Doug Bartlett, a veteran teacher with an upstanding record of 17 years, has filed a lawsuit against the school district of Chicago for suspending him without pay after giving a lesson on gardening tools to his second grade students.
The incident took place on August 8, 2011 at Washington Irving Elementary School.
Mr. Bartlett recently filed suit on April 17, 2013 saying that he suffered humiliation and embarrassment as a result of his reprimand.
The “hazardous” tools in question were pliers, screwdrivers and wrenches that only the teacher handled. The tools were kept in a locked toolbox high on a shelf out of reach before and after the gardening lesson.
The district says that Mr. Bartlett exhibited negligence in supervising the children and for “possessing, carrying, storing, or using a weapon”. Â He was subsequently suspended without pay for 4 days.
Mr. Bartlett’s lawsuit claims the suspension violated his Fourteenth Amendment right to due process as he asserts that there was never a full hearing on the incident. Â Further, he was disciplined without ever having the opportunity to plead his case.
According to the Rutherford Institute which is representing him, Mr. Bartlett is seeking damages and requesting the suspension be expunged from his teaching record.
It is important to have electronic records in order as the charge of possessing a “weapon”, in this case gardening tools, has the potential to prevent Mr. Bartlett from seeking employment elsewhere.
The incident is yet another example of an over the top reaction by school officials demonstrating poor judgment and a gross lack of common sense.
A related story occurred in the Fall of 2012 when the Vice Principal of a California school suspended a boy for bringing kombucha in his lunchbox.  With no parent or guardian present at any time, the boy was interrogated in the school office by school administration and a police officer and was ultimately suspended for 5 days for “violating” the school’s drug and alcohol policy. No tests were ever performed on the beverage which is able to be legally purchased by minors at local stores.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
Teacher Who Showed Garden Tools to Second Grade Students is Suspended Without Pay
Nothing surprises me any more!
I am so glad to see how we become more and more aware of these things in society….please join making friends through liberty…I think you all can be a great voice to stop the nonsense!
Here’s the story: http://www.rttnews.com/2101304/chicago-teacher-sues-over-suspension-involving-gardening-tools.aspx?type=gn&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=sitemap
Still over the top, in my opinion, but there was also a pocket knife and box cutter in the mix. According to the above article, it was the pocket knife that garnered the suspension, not trowels, or screwdrivers.
thehealthyhomeeconomist If carrying a pocket knife is an offense in the school’s zero tolerance rules I can’t imagine the client’s lawyer would admit publicly to his client’s guilt of such. What kind of lawyer would do that?!!
who cares if he really did have a pocket knife.. you know they give pocket knives to cub scouts.
there is a group called making friends through liberty ~~~please feel free to join~~~i will put in your names if they ask who you are…for anyone…just message me and I will tell the person in charge of group.there is so much to learn about….
(Y) you are right on Amanda.Glad to see.
Ellen maybe he was teaching a workshop to the kids.there are many programs they like to teach and implement but our gov is focused on “core curriculum” so research the origin of it……
awesome Kaye!!!
just another subtle indication that we are not a free society anymore…slowly but surely get to where they want us to be.
Given that this teacher had a stellar track record and was trying to teach the children something that was actually useful for their lives, it is ridiculous to me that he was suspended. So many in positions of government bureaucratic authority have zero common sense.