catholic schools. my daughter (jr in HS) did a religion project on Project Rachel for her religion class, taught by a PhD in religious studies. the woman was impressed beyond belief with my daughter's project and confessed that she had NEVER HEARD OF PROJECT RACHEL.
Great, and that is your choice. I provided moral guidance to all of my children at home, and did not depend on others for that. I guess that choice is one of the great things about this County. If I could have afforded it at the time, I would have sent my children to a parochial school for the education, not the dogma.
Oh, how cute. You twist words nicely.
Please notice I said sins or errors in judgement. Child sexual abuse is not an "error in judgement"; it's a grave sin.
Believing psychologists who say that child abusers can be cured (and that a specific child abuser has been cured) is an error in judgement.
I used to be a high school teacher (a variety of physcial science and maths classes). I truly enjoyed teaching in Catholic Schools. I felt that I could teach the whole subject there.
yep. Georgetown Visitation Prepatory School. i think i told you that once before when our paths crossed. : )
If they're girls, send 'em to AHC. The Theology Department there is run well.
Thank you for correcting your statement. I agree with you now.
Believing psychologists who say that child abusers can be cured (and that a specific child abuser has been cured) is an error in judgement.
I've certainly never said or insinuated that. None of my posts involved the cures for pedophiles. Jail is a good start.
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