Supreme Court Rebuffs Case Of Teacher Fired For (Anti-War "Peace") Comments

Orlando Sentinel ^ | October 3, 2007 | Tamara Lytle

[DogByte6RER]

Supreme Court rebuffs case of teacher fired for comments Tamara Lytle

Washington Correspondent

October 3, 2007

WASHINGTON

Kissimmee Middle School teacher Deborah Mayer's long, lonely and expensive legal fight over a war-related classroom comment ended with two words.

"Cert denied," her attorney e-mailed her, which is legalese for the U.S. Supreme Court dismissing her appeal without hearing it. Mayer was fired in Bloomington, Ind., in 2003 after a classroom current-events discussion about peace protesters during which she said "I honk for peace."

Mayer claimed her dismissal was an abridgment of her First Amendment right to free speech and a dangerous precedent for teachers nationally. The Bloomington school district said it fired her because she wasn't a good teacher.

The Supreme Court, on its first day of its term Monday, decided to let stand a lower-court ruling in favor of the district. The court gave no explanation, which is not unusual.

Tim Lenz, political-science professor at Florida Atlantic University, said the court issued only 74 decisions last year out of about 8,000 cases appealed to the justices. In addition, Mayer's loss was not a surprise because recent court decisions have favored administrators in lawsuits by government employees and students, Lenz said.

Mayer said her troubles started on Jan. 10, 2003 -- the eve of the Iraq war -- during a weekly current-events discussion in her Grades 4-6 class at Clear Creek Elementary School. A pupil asked her if she would participate in a peace rally.

"I honk for peace," Mayer, a veteran teacher in her first year at Bloomington, said she told them. She said she also told the students, "People ought to seek out peaceful solutions before going to war."

[Tribune7]

"I honk for peace," Mayer, a veteran teacher in her first year at Bloomington, said she told them. She said she also told the students, "People ought to seek out peaceful solutions before going to war."

I suspect there was a lot more too it than saying that, that got her canned.

[Preachin']

"....during a weekly current-events indoctrination discussion in her Grades 4-6 class at Clear Creek Elementary School"

[JimRed]

"People ought to seek out peaceful solutions before going to war."

As we did! Seventeen U.N. resolutions ignored and repeated warnings later...

[Enduring Freedom]

She looks like she got hit in traffic while honking:

[calex59]

Only a liberal would think the 1st amendment protects them from saying anything. The 1st only prohibits the government from making laws that trample on free speech rights. Schools and any other employer can take you to task for saying things they don't like, plus you can be sued for slander and libel. Freedom of speech doesn't mean freedom from consequences.

When a conservative talks, however, liberals are free to condem, ridicule and bring senate resolutions down on them because the 1st only applies to liberals/ Mega Sar

[elpadre]

someone should post the full account of her dismissal. I’m certain it was more than this!