KHS Teacher Controversy

[Guest Guest]

I fully endorse the death penalty for this teacher.

KOTW Note: The above post was allowed because KOTW believes that the poster is not seriously advocating violence but simply expressing his distaste.

[Guest Guest]

Hi Digg!

[Guest J. M. M.]

Yes it the right, but it's wrong, I stand for evrything this country is about, you must be one of those Canada people, who instead of protecting and serving our country you decided it was "Your Right " not to be an American. The " Pledge "

as you call it, is an oath, and it is every Americans duty to stand when taking an oath of allegiance.       

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The Pledge is exactly what it says it is, A pledge, it is certainly NOT an oath as in Oath of Office, taken on a Bible, or Sworn before God. Give me a break. You must be one of people who have blind faith in their Gov. Stand for everything this country is about ehh? How about letting up on your zenophobic rants about Canadians. American's should be more concerned with protecting this country against the theocrats and right wing ranters like yourself. You're scary.

[Guest justin]

The people attacking this student's character and calling him names are sick. And if they are christians themselves, they are poisonous vipers who spew forth hatred in the name of god. They should be ashamed, do you really think this is what Jesus had in mind? "Oh and if they don't agree with you just call them names and attack their character." I just can't seem to find the place where Jesus says this,maybe Paul said it??? I'm all for freedom of religion, but when a religion allows hate for another person simply because they disagree with its views, then that religion has died.

[Guest J. M. M.]

It's really sad...this 16 year old practically spits on our "Pledge of Allegiance" while many of our fathers were at war at his age...my 87yr old father is still haunted by what he faced while at war-kill or be killed-so he had no choice but to kill --then he took that young mans wallet out and saw pictures of that 17 year old's family and he was devastated.My dad had to live with that for the past 70 yrs and still breaks up when he speaks of it. Kids today, my 16 year old included, and many adults, I think...don't realize what our fathers and their family, went through for this country.so we could be free...but not free to turn our backs on it....Matt LaClair is free today because of our fathers..and he is free to leave this country if he does not agree with what we stand for!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

He's also very much FREE to stay and voice his disagreement. Matthew has hardly turned his back on his country! Our ancesters also fought so that Muslims, Jews, Mormons and Atheists could speak their mind freely and without threat. Get over your bias or of course, you could take your own suggestion and leave the country. *smirk*

[Guest Guest]

I would not want a teacher teaching my child witchcraft in the classroom.  Period.  That being said, this teacher made some comments that he believed in.  Students can think for themselves.  He did not ask for the students to pray.  He merely expressed his opinions.  The students family wants to sue him for that.  There was no breach of Separation of Church and State.  The student wants to use his athiest beliefs and this trumped up charge to perhaps pay for college.  If parents do not like the way a class is taught they have venues in which to express this.  But to say that this teacher's comments were established government policy and thus in violation of Church and State separation seems ludacris.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I am a teacher, though not at Kearny. If I teach my atheist beliefs to my students, would you be so understanding? In the case of atheism, it is TRULY to get the students to think of themselves, to look at evidence.

[Guest Guest]

For your info, he was teaching history. If you listened to the recording, which was on the internet yesterday, you will see and HEAR this little twit set the man up. How would YOU like to wake up in the morning and see your face on the front page of a local newspaper, on every tv station and radio station. What speaks volume is the students of KHS are outraged at this flagrant violation of not only this teacher's rights but every student in that classroom's right to speak their mind without the threat of being tape recorded. Every student in that classroom who contributed to this debate is now on the internet for the world to hear.At the end of the recording, you can hear "the little twit" sayin "Yeees"!  The only thing he has accomplished is alienating the few friends that he has, and publically embarrassing a Kearny family, a well respected teacher and coach, for WHAT? I'll tell you what, a minute of fame on televison.  Shame on 1010 Wins, the Jersey Journal and every media who are trying to make news, not report it. If you watched the news, the other students are jeering him for the jerk that he is. And remember, this is the same kid that refuses to stand for the flag salute when kids almost his age are dying for his rights. By the way, to his parents "your kid needs a bath & hair wash.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

"Former Student",

Unless Paszkiewicz has gone off his meds since you allegedly took a class from him, I highly doubt your characterization of things, since part of the recordings have been made available online.

Can you tell us the precise pedagogical reason for telling a class "You all belong in hell."?

Listening to the tapes, if this man is the best history teacher you have there, then the whole school is a dead loss.

[Guest whaleshaman]

what a great kid. i'd be proud if he were my son. and kearny's lucky to have his citizenship in their town.

go, matthew!

