Crosses burnt on students' arms

2008-07-08 21:35

Ohio - The decision to fire a science teacher accused of preaching his Christian beliefs in the classroom and burning crosses on students' arms has divided residents of an Ohio town and rekindled the debate over the separation of church and state.

Teacher John Freshwater, 52, was fired last month after an outside consulting firm released a report concluding that he taught creationism and was insubordinate in failing to remove a Bible and other religious materials from his classroom at Mount Vernon Middle School.

Creationism is a religious belief that the universe and human life were created by a deity, as opposed to the scientific theory of evolution.

Mount Vernon, a small city in central Ohio surrounded by farmland, is dotted by churches of just about every denomination. The town has a strong evangelical presence.

Courageous fighter?

Some residents consider Freshwater a courageous fighter for religious freedom. Others say he has brazenly violated the separation of church and state, as required by the First Amendment to the US Constitution.

"This is going to be a mess," said Dr Allan Bazzoli, who has written letters to the local newspaper criticising Freshwater. "Resident against resident, and worse, student against student."

Freshwater's supporters have rallied on the town's square urging school board members to resign.

A much-viewed sign about 1.6 kilometres from town reads: "If the Bible goes, the school board should follow."

"The Bible, that should be OK to have," said James Mills, 25, a former student of Freshwater. "Isn't it in the Constitution that we have freedom of religion?"

Freshwater, who has filed an appeal with the school board over his firing, said on Monday he's disappointed with the way the investigation was conducted.

An 'X' or a cross?

"They used half-truths. They didn't interview people who had been in my classroom," he said.

He likely will be suspended without pay during the appeals process, which could extend into autumn, said David Millstone, the school board's attorney.

Some residents blame school leaders for letting the situation come to a boil. Officials knew that Freshwater used a science tool to burn images of a cross on students' arms in December, according to findings by outside investigators.

"I think things were just overlooked and overlooked and overlooked, and then it just came to a head," said Kelly Montgomery, whose son was a student in Freshwater's class a few years ago. "It's been terrible for the whole community."

Freshwater told investigators he simply was trying to demonstrate the device on three to eight students and described the images as an 'X' not a cross. But pictures show the images depict a cross, the report said.

- AP