Secret recording of teachers has been banned

[Guest Outraged Resident]

According to Nwe Jersey 101.5 Radio

Secret recording of teachers has been banned in Kearny after a controversy that began when a student taped his history teacher preaching to the class.

And all district teachers will get mandatory training on separation of church and state, because district officials don't want teachers to present their personal views.

The issue arose after Kearny High School junior Matthew LaClair secretly made recordings of teacher David Paszkiewicz telling students they belonged in hell if they rejected Jesus.

Paszkiewicz also told students that Noah's ark carried dinosaurs and that the theories of evolution and the Big Bang were not scientific.

The 16-year-old LaClair says he started taping in September because he was afraid officials would not believe him when he complained.

School officials say they took "corrective action" against Paszkiewicz, but won't be specific about what it was.

[Guest Guest]

According to Nwe Jersey 101.5 Radio

Secret recording of teachers has been banned in Kearny after a controversy that began when a student taped his history teacher preaching to the class.

And all district teachers will get mandatory training on separation of church and state, because district officials don't want teachers to present their personal views.

The issue arose after Kearny High School junior Matthew LaClair secretly made recordings of teacher David Paszkiewicz telling students they belonged in hell if they rejected Jesus.

Paszkiewicz also told students that Noah's ark carried dinosaurs and that the theories of evolution and the Big Bang were not scientific.

The 16-year-old LaClair says he started taping in September because he was afraid officials would not believe him when he complained.

School officials say they took "corrective action" against Paszkiewicz, but won't be specific about what it was.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Great, I support that action.

[Calybos]

What a relief! Now, when teachers violate the Constitution, there won't be any way for students to prove it and potentially embarrass the school board.

And that's the same as not having any problems at all, right?

[Strife767]

According to Nwe Jersey 101.5 Radio

Secret recording of teachers has been banned in Kearny after a controversy that began when a student taped his history teacher preaching to the class.

And all district teachers will get mandatory training on separation of church and state, because district officials don't want teachers to present their personal views.

The issue arose after Kearny High School junior Matthew LaClair secretly made recordings of teacher David Paszkiewicz telling students they belonged in hell if they rejected Jesus.

Paszkiewicz also told students that Noah's ark carried dinosaurs and that the theories of evolution and the Big Bang were not scientific.

The 16-year-old LaClair says he started taping in September because he was afraid officials would not believe him when he complained.

School officials say they took "corrective action" against Paszkiewicz, but won't be specific about what it was.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, I know...it's total BS. :/ You could have every great separation of church and state policy in the world, but if you enact a policy that would take away a student's ability to expose a teacher who's breaking it, what good is it?

[Guest Lazarus]

This is contradictive of their training proposal. If students can't expose the teachers who are violating the Constitution, then what's the point?

[Guest Guest]

Is there also a ban on open recording?

It's common in college to record rather than take notes in class.

[Guest Guest]

Yeah, I know...it's total BS. :/ You could have every great separation of church and state policy in the world, but if you enact a policy that would take away a student's ability to expose a teacher who's breaking it, what good is it?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Bla, Bla, Bla, you lose strife

[Guest judge judy]

maybe all the schools should record audio and video in all the classrooms, it's easy enough to do. That could protect teachers and students. It would also help evaluate their behavior.

[Guest Guest]

maybe all the schools should record audio and video in all the classrooms, it's easy enough to do. That could protect teachers and students. It would also help evaluate their behavior.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Bla, Bla, Bla, you lose strife.

[Strife767]

maybe all the schools should record audio and video in all the classrooms, it's easy enough to do. That could protect teachers and students. It would also help evaluate their behavior.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I was thinking of that too--I don't see a reason not to. I mean, definitely not something to waste manpower on monitoring in real time or anything, but it wouldn't be all that difficult to have some monitoring system running and archiving stuff during regular school hours. That would put the responsibility of protecting students _and_ teachers (any time I hear about a kid making up a story about in-school molestation to 'get back' at a teacher for a bad grade or something, my stomach turns...) back where it belongs--in the hands of the staff. Then you could just easily say, "Well, it was at this time on this day" and the record can be pulled up and checked out, and there would be no discrepancy.

[Strife767]

Bla, Bla, Bla,  you lose strife

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I bet you would love to see teachers like Paszkiewicz be able to preach to their students without consequences, huh?

[Guest Guest]

Yeah, I know...it's total BS. :/ You could have every great separation of church and state policy in the world, but if you enact a policy that would take away a student's ability to expose a teacher who's breaking it, what good is it?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sure you can. You just have to get more than one student to speak up. Personally, I think there's something rotten and un-american about taping someone in secret.

[God Save Us From Christians]

I bet you would love to see teachers like Paszkiewicz be able to preach to their students without consequences, huh?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, that's exactly what they want. American Madrassas, American Taliban.

A Christian Theocracy.

Just like the good old days when women were burned as witches, and everyone else was burned for not believing in their particular version of Christianity.

[Guest Guest]

Sure you can. You just have to get more than one student to speak up. Personally, I think there's something rotten and un-american about taping someone in secret.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

...and the difference between audio-taping a teacher's lecture and taking notes in his/her class is???

[Strife767]

Sure you can. You just have to get more than one student to speak up.

