Two Teachers Suspended For War-Related Art 4-2-3
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (Reuters) - Two Albuquerque teachers were placed on administrative leave earlier this week for refusing to remove Iraqi war-related artwork made by students from their classroom, school officials said on Wednesday. The artwork was part of a project aimed at portraying students' views about war and included both pro- and anti-war pieces, officials at Highland High School said. Albuquerque Public Schools spokesman Rigo Chavez said the suspension by the school was based on a "policy on controversial issues in the classroom." "Controversial issues can be discussed in the context of class discussions, but once the discussion is completed the artwork or props should be removed," Chavez said, adding that the matter was brought to the attention of administrators by students who complained of the art displays. Language arts teacher Allen Cooper and history teacher Geoffrey Barrett told administrators that while they understood limitations on expressing their own point of view in the classroom, they saw no law prohibiting the students from self-expression. Cooper was able to return to class on Wednesday after an administrative hearing a day earlier, while Barrett asked to reschedule his administrative hearing for a later date while he sought out legal counsel, Chavez said. In a similar incident, two teachers at a nearby school were suspended without pay in March for refusing to take down their own anti-war signs in their classrooms. _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