[Guest Lauri in Austin]

Dear Matt LaClair,

While I am sorry to see that many of your classmates and fellow townsfolk are lashing out at you, I am pleased beyond belief that you had the courage to take the actions you did.

People like Mr. Paszkiewicz give Christianity a bad name.

Good luck, and thank you for taking the ideals that this country was founded upon seriously. You have many supporters.

[Guest Tom P]

For your info, he was teaching history. If you listened to the recording, which was on the internet yesterday, you will see and HEAR this little twit set the man up. How would YOU like to wake up in the morning and see your face on the front page of a local newspaper, on every tv station and radio station. What speaks volume is the students of KHS are outraged at this flagrant violation of not only this teacher's rights but every student in that classroom's right to speak their mind without the threat of being tape recorded. Every student in that classroom who contributed to this debate is now on the internet for the world to hear.At the end of the recording, you can hear "the little twit" sayin "Yeees"!  The only thing he has accomplished is alienating the few friends that he has, and publically embarrassing a Kearny family, a well respected teacher and coach, for WHAT? I'll tell you what, a minute of fame on televison.  Shame on 1010 Wins, the Jersey Journal and every media who are trying to make news, not report it. If you watched the news, the other students are jeering him for the jerk that he is. And remember, this is the same kid that refuses to stand for the flag salute when kids almost his age are dying for his rights. By the way, to his parents "your kid needs a bath & hair wash.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A good teacher should have control of his class and, more importantly, his emotions. HE is the adult in the room. He should know when he is crossing the line. The rest of the post is simply ad hominem attacks, which I will not stoop down to to respond. Stop blaming the student and keep religion out of our classrooms.

[Guest Guest]

Paul, don;t you have a job? Every time I come here, I have to read what Paul LaClair has to say...it is annoying....I CAN"T care LESS about what you have to say. Stop trying to make people believe like you do! Go to work and forget about KHS! Leave us alone! Get over with it! Thanks!!!!!

ps: I am just so glad I am not your client. You don't work...you spend the day posting in this blog!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

LOL..It would seem that you're here a bit too often too to be pointing the finger at someone else's presence. Ummm....Are you docking your hours from your check to be in here posting too? Just an observation. Since when were you appointed moderator? Oh wait, you're not!

[Guest Tom P]

If its a history class, why did Matt LaClair ASK him about Religion? It was a trap, plain and simple. Matt asked the teacher a question about religion--and before the teacher answered he asked the class if they minded  he'' went in this direction'' to which there was a chorus of "no's"so he continued.

My child,who is a 16yr old at KHS, says this kid- besides refusing to stand for the "Pledge of Allegience" also complains that our money states " In God we trust"...I'll betcha anything he doesn't mind spending it though!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So by your logic, if the discussion is moving towards pornography and everyone wants to go on the internet and do "research" and no students mind, then as teacher it is okay to go in that direction? That's preposterous. The teacher is in control. He should know that there is separation of church and state. Why should the fact that Matthew objects to the Pledge phrase "under god" or the motto "in god we trust" make it okay for the teacher to preach? Matthew, you are wise beyond your years. You have my support.

[Guest Sam from NC]

#1 - I'm a Christian

#2 - I'm a liberal

#3 - I'm a 20 year old Junior at Western Carolina University

With the formalities aside, I would like to say that I am on Matthew's side. He is not begging for media attention, nor is he some spawn of Satan trying to destroy the foundations of Christianity. He merely believes that his teacher was out of line for expressing his beliefs, in a fire and brimstone way, to his class. I would be offended too. Last time I checked, you are at school to learn and at church to praise God. This is not an issue between an ignorant 16 year-old and his evangelistic teacher, this is a matter of separation of church and state. Seeing as that the teacher is working for a public school, therefore is an employee of the state, he has no right to spread his religious beliefs. Yes, Kyle can argue that we all have the freedom of religion (and that is true), but that does not allow us to spread it at unnecessary times. I do believe this is all being blown out of proportion and I don't think this should be a legal matter, but I do think that the teacher she apologize for bringing religion into the classroom. He needs to learn to be a youth minister at church, and a teacher at school.

[Guest Paul]

I read the Times article with interest, but the posts on this site with even greater curiosity. IF the teacher was preaching, he was wrong. Period. If you do not know that, and I see that many people do not, you are simply ignorant of American history, American jurisprudence and, if you cannot understand why preaching in the classroom is wrong, you are ignorant, quite frankly, of American society in the twenty-first century. However.

