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
Here in Georgia, school starts back the last week of July or first week of August for their “balanced” school year. Yes, it’s bizarre.
Obviously, they should only learn about them from pictures, and not the real thing. Someone thinks the presentation of some object that could be construed as a weapon is an obvious opportunity for someone to then use that object as a weapon (zero common sense). This is why so many are leaving the teaching profession now – teach to a test, learn only what’s on the test, don’t think outside the box, etc. Very sad state for our education system.
Absolutely ridiculous.
This is just outrageously stupid! Does anyone have any common sense left anywhere?
This whole situation is asinine; ‘show a kid a tool, go to jail’. How are they supposed to learn about these tools? This coming from a city with so many homicides.
I am not at all surprised by this, but it grieves me.
I think you hit the nail on the head. No pun intended.
Just a small token of what the Obama/Demo/Libtards have been jamming down our gullets: O’ needs to be removed, he is not our president. H e is an apostate and disciple of Satan!!!
The chemicals are acceptable. They make us sick and easier to control.
Good grief!!