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The New York Times quotes me today as saying that we will consider litigation in the proselytizing teacher matter unless Kearny High's students are properly educated regarding Paszkiewicz's anti-scientific mis-statements and the Constitutional separation between church and state. I am opening this topic to explain to the community why we believe this is important.

I hope we all agree in principle that the schools, both public and private, exist to educate our young people. That means teaching them science and enough law so they can function positively as citizens in a democracy. When a teacher mis-states and distorts science and law to such an extent as David Paszkiewicz did (and I suspect has done for quite some time), corrections are mandatory if the school system is to fulfill its educational purposes.

This is especially true when the teacher is popular, as appears to be the case here. The worst possible scenario educationally is that a popular teacher convinces young people that his twisted views of science and the law are true. That also appears to have happened here, judging from student reaction and from the absence of any correction in the past. All the rationalizations aside, the real reason Paszkiewicz is being defended is that some people think his ignorance and his bigotry are acceptable.

I am personally disgusted as a taxpayer, a parent and a citizen that the adminisration in the Kearny school district seems not to care. It is unacceptable that these remarks go uncorrected, especially when so many members of the community and even a fellow teacher (anonymously quoted in The New York Times on December 18) see absolutely nothing wrong with what Paszkiewicz has been doing. This is intellectual poison, I can give it no less strong a term. The only thing worse than no information is misinformation, and this was misinformation.

It is not acceptable that our schools in Kearny are training our young people to be "ignorant and scientifically illiterate," as Dr. Tyson, the astrophysicist who heads the Hayden Planetarium, put it in a letter to The New York Times. That is why Kearny is in the Times again today, and remains in the news. While I truly am reluctant to use the word "stupid," it does come to mind.

Must we really fight with the school board and the administration to ensure that the students receive an education in science, instead of the 2006 equivalent of flat-earth science? Must we have a legal team straighten out the mess Paszkiewicz has made of the students' understanding of the Constitution? This is insanity.

I understand that some people think the issue is resolved, and don't like our continuing to press it. There is a very simple solution, and I address this to the board, the administration and the teacher: admit your mistakes, make appropriate corrections, and let's move on. We've been asking for that for nearly three months now, and obviously these parties have no intention of doing that.

OK, so we'll do this the hard way. We would never have imagined that we would have to fight a bitter battle with this school system to force it to do its job, but apparently that is what will be necessary. I invite concerned citizens to speak up, or to contact us to try to resolve this in an appropriate way, so that the world can say the citizens of Kearny spoke up and demanded a proper resolution.

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Guest WilliamK

Paul,

I completely agree. A simple cessation of the activity is not enough. There is damage to be undone, and there needs to be some measure to prevent recurrence. As it stands, the miseducation of the students is being left intact. And it appears that there is no assurance that this indoctrination will not continue, but merely be hidden from those who would take a stand for what is right. The school's continuing inaction is making it look suspiciously like that door is being left ajar by intent rather than by accident.

An individual teacher's lapse of judgement would be no ill reflection for the school administration or board IF they took appropriate corrective action. But to become aware of this miseducation, to witness the widespread incomprehension of the concept of separation of state and its legal and historical foundations among both the students and the community that the school serves, and still do nothing to improve that understanding is a gross failure of the institution and the board.

I sincerely hope that the board and the school's administration eventually succumb to reason and simply do their jobs properly, forestalling an ugly and expensive legal battle. But if they do not, the responsibility for the hard feelings, the shame to their community, the cost to the taxpayers, and the gross failure to properly educate their students and serve their community, lies entirely with them.

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Guest probabilityZero
It is not acceptable that our schools in Kearny are training our young people to be "ignorant and scientifically illiterate," as Dr. Tyson, the astrophysicist who heads the Hayden Planetarium, put it in a letter to The New York Times. That is why Kearny is in the Times again today, and remains in the news. While I truly am reluctant to use the word "stupid," it does come to mind.

I completely agree that this sort of thing needs to be corrected. It seems that the reason he got away with it for so long was that many people in Kearny agreed with what he was saying, but that is no excuse. (what if he was preaching fundamentalist Islam?)

-------------

talkingincircles.net

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Guest 2smart4u
The New York Times quotes me today as saying that we will consider litigation in the proselytizing teacher matter unless Kearny High's students are properly educated regarding Paszkiewicz's anti-scientific mis-statements and the Constitutional separation between church and state. I am opening this topic to explain to the community why we believe this is important.

I hope we all agree in principle that the schools, both public and private, exist to educate our young people. That means teaching them science and enough law so they can function positively as citizens in a democracy. When a teacher mis-states and distorts science and law to such an extent as David Paszkiewicz did (and I suspect has done for quite some time), corrections are mandatory if the school system is to fulfill its educational purposes.

This is especially true when the teacher is popular, as appears to be the case here. The worst possible scenario educationally is that a popular teacher convinces young people that his twisted views of science and the law are true. That also appears to have happened here, judging from student reaction and from the absence of any correction in the past. All the rationalizations aside, the real reason Paszkiewicz is being defended is that some people think his ignorance and his bigotry are acceptable.

I am personally disgusted as a taxpayer, a parent and a citizen that the adminisration in the Kearny school district seems not to care. It is unacceptable that these remarks go uncorrected, especially when so many members of the community and even a fellow teacher (anonymously quoted in The New York Times on December 18) see absolutely nothing wrong with what Paszkiewicz has been doing. This is intellectual poison, I can give it no less strong a term. The only thing worse than no information is misinformation, and this was misinformation.

It is not acceptable that our schools in Kearny are training our young people to be "ignorant and scientifically illiterate," as Dr. Tyson, the astrophysicist who heads the Hayden Planetarium, put it in a letter to The New York Times. That is why Kearny is in the Times again today, and remains in the news. While I truly am reluctant to use the word "stupid," it does come to mind.

Must we really fight with the school board and the administration to ensure that the students receive an education in science, instead of the 2006 equivalent of flat-earth science? Must we have a legal team straighten out the mess Paszkiewicz has made of the students' understanding of the Constitution? This is insanity.

I understand that some people think the issue is resolved, and don't like our continuing to press it. There is a very simple solution, and I address this to the board, the administration and the teacher: admit your mistakes, make appropriate corrections, and let's move on. We've been asking for that for nearly three months now, and obviously these parties have no intention of doing that.

OK, so we'll do this the hard way. We would never have imagined that we would have to fight a bitter battle with this school system to force it to do its job, but apparently that is what will be necessary. I invite concerned citizens to speak up, or to contact us to try to resolve this in an appropriate way, so that the world can say the citizens of Kearny spoke up and demanded a proper resolution.

I'm not surprised the NY Times, being the left wing rag that it is, has found a friend in Paul. Together you can carry the torch for this "terrible injustice", forever and ever ad nauseam. I bet you're proud of yourself, you're famous. We all need a hero, someone we can look up to. And Paul has become the hero of the left wing anti-God crowd. Wow, I'm impressed.

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The New York Times quotes me today as saying that we will consider litigation in the proselytizing teacher matter unless Kearny High's students are properly educated regarding Paszkiewicz's anti-scientific mis-statements and the Constitutional separation between church and state. I am opening this topic to explain to the community why we believe this is important.

I hope we all agree in principle that the schools, both public and private, exist to educate our young people. That means teaching them science and enough law so they can function positively as citizens in a democracy. When a teacher mis-states and distorts science and law to such an extent as David Paszkiewicz did (and I suspect has done for quite some time), corrections are mandatory if the school system is to fulfill its educational purposes.

This is especially true when the teacher is popular, as appears to be the case here. The worst possible scenario educationally is that a popular teacher convinces young people that his twisted views of science and the law are true. That also appears to have happened here, judging from student reaction and from the absence of any correction in the past. All the rationalizations aside, the real reason Paszkiewicz is being defended is that some people think his ignorance and his bigotry are acceptable.

I am personally disgusted as a taxpayer, a parent and a citizen that the adminisration in the Kearny school district seems not to care. It is unacceptable that these remarks go uncorrected, especially when so many members of the community and even a fellow teacher (anonymously quoted in The New York Times on December 18) see absolutely nothing wrong with what Paszkiewicz has been doing. This is intellectual poison, I can give it no less strong a term. The only thing worse than no information is misinformation, and this was misinformation.

It is not acceptable that our schools in Kearny are training our young people to be "ignorant and scientifically illiterate," as Dr. Tyson, the astrophysicist who heads the Hayden Planetarium, put it in a letter to The New York Times. That is why Kearny is in the Times again today, and remains in the news. While I truly am reluctant to use the word "stupid," it does come to mind.

Must we really fight with the school board and the administration to ensure that the students receive an education in science, instead of the 2006 equivalent of flat-earth science? Must we have a legal team straighten out the mess Paszkiewicz has made of the students' understanding of the Constitution? This is insanity.

I understand that some people think the issue is resolved, and don't like our continuing to press it. There is a very simple solution, and I address this to the board, the administration and the teacher: admit your mistakes, make appropriate corrections, and let's move on. We've been asking for that for nearly three months now, and obviously these parties have no intention of doing that.

OK, so we'll do this the hard way. We would never have imagined that we would have to fight a bitter battle with this school system to force it to do its job, but apparently that is what will be necessary. I invite concerned citizens to speak up, or to contact us to try to resolve this in an appropriate way, so that the world can say the citizens of Kearny spoke up and demanded a proper resolution.

:) PAUL I NEVER SAY THIS TO ANYBODY ON THIS SITE "BUT FOR YOU I WILL {YOU ARE SCUM AND KEARNY WILL BE SORRY FOR THE DAY YOUR WERE BORN} I HOPE THE NJ BAR SEES THIS FOR WHAT IT REALY IS AND DISBARRS YOU! ALSO YOUR SON WILL PAY THE PRICE FOR YOUR SCAM! HISTORY PROVES ME RIGHT ON THIS JUST ASK THE ****** KIDS!!! ALSO YOU FORGET YOUR IN KEARNY YOU BETTER THINK HARD ABOUT IT IM TALKING ABOUT THE TOWNS HISTORY WITH TROUBLE MAKERS LIKE YOU!!! :ph34r:

KOTW Note: The above post was edited for content.

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The New York Times quotes me today as saying that we will consider litigation in the proselytizing teacher matter unless Kearny High's students are properly educated regarding Paszkiewicz's anti-scientific mis-statements and the Constitutional separation between church and state. I am opening this topic to explain to the community why we believe this is important.

I hope we all agree in principle that the schools, both public and private, exist to educate our young people. That means teaching them science and enough law so they can function positively as citizens in a democracy. When a teacher mis-states and distorts science and law to such an extent as David Paszkiewicz did (and I suspect has done for quite some time), corrections are mandatory if the school system is to fulfill its educational purposes.

This is especially true when the teacher is popular, as appears to be the case here. The worst possible scenario educationally is that a popular teacher convinces young people that his twisted views of science and the law are true. That also appears to have happened here, judging from student reaction and from the absence of any correction in the past. All the rationalizations aside, the real reason Paszkiewicz is being defended is that some people think his ignorance and his bigotry are acceptable.

I am personally disgusted as a taxpayer, a parent and a citizen that the adminisration in the Kearny school district seems not to care. It is unacceptable that these remarks go uncorrected, especially when so many members of the community and even a fellow teacher (anonymously quoted in The New York Times on December 18) see absolutely nothing wrong with what Paszkiewicz has been doing. This is intellectual poison, I can give it no less strong a term. The only thing worse than no information is misinformation, and this was misinformation.

It is not acceptable that our schools in Kearny are training our young people to be "ignorant and scientifically illiterate," as Dr. Tyson, the astrophysicist who heads the Hayden Planetarium, put it in a letter to The New York Times. That is why Kearny is in the Times again today, and remains in the news. While I truly am reluctant to use the word "stupid," it does come to mind.

Must we really fight with the school board and the administration to ensure that the students receive an education in science, instead of the 2006 equivalent of flat-earth science? Must we have a legal team straighten out the mess Paszkiewicz has made of the students' understanding of the Constitution? This is insanity.

I understand that some people think the issue is resolved, and don't like our continuing to press it. There is a very simple solution, and I address this to the board, the administration and the teacher: admit your mistakes, make appropriate corrections, and let's move on. We've been asking for that for nearly three months now, and obviously these parties have no intention of doing that.

