Teacher placed on leave for questionable Facebook posting (In photo she's holding a rifle)

WKOW-TV ^ | February 3, 2009

[2ndDivisionVet]

BEAVER DAM (WKOW) -- Beaver Dam school officials placed a middle school teacher on administrative leave after discovering a photograph of the teacher with a gun on the teacher's Facebook page.

In the photo, teacher Betsy Ramsdale is training a rifle at the camera.

Ramsdale emailed 27 News in response to our inquiries saying she "removed the photo immediately" and that she is not "interested in any controversy." Ramsdale did not comment on her motivation for posting the photo.

Schools superintendent Donald Childs told 27 News he is unaware of any sinister intent on the teacher's part and said the use of the photo "appears to be poor judgment."

Childs said the Facebook photo was brought to the attention of school district officials by a concerned staff member at Beaver Dam Middle School.

Ramsdale's biography on the school district website states she is in her first year of teaching at the middle school. Department of Public Instruction records show Ramsdale has been licensed to teach since 1996.

Middle school parent Jennifer Buzzell said the teacher's decision to post the photograph was concerning.

"I don't think it's appropriate," Buzzell told 27 News. "I'm not sure why this would be on the computer at all."

"I don't see anything wrong with it," school parent Mark Hagstrom said. "She's on her time to do what she wants."

School parent Chad Van Loo said the photograph sends the wrong message.

"With the way things are going these days, with the kids bringing guns to school and bomb threats, (photograph) is something to be concerned about."

Ramsdale's union representation is through the Beaver Dam Education Association. Association president Janet Schumaker has yet to return a call from 27 News.

Read our Assistant News Director's Blog on this topic:

http://addins.wkowtv.com/blogs/behindthenews/

To comment and provide news tips, contact reporter Tony Galli at tgalli@wkowtv.com

[rawhide]

Here is the photo in question of Betsy Ramsdale

[rawhide]

Source of the above picture: http://sayanythingblog.com/entry/school_officials_suspend_teacher_after_she_posts_photo_of_herself_with_gun_/

[BobbyT]

I guess you need to inform the 100,000,000 or so Americans in this country who’ve pointed guns at things that it’s somehow equivalent to showing up on campus with a death wish and unloading on a bunch of disarmed students.

And you better hurry, since many of them are going so far as to FIRE them! And then, after checking to see how their aim is progressing, doing it AGAIN!

[familyop]

"Nope. Like I said, she wasn't just holding it.

Was this a harmless photo, too?"

I see at least two logical fallacies in your argument. And yes, the photo itself was harmless and hasn't physically injured any viewers. People post all kinds of photos in efforts to make all kinds of jokes and artistic/political points. Nearly all of the people posing in Internet images with firearms are harmless and only intending to do so for hobbies, jokes and various artistic reasons. There are photos posted of people holding knives and covered in blood with no harm intended toward anyone.

I've seen no evidence or testimony showing that the teacher threatened or intended to harm anyone.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Photo isn’t showing up...

[Cringing Negativism Network]

Now hold on here.

She wasn’t photographed “holding” a rifle.

She was pointing it at the photographer. Unless the camera was somehow set to a remote shutter - there is NO excuse for pointing a weapon at another person.

Photographers, are people.

That’s totally irresponsible.

It is the wrong message to send.

[familyop]

And BTW, let’s have a look at your tagline, “While the truncheon may be used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power.” Many busybody parents and schoolteachers would jump at the opportunity to pretend that a word in your tagline offends their sensitivities in order to have you fired. ...unless you agree with other parts of their ideology. They would also misconstrue your tagline in order to do so.

[Richard Kimball]

FWIW, I work for a college, and try to be careful about my representations on the web. On my web sites, where I'm identified by name, I make no reference to my college, except as a customer when they buy my photography services.

I haven't been to her facebook page, but I suspect she clearly labels herself as an employee of the school. If she's done that, anything on the page represents not only her, but her organization.

Had I been her administrator, I would have been more likely to talk to her about being careful about her image, and requested that she either take the photo down or remove information about her affiliation with the school. I would then warn her that what you post on the press is public property. There have been a ton of instances in which people have lost jobs for themselves and coworkers by posting stupid junk on the net. Remember just a few months ago when some Burger King guy got camcorded taking a bath in the kitchen sink. It got him, his coworkers and the manager fired. Too bad, so sad.

I wouldn't have suspended her, but administrators tend to be a spineless lot in the best of circumstances.

[familyop]

"She was pointing it at the photographer. Unless the camera was somehow set to a remote shutter - there is NO excuse for pointing a weapon at another person."

Which of your scenarios do you presume? If the former, please tell us as to what part the photographer had in the photo shot. Was the photographer a firearms hobbyist? If so, did he or she talk the subject of the photo into posing? Is he a gunsmith, and did he check the firearm before telling her to pose with it? Is the firearm capable of firing rounds?

...so many mindreaders and answers, so little testimony or evidence. It is most healthy to assume that the weapon was not capable of firing a round at the time of photo, and parents and school administrators are pathological for considering terminating anyone for that.

[Cringing Negativism Network]

Simple safely rule to avoid any confusion:

Assume all weapons, are always, loaded and off “safe”.

Behave appropriately!

Never. Never point a weapon at another person. Unless they are threatening you.

For any reason.

Even representing that act, is wrong.

[2ndDivisionVet]

The employee taking a bath in the kitchen sink at Burger King was violating company policy, health regulations and safety. The teacher holding a firearm was doing none of these things. Are we truly this browbeaten by the PC police that we will bow to their every whim? Remember, we gained our independence from the barrel of a rifle, not from grandiose speeches and books.

[familyop]

"Even representing that act, is wrong."

...better stop watching television or movies then, where weapons are often pointed at cameras. You're stretching it. And BTW, the photo in question shows what appears to be an overly large bore in what appears to be a firearm. ...a paintball "gun," perhaps?

[Cringing Negativism Network]

That would certainly change the calculation. If it’s a paintball gun, that’s not a “rifle”.

I was relying on the text of the article.

[Ol' Dan Tucker]

So Miss Betsy Ramsdale doesn’t have the same 2nd Amendment rights that you and I have because of her occupation? Interesting theory.

Of course she does. I never said she didn't.

The 2nd is not an absolute right. Neither is the 1st.

[hattend]

She should have been screwing one of her students. That’s perfectly fine in Obamamerika.

[familyop]

In considering weapons being pointed at others for artistic purposes, I believe that we should leave the making of such weapons safe to those behind the cameras, directors, all involved. Otherwise, we would probably know nothing of John Wayne.

[Ol' Dan Tucker]

Nearly all of the people posing in Internet images with firearms are harmless and only intending to do so for hobbies, jokes and various artistic reasons.

Not all?

[2ndDivisionVet]

If she'd been using a banana to demonstrate condom application or reading Heather Has Two Mommies she'd be fine, and probably up for a promotion.

[Ol' Dan Tucker]

Many busybody parents and schoolteachers would jump at the opportunity to pretend that a word in your tagline offends their sensitivities in order to have you fired. ...unless you agree with other parts of their ideology.

Doesn't seem too different from many of the folks posting around these parts.

[familyop]

"I haven't been to her facebook page, but I suspect she clearly labels herself as an employee of the school. If she's done that, anything on the page represents not only her, but her organization."

Well, we wouldn't have wanted Ronald Reagan, who pointed weapons at the camera, to be a school teacher.