As one who has taught for 15 years, I agree with the teacher who allegedly stated that 'things come up in the classroom.' All kinds of things come up, every single day. I suspect that the student provoked the questions to get the teacher to repeat something said on a previous school day so that it could be recorded. Does that justify the teacher's comments? No. Does the fact that the student brought in a recorder and asked questions in order to tape the conversation provide insight into the conversation? Certainly.

The questions of whether the student's conduct violated any School District policies or law is truly a separate question and must be considered apart from the question of what the teacher told the class. One thing the teacher said that concerns me, but seems to be overlooked by everyone else, is that public education exists for those who cannot afford an education. This is inaccurate at best.

But sticking to the main controversy, should the teacher be crucified for his statements? Probably not, but attention should be brought to bear on his comments and he should receive some disciplinary response designed to help him understand what is and what is not appropriate discourse for a classroom. Should the student be crucified? No. First of all, he is a child. Second, as someone raised above, he may have a historyof challenging similar matters--and that is the very type of personality that the founders of this country would emulate. However, clearly this young man also requires some guidance. Having made these tapes to guard against others not believing his complaint, he should have made a complaint. And that complaint should have been made to the principal, perhaps even to the school board. There are channels to handle such complaints and they should only be ignored when proven futile.

No doubt cooler minds will prevail when the dust clears and the teacher will continue teaching, perhaps with a letter in his file--a perfectly acceptable conclusion to the matter if indeed he was actually proselytizing. Should the student be ostracized or subject to the nonsense I've seen posted here? No. Should he be subject to discipline? Perhaps if he has violated the District's Code of Conduct. But most importantly, those who would defend the teacher's speech need to evaluate their understanding of the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights. A government entitly is not privileged to subject a captive audience to proselytizing speech in a public forum such as the classroom. Period.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

1. Matthew did not provoke anything. The teacher raised religious subjects entirely on his own, and Matthew questioned him on it. That is not provoking. The teacher was doing exactly what he wanted to do. Knowing Matthew, he would have asked exactly the same questions whether the recorder was running or not --- as if it matters, which it doesn't. If the teacher had stated the facts accurately in the meeting that followed, the recordings would not have been made public.

2. Matthew did complain to the principal, and I wrote four letters through the entire chain of command in the Kearny school district. The matter did not get into the press until a month later, when the district's attorney told me that what goes on in my son's classroom (by way of corrective action) is not my concern. I beg to differ.

[Guest Tom P]

Young Matthew is a hero and deserves praise for his courage. All the bigots defending David Paszkiewicz would not be so cozy if the teacher in question was named Mohammed Abdullah and if he told his class that only Allah is the path to salvation. What David Paszkiewicz did is reprehensible because he uses his government paid position and a captive audience to force his religious views on others.

Can any of the fundamentalist supporters of David Paszkiewicz dare answer this -

Would you support a teacher who used the same postion to preach Islam to his students? Would you? If not, you are a hypocrite and a bigot.

Peace.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Right on target with your post. Religious people are not known for their tolerance. They are so insecure in their beliefs that they must force others into the same.

[Guest wesupportmatthew]

ignorant brainwashed religious fanatics.. evolution is based on faith and can't be reproduced? He (David Paszkiewicz) should lose his teaching license based on that statement to his students. Matthew is a hero for standing up to his teacher and speaking out against this BS.

[Guest Guest]

Paul,

Are you an atheist?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

He can be if he wants to be, this is America. Remember?

[Guest joey]

Give this kid a pat on the back for having the courage to stand up for his rights.

It really makes me sick to think that he's going through hell right now b/c his classmates and neighbors are shunning him for doing the right thing. The approval and respect garnered from people around the globe means surprisingly little to a highschooler ostracized from his peers.

I hope these people will someday realize that proselytization has NO place in public schools.

[Guest Tom P]

The only information I have on this story, like many others on this board I suspect, is from the NY Times article.  Although there are undoubtedly additional facts and arguments to be made on both sides of this issue, I find it unbelievable that anyone would try to argue that this teacher wasn't proselytizing, or that he only responded to provocation by the student.  According to the article the student taped 8 class periods where this type of discussion occurred.  First of all, unless the student is lying (and I haven't heard the audio), the teacher informed the class that unless they accepted Jesus they were going to hell.  I'd really like to hear one of the teacher's supporters make a defense of this statement as being a simple response to a question or not a proselytizing statement.  Regardless, the student isn't an employee of a public school, and the teacher is.  Therefore, the student can say whatever he wants without having to censor himself, while the teacher does not have that luxury.  Just because a student brings up a subject in class does not mean that constitutional standards disappear and the teacher is free to say whatever he or she wishes.  Would this teacher's supporters argue that if a child brings up a sexually explicit subject that the teacher should be able to share all his thoughts about such topics simply because "he wasn't the one who brought it up?"  Of course not.  Such an idea is laughable.

