Musical Theatre Gets Teacher Ousted (yes, again)

You knew I couldn’t let this one go unblogged, not after Urinetown and please note, that was at least a school play involving the students — this is more seriously overreaching, especially in a state where the school boards apparently can’t even keep convicted arsonists and aggravated assaulters away from the kids on campus.

We at this very moment have The Full Monty in rehearsal here in Tallahassee community theatre, and some of the less-happy government employees involved are plotting to GET themselves fired for appearing in it, if possible!

UPDATE - Lawyer’s advice sought on ‘Monty’

The Charlotte County School District holds off action against teacher
until it gets an opinion.

By PATRINA A. BOSTIC

CHARLOTTE COUNTY –The school district wants a legal opinion on
whether it can enforce an ultimatum it gave a Lemon Bay High School
teacher who flashes his bottom in “The Full Monty” musical.

After meeting Thursday with part-time teacher Jason Brenner,
officials announced that no action will be taken until the school
board’s attorney makes a recommendation.

Brenner’s attorney, Thomas Hudson, said at least one school official
should see the play before the district makes a decision.

“They are in a difficult process of deciding whether artistic freedom
is more important than a flash of the (bottom),” Hudson said.

Even ethics experts are divided on the issue.

The brouhaha has created attention nationwide since the school
district told Brenner that he could stop doing the musical, take
himself out of the naked scene or resign his teaching role at the
Englewood school.

“We’re reviewing the facts of the matter and the legal ramifications
of it,” said Mike Riley, spokesman for Charlotte County Public School
District.

NCAA March Madness Meets Ethics Rules

In keeping with the developing theme of the week (Common Sense Dying a Painful Death?) a ‘Nole and old education policy pal just forwarded this to me as a Gator. If this exploitation of sports by schools for politics isn’t to your taste, homeschool dad Chris O’Donnell has a tournament fantasy bracket competition going at his place — free, clean, private, ethically non-political! JJ

Sen. Nelson accepted free Gators, ‘Noles tickets
By USA TODAY, Florida Today
Originally posted on March 16, 2007

When Democrats took control of Congress in January, they passed a sweeping set of ethics rules, including a ban on gifts that prohibits lobbyists from buying a lawmaker as much as a hamburger.

But reporter Ken Dilanian at our big-sister newspaper, USA TODAY, writes that the gift ban left in place a little-noticed loophole: It doesn’t apply to government agencies and public institutions. That exemption, which dates back more than a decade, leads to a stark disparity when it comes to public and private universities, which compete fiercely for federal money, USA TODAY reported Thursday.

While private universities are banned from giving gifts, public universities can offer members of Congress free tickets to some of the country’s most sought-after sporting events. That includes the upcoming NCAA men’s basketball tournament, in which 43 of the 65 teams represent public schools.

Eireann’s School of Thought

. .thinks Snook is doing good work, and we appreciate it!

Good blog I’ve been reading
So much for being politically correct…Cocking a Snook serves up homeschool related chatter that never disappoints me. Unschooling, politics and a whole lotta “to make long bacon.”

Labels: education, homeschool blogs, political

Thinking Parents will want to visit her School of Thought. I’ve been reading there, and it gives me hope (plus I HOPE she won’t mind being added to our blogroll?) . . .

“It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education.” - Albert Einstein

“Hanging” the Confederate Flag, for the Children of Course

This is Florida. “The rules are different here” was our old tourism slogan and it’s true. Except for this — like everywhere else, we just make ‘em up as we go along, careening from one bad decision to another, without really THINKING about what we’re doing or why! Public process is badly broken.

We aren’t merely clumsy with unreason, we can be spectacular! The Terri Schiavo debacle was under Florida’s “different” rules. Heck, in my overeducated, socially liberal and clean capital city where the Legislature is meeting even as we speak, those few remaining havens of thought for people like me — museums and libraries — somehow got sucked into some brainless race baiting recently. It seems they are trying to follow “rules” about public access that apparently don’t connect to defensible principles about public education. Don’t even get me started on the news media abdicating its role in free, thinking society.

And this “public service” news from Miami, where the school board has always been unthinking imo: