Posted on 03/18/2002 8:42:10 AM PST by summer
Transcript offers look at schools' investigation into Harvey
Monday, March 18, 2002
By RAY PARKER, brparker@naplesnews.com
Former Lely High School teacher Ian Harvey invited and drove two of his students to his first anti-war rally, an interview between him and internal investigator Peter DeBaun shows.
Last week Collier County School District officials released a copy of the 169-page transcript of two interviews, in which DeBaun questioned Harvey about his teaching practices.
The interviews occurred Dec. 20 and 21. DeBaun released his final report to the public Feb. 18.
"Things that were said on the six hours on the tape virtually contradict" everything written in the final report, Harvey said at the time the final report was released.
The teacher was disciplined for violating teaching standards, ethics codes and district policies. Officials reassigned him from Lely High to an Immokalee adult education program while state officials review his case.
The interview shows Harvey:
- posted fliers on his classroom door about his anti-war demonstration, and in the margins hand wrote the event was not affiliated with Lely High School or the district
- taught his mass media classes and ninth-grade English classes in the same room
- made a class announcement about his first demonstration
- showed films without clearance from the school administration, such as "Showdown in Seattle" — about protests against the World Trade Organization — a Noam Chomsky video, and a program called "Life and Debt" about the international monetary fund in Jamaica
- had no weekly or term schedule telling students what they would be doing
- asked students for their home e-mail addresses, formed a group list and sent articles out for extra credit; people not in the class were also on the group list, such as Harvey's sister
- handed out articles from Web sites that didn't have either an author or publication entity, such as "Top Ten Reasons to Oppose the I.M.F."
- played in class a CD of George Carlin's "Seven Words You Can't Say on TV" that a student brought in and Harvey repeated offensive language
In the interview, Harvey said he tried to get his students to be skeptics of the articles he passed out.
"I joke, I say don't trust, you know, CNN, don't trust me, don't trust anybody, don't trust your mom, they go ha-ha, they laugh, you know," Harvey said. "Just don't trust anybody as far as the flow of information and just try to think for yourself no matter what, and be an active viewer, whether it's a TV commercial or some political article or anything."
Harvey asked about the students interviewed and DeBaun replied they came from one of three groups: students who supported Harvey, students who disagreed with his views and students who just didn't know what was going on in class.
Harvey asked: "One person felt I have a closed mind?"
DeBaun: "Yeah."
Harvey: "Okay."
DeBaun: "The other people felt that — that you had strong views, and they knew what your views were, and — but they — I don't think they had an argument with them, and I don't think that they had an argument with — I didn't perceive them to have an argument that all sides of arguments weren't allowed in class."
Throughout both interviews, DeBaun asked Harvey about several issues including: Harvey's past demonstrations, his views on Afghanistan and the United States involvement, his first newspaper letter announcing the anti-war demonstration and his mass media class goals and operations.
Harvey said he didn't know about several things students told DeBaun.
DeBaun asked: "Were you aware that one of your students had a boyfriend in the armed forces who's currently serving in Afghanistan?"
Harvey: "No."
DeBaun: "Have any of your students walked out of class?"
Harvey: "No."
DeBaun: "Have any of your students come to you and requested to be taken out of your class?"
Harvey: "No."
DeBaun: "Have any of your students requested that you remove their name from the e-mail list?"
Harvey: "No."
In his final report, DeBaun concluded Harvey used his classroom as a forum to espouse his ideological views and thus made his students sit as a captive audience to the detriment of the learning environment; provided course materials, engaged in discussion and behaved in such a way that served to inhibit the free flow of ideas and skewed learning ideologically so as to taint the learning process in violation of School Board policy and The Principles of Professional Conduct of the Education Profession in Florida; and allowed his ideological views to affect the efficiency of school operations.
Former Lely High School teacher Ian Harvey invited and drove two of his students to his first anti-war rally, an interview between him and internal investigator Peter DeBaun shows.
What if a drunk driver had hit Mr. Harvey's car and killed his two student passengers? Apparently, this potential consequence did not cross his mind.
Anyone know what his status is with the INS? Any chance we might get him not only off the public payroll but out of the country?
Serious BUMP AND FREEPING TIME HERE
Here are the things you all need
WhiteDa@collier.k12.fl.us Dr Dan W. White, the Collier County superintendent of schools
Or, better yet, you can call Dr. White at 941.643.2700 or fax him at 941.436-6451.
Ian Harvey's PERSONAL E-MAIL ADDRESS:
mmediamaniac@yahoo.com
Let's Roll FreeRepublic!
Please keep me apprised of efforts to bring this guy to task and I'll do my best to help.
LOL! Thanks for the info, MFH.
Bump.
After Tiennamen (sp?) Square, a group of Chinese missionaries traveled to a small village, one Bible between them and stood in the town square and preached. Local police attacked them, knocked the owner of the Bible down and left her unconcsious and bleeding. Villagers stayed behind closed doors, afraid. The bleeding missionary got up slowly, opened her Bible and began preaching again. The police and residents were stunned and gathered around her, this time out of curiosity and a measure of respect. In one afternoon a Chinese missionary converted a whole village.
This missionary was 14. We are too often afraid of an angry horde of braying asses brandishing words.
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