Maine Teachers Warned on Iraq War Talk

[Mike Friedman <mikedf@xxxxxxxx>]

This may be the beginning of a systematic effort to get school
personnel to toe the line on Bush's war. What will they do at
schools, like my son's, where teachers and parents organized for
February 15? What are they going to do when educators such as myself
urge students to participate in the March 5 moratorium?

Mike
-----------------------------------------
U.S. National - AP
Maine Teachers Warned on Iraq War Talk
55 minutes ago

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By CLARKE CANFIELD, Associated Press Writer

PORTLAND, Maine - After complaints that the children of soldiers were
upset by anti-war comments at school, Maine's top education official
warned teachers to be careful of what they say in class about a
possible invasion of Iraq.

The Maine Army National Guard has received a dozen reports of
children of guard members in elementary and middle schools who said
teachers and fellow students have criticized the looming conflict.

Maj. Peter Rogers quoted parents as saying their children have come
home upset or depressed because of comments in class and on the
playground.

"They were hearing comments like, 'The pending war in Iraq is
unethical' and 'Anybody who would fight that war is also unethical,'"
Rogers said. "So children who are already losing family members to
deployment were understandably upset."

Charles Haynes of the Freedom Forum, an educational organization in
Arlington, Va., said he has received several dozen e-mails and phone
calls in recent months from parents concerned that teachers are
unfair or biased in how they address the issue of Iraq in the
classroom.

Haynes urged schools to keep alive classroom discussions about Iraq,
and present different views on the issue, even if there have been
complaints about teaching methods or teacher comments.

"Often it is a misunderstanding of what the teacher is trying to do,"
he said. "But it's also the case that some teachers have a political
agenda they can't keep out of the classroom, and that they must do."

In Maine, Department of Education (news - web sites) Commissioner
Duke Albanese sent a memo to superintendents and principals, writing
that it had been brought to his attention some school personnel had
been "less than sensitive to children of military families regarding
our continued strained relations with Iraq."

He said discussion should allow for questions and differences of
opinion, but "be grounded in civil discourse and mutual respect."

The issue has also grabbed the attention of Republican Sen. Susan
Collins (news, bio, voting record) and Gov. John Baldacci.

"Any suggestion that their parents are doing something wrong is
extremely unfortunate and could have a harmful effect, particularly
on young children," Collins said.

Baldacci said he's "disappointed" by the actions of some educators in
public school systems.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030228/ap_on_re_us/teachers_iraq_3


--
Michael Friedman
Ph.D. Candidate in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior
City University of New York

Molecular Laboratory
Department of Invertebrate Zoology
American Museum of Natural History
Central Park West at 79th Street
New York, NY  10024
(212) 313-7646



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