Posted on 06/17/2004 7:21:12 AM PDT by esryle
COVINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- When Covington schools Superintendent Jack Moreland saw an advertisement for a Chippendales show, he thought it would be a good morale booster for his female employees. So he shelled out $420 to send 20 female staff members to a Chippendales show to see buff men strip off most of their clothing.
It worked, but it also raised the ire of at least one person, who wrote an anonymous letter to the state Office of Education Accountability accusing Moreland of using school-district funds to pay for the strip show.
Moreland said he spent $420 of his own money for the show - and faxed his personal credit-card receipt to investigators.
"I did it in fun, and they went in fun, and I don't think there was any harm done," he said.
Bryan Jones, a lawyer for the Office of Education Accountability, said he couldn't confirm or deny whether his office looked into a complaint.
The women who attended the show said they enjoyed it.
"We just laughed and laughed and laughed," said Jena Meehan, the superintendent's secretary. "It was a spectacle, to be sure, and to have all of us there was even funnier."
Chippendales is a high-class male revue that became popular in the 1980s. Well-muscled young men wearing bow-ties and bare chests strip to scanty undies for female audiences.
Moreland is the former president of the Council for Better Education, the superintendents group that brought the historic lawsuit that resulted in the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990 and its revolutionary reform of Kentucky's public schools.
Lunch would have cost more than that, sure. :)
but then again, he is probably a demonrat and therefore, nothing will be done about it...
but just trying sending your employees to a faith revival.....
Are we going to buy into the Clintonian argument that what a role model does in private is irrelevant to his character or to his leadership role?
Once upon a time in Jesus' day, a follower--a disciple--was someone who followed their master 24/7. This is still true in India amongst its gurus. You learned from Jesus the Master or India's gurus around-the-clock--from both the intentional teaching times as well as a life-on-life absorption. Education was more informal than formal--it was caught, not just taught. What Jesus did in his solo time (prayer) impacted what he did in his social life.
Character isn't something you manufacture professionally. It's who you are, 24/7. And it bleeds. It bleeds over any false boundaries we attempt to set up.
What a person in a position of trust (children-wise) does in their "own" time (whatever that is given that we're only stewards, not masters of this life on earth) has implications for influencing children who emulate them.
Otherwise, who gives a rip if educators themselves earn extra income as strippers or prostitutes outside the classroom?
"We just laughed and laughed and laughed," said Jena Meehan, the superintendent's secretary. "It was a spectacle, to be sure,
I'm sure those scantily clad dudes would hope for a better reaction than laughter. I don't know many men who would be comfortable with a bunch of women laughing at his naked body.
You've got it backwards.......(grin)
NOTHING was wrong with what he did. PERIOD!
No need for excuses, crying, whining, nor apologies!
Tell them all to go to H&LL!
And not much commentary about the 20 teachers deciding to attend. He didn't force them to go to the show, did he?
You got it right, it was his money and I'm betting he didn't force anyone to go.
My daughter is a school teacher and I doubt that she would go to something like this but as an adult it is her privilege to do so if she wants to.
She teaches at high school level and has five 16 year old girls in one class who are pregnant- one of them with her second child. I doubt that any of them would be traumatized to learn that their teacher went to a male strip club
The question you should ask yourself is "What would Ronald Wilson Reagan do ?"
This is the kind of guy in charge of educating kids?
This is why Bennett stressed virtues so much when he was in the cabinet. This guy has none and worse is teaching a lack of virtue to his staff.
They need to check his expense reports.
He could pay for it with his own credit card, make a copy of the receipt and then turn it in for reimbursement.
They didn't go strip for money, they went to watch a campy strip show, which is exactly what Chippendale's is, whether they take themselves seriously or not. Women dancing naked may be sexy, but men in speedos and bow ties dancing around is just plain funny. They didn't take pictures and show the kids, they didn't go home with the strippers, they just went to a show and had fun. I don't have any problem with that at all. Perhaps this guy didn't show the greatest judgement, but it sounds like the teachers had themselves a good time, which improved their morale, which can only make them better teachers, not worse.
Suit, yes. But unless they had to go or suffer problems at work, I can't see any damage. Is Kentucky a "loser pays" state?
No, she will simply validate their value system as the nation continues slouching toward Sodom and Gomorrah.
It will never make them better teachers in the positive sense.
The old corrupt the young and the nation continues onward to Sodom and Gomorrah.
Of course they didn't go strip for money, but according to your logic, what would be wrong if they did (as long as they meet your bottom line of "improving the morale of others")?
Or, according to your thinking, men in speedos and bow ties dancing around is just plain funny...then I suppose you see nothing wrong with male educators who go out & earn some extra income "improving the morale" of female voyeurs. After all, they wouldn't be doing anything sexy. It would just be a "funny" act. And what could possibly be wrong with educators who moon-light as comedians?
Just WHAT did he do that was wrong?
No children were involved - no illegal behaviors - no theft of public funds - a bit risque mayhaps.
Even the teachers enjoyed the change!
I think that the public school system is so far gone that we don't have to mention that the teachers fall short of being role models. I quit teaching 6 years ago because I could no longer be a part of the public education system. When a fellow teacher yells "Hey Condom Head" at a student way down the hall and nothing is done about it, it is time to pull out and encourage parents to do like-wise.
I couldn't encourage people to pull their kids out and homeschool when I had one child left in the system. I did the honorable thing...We (child and I) pulled out of the system and have encouraged others to homeschool. I figure you have to lead by example.
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