I have to say, the people of this town should be embarrassed and ashamed, more of their reaction to this story than to the teacher's initial behavior.  To demonize this child and his family for bringing this situation to light, when the teacher was clearly in violation of accepted teaching standards, is beyond pathetic.  I'm sure you think you're all very loyal and are proud of how you're standing up for your teachers, but I have to tell you, to pretty much the rest of the world you come off simply as reactionary, bitter, angry, uneducated, unreasonable fanatics.  This is not coming from a liberal separationist.  I'm a conservative republican, but I know there is an appropriate line between church and state, and this teacher unquestionably crossed the line.  The student and his family may have provoked the teacher, and they may be media-hungry; I don't know them or anything about them.  Their behavior is irrelevant, though, in relation to the wrong or right of what the teacher did.  Shame on the people of this town.  Thanks for letting me know in advance that your community is a place in which I never want to find myself.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Beautiful post, thoughtful and to the point. I'm NOT a conservative republican but you have changed my views of conservative republicans.

[Guest Also a proud American]

Yes it the right, but it's wrong, I stand for evrything this country is about, you must be one of those Canada people, who instead of protecting and serving our country you decided it was "Your Right " not to be an American. The " Pledge "

as you call it, is an oath, and it is every Americans duty to stand when taking an oath of allegiance.       

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If you stand for everything this country is about, than you must be willing to stand (or sit) with those whose views differ from your own. I, and many other proud Americans, find public references to God distateful at best and dangerous at worst. It seems unchristian to tell young women, in front of her peers, that she belongs in hell. I am sure that it is unamerican for a public servant to do so.

I love this country and am descended from a family that has faught in every conflict, until Vietnam, including the Revolution. How dare you imply that only those who think like you serve and protect?

I am grateful to any American who takes steps to protect the Constitution of the United States and appreciate their service.

[Guest Daniel]

I hope the teacher wins.

This student needs to learn to be more tolerant of other's beliefs.

If it is his teacher's belief that Jesus was the Son of God and came on behalf of mankind to atone for their sins and that everyone should know that they have been forgiven because of what Christ did, then I do not blame him for sharing his faith with people he meets.

It's his belief that he should do so.

That being said, the student suing the teacher for talking about something that was not in line with his own beliefs attacks the teacher's beliefs.

If Matthew can't handle someone else having beliefs other than his, and has to take the issue to court, then he needs some help. Instead of spending all of his time talking to daddy's lawyer, this kid should be talking to daddy's therapist.

[Guest WWilson]

This Teacher is wrong...whether or not the kid is an attention seaker or not, he has the guts to say something. Any teacher in PUBLIC School has the right to his or her own views and oppinions and we shouldn't judge by that. However, any teacher who preaches ,pushes , or in any way tries to spread his/her views in a PUBLIC School deserves to be let go. These are PUBLIC schools where any child of any faith or denomination are entitled to be sent to for a proper learning.

Once the teacher crosses the lines of teaching and mixes or presents their own views they are no longer stating fact which is what these children are there to learn. CAN the teacher or politely ask them to go on their way to a school that accepts and lets them teach their views, usually in the private sector where the parents know it is being taght.

[Guest Guest]

I frum Kerny. I dun lived herebouts my hole life. U librals dont no squat bout nuthin. Now look hear y' goofs. Sumtimes our yung'ns jest gots to have da fearagod puts in dey heds or dey bee runnin' round gittin' idjit idears like dat dang seprashun o' church 'n state. Dat's Y we be's hirin' gud teechers dat knows rite frum rong. Now hush yore traps.

[Guest Gabriela]

Matthew LaClair was right to do what he did. The separation of church and the state is a fundamental part of the Constitution. The teacher had no right as a PUBLIC school teacher to portray his beliefs in the manner he did, the teacher was preaching on state property, under the employment of the state. He is an employee of the public school system of NY and must uphold to those fundamental rules. If he wants to express his beliefs and preach what he thinks is right Mr. Paszkiewicz should teach at a PRIVATE Christian school.

It is interesting to see how this incident plays out in the national media, bringing up the ubiquitous topic of separation of church and state.

Hopefully young Mr. LaClair and other students will not be discouraged to take such similar actions in the future!

[Guest Guest]

Twit.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Traitor? Gosh, don't you think you're getting a little bit over the top here? As for your Iraq comment. You're wishing for another American to be murdered? That sounds like premeditation to me. Calm down. Gather what wits you have about you. This is America. Land of the Free, Home of the Brave.

Matthew is Brave. Period.