So you're saying that Paszkiewicz should have gotten away with what he was doing, because only one student said something about it? No, I don't think so--requiring multiple complaints only promotes the kind of 'mob theory' that would have kept anyone from ever finding out about Mr. P.'s transgressions, because of his popularity.

Personally, I think there's something rotten and un-american about taping someone in secret.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Personally, I think there's something more rotten about a public school teacher using his position of authority to impose his religious beliefs on his students, up to and including declaring that all those who do not believe as he does will suffer for eternity.

I also think there's something rotten and unamerican about taking away a student's ability to back up his/her claims about a teacher, student, or faculty member doing or saying something inappropriate (let alone unconstitutional!) during class time.

There's also something rotten and unamerican about taking away a public school teacher's accountability for his/her actions, which is the effect the no recording policy will have. Without it, a student is forced to hope that faculty will accept their words over their teacher's. Is that fair? Is it not fairer to level the playing field by giving both student and teacher a way to prove their claims beyond a doubt, in order to eliminate bias?

There is no right to privacy in a public school classroom--any student, parent, or taxpayer has every right to know exactly what goes on in public school classrooms during regular school hours. This isn't peeking into anyone's house or private life--this is public school we're talking about here.

[Guest Guest]

I bet you would love to see teachers like Paszkiewicz be able to preach to their students without consequences, huh?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

lol! Strife is angry..... GEt used to the idea that Matthew won't get away with secretely recording a class anymore!

[Guest Studies]

Is there also a ban on open recording?

It's common in college to record rather than take notes in class.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes and No, in every class I took, you had to have the permission of the Prof to record classes.. at least 5 of mine over the years refused to allow recordings.

[Strife767]

...and the difference between audio-taping a teacher's lecture and taking notes in his/her class is???

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The difference is that you can write whatever you want, but a recording is 100% faithful to the actual events.

[Strife767]

lol! Strife is angry.....   GEt used to the idea that Matthew won't get away with secretely recording a class anymore!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'll take that as a yes, unamerican trash.

[Guest Guest]

So you're saying that Paszkiewicz should have gotten away with what he was doing, because only one student said something about it? No, I don't think so--requiring multiple complaints only promotes the kind of 'mob theory' that would have kept anyone from ever finding out about Mr. P.'s transgressions, because of his popularity.

Personally, I think there's something more rotten about a public school teacher using his position of authority to impose his religious beliefs on his students, up to and including declaring that all those who do not believe as he does will suffer for eternity.

I also think there's something rotten and unamerican about taking away a student's ability to back up his/her claims about a teacher, student, or faculty member doing or saying something inappropriate (let alone unconstitutional!) during class time.

There's also something rotten and unamerican about taking away a public school teacher's accountability for his/her actions, which is the effect the no recording policy will have. Without it, a student is forced to hope that faculty will accept their words over their teacher's. Is that fair? Is it not fairer to level the playing field by giving both student and teacher a way to prove their claims beyond a doubt, in order to eliminate bias?

There is no right to privacy in a public school classroom--any student, parent, or taxpayer has every right to know exactly what goes on in public school classrooms during regular school hours. This isn't peeking into anyone's house or private life--this is public school we're talking about here.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So you're saying its OK to secretly record people? WOW. I'd hate to be in your work place or house.

You are recommending that secret recording should be OK in our country to support anyones ability to back up a claim. Maybe I should carry a recorder so I can record all my interactions at home, work and in stores. This way I can easily support my claims when problems come up. I guess I can also record all my phone calls. Brave new world.

[Guest Paul]

Sure you can. You just have to get more than one student to speak up. Personally, I think there's something rotten and un-american about taping someone in secret.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

To a point, you're right. If Matthew had felt that he could count on his classmates, he probably would not have recorded Mr. Paszkiewicz. The fact that he couldn't count on them to speak accurately about what was going on in class is the other disturbing part of this story. Not that they're lying. They may not have been listening carefully, may have been biased, may have been too concerned about their grades to be completely honest --- could have been many reasons.

In the face of pervasive corruption, intentional or unintentional, what is the best ethical response? It's not always to allow the corruption to go unchallenged. It's a point to consider, don't you think?

[Guest Paul]

Sure you can. You just have to get more than one student to speak up.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

In anticipation of the response to my use of the word corruption, here is the OED definition (1 and 2) of the verb "corrupt":

"1. To spoil or destroy . . . by physical dissolution or partial decomposition; to turn from a sound into an unsound impure condition; to cause to 'go bad'; to make rotten or rotting.

"2. To render unsound or impure by the contamination of putrid matter; to infect, taint, render morbid."

I hate to say it, but there is a culture in KHS that has corrupted nearly everyone it touches. There is no other explanation for Mr. Paszkiewicz's conduct being so widely condoned.

[Guest Guest]

What a relief! Now, when teachers violate the Constitution, there won't be any way for students to prove it and potentially embarrass the school board.

And that's the same as not having any problems at all, right?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Exactly! It's BRILLIANT and . . . dare I say . . . evil genius!!!

[Guest Guest]

...and the difference between audio-taping a teacher's lecture and taking notes in his/her class is???

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

For one thing there are some profs who simply move through material so quickly that taking adequate notes can be almost impossible unless you are traibed in short hand.

[Guest Guest]

Personally, I think there's something rotten and un-american about taping someone in secret.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You mean like warrantless wire taps and the opening of private mail?