OK, so we'll do this the hard way. We would never have imagined that we would have to fight a bitter battle with this school system to force it to do its job, but apparently that is what will be necessary. I invite concerned citizens to speak up, or to contact us to try to resolve this in an appropriate way, so that the world can say the citizens of Kearny spoke up and demanded a proper resolution.

Paul. once again you are insisting that your views, beliefs and opinions are the correct ones. Do not forget that others can and will continue to have different views, beliefs and opinions than yours.

Though the teacher should not, and by law, is required not to preach in the classroom the opinoions which he gave are neither wrong nor inaccurate as you state. By your views they are wrong, but by his and others they are not.

As far as moving on, you should have moved on a long time ago. No one owes you an apology! The administration addressed the issue with the teacher and that should have been it, but you insist to continue on. So stop talking about what is needed to stop your crusade, fore you have no intentions to stop.

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Guest Kearny Resident

Mr. Hirsch,

I would say based on your last comment you ought to consider yourself lucky your sorry ass lives in Florida right now. Otherwise, I wouldn't blame a soul for filing a harrasing persons complaint against you for the threatening nature of your comments.

You are truly a despicable piece of human waste, and I give thanks people like you live far away from here. It's just sad not all of "your kind" have found ways to get the hell out of here and move to Florida. What a disgrace!

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Paul,

I agree that what DP did was wrong and the lack of appropriate public action by the Superintendent and BOE is possibly more wrong than what DP did, but what damage has he done?

Did he convert your son?

Does every kid in his class now believe in creationism?

The school does have a science curriculum that is teaching the same things that you are asking to be corrected. Give the students enough credit that they can form their own opinions on such matters.

I implore you not to bring a lawsuit. That is not where I want my tax dollars spent.

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Guest Keith-Marhsall,Mo
:D PAUL I NEVER SAY THIS TO ANYBODY ON THIS SITE "BUT FOR YOU I WILL {YOU ARE SCUM AND KEARNY WILL BE SORRY FOR THE DAY YOUR WERE BORN} I HOPE THE NJ BAR SEES THIS FOR WHAT IT REALY IS AND DISBARRS YOU! ALSO YOUR SON WILL PAY THE PRICE FOR YOUR SCAM! HISTORY PROVES ME RIGHT ON THIS JUST ASK THE ****** KIDS!!! ALSO YOU FORGET YOUR IN KEARNY YOU BETTER THINK HARD ABOUT IT IM TALKING ABOUT THE TOWNS HISTORY WITH TROUBLE MAKERS LIKE YOU!!! :excl:

KOTW Note: The above post was edited for content.

Now that's a Christian response!

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Guest Keith-Marshall,Mo
I'm not surprised the NY Times, being the left wing rag that it is, has found a friend in Paul. Together you can carry the torch for this "terrible injustice", forever and ever ad nauseam. I bet you're proud of yourself, you're famous. We all need a hero, someone we can look up to. And Paul has become the hero of the left wing anti-God crowd. Wow, I'm impressed.

If you spent as much time reading your bible as you do reading this blog I'm inclined to think that you wouldn't make such comments. Let's pretend for a moment that your dream came true and tommorrow everyone was a Chirstian. It seems as if that's what you want, isn't it? Would that make you happy? Everyone would be just like you and there would nothing and no one to B**ch about. Are you sure you could live without that?

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Mr. Hirsch,

I would say based on your last comment you ought to consider yourself lucky your sorry ass lives in Florida right now. Otherwise, I wouldn't blame a soul for filing a harrasing persons complaint against you for the threatening nature of your comments.

You are truly a despicable piece of human waste, and I give thanks people like you live far away from here. It's just sad not all of "your kind" have found ways to get the hell out of here and move to Florida. What a disgrace!

:D there was nothing }0}zilch zip harrasing about it! it was as it still is ! my kind? well all of your kind all 5 wish you could move here! but that would take money and GUTS! something you aint got! oh ya you are brave to use my name but you gutless pice of trash hide yours! now" paul" IS THE DISGRACE YOU POST ABOUT! :excl:

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:D PAUL I NEVER SAY THIS TO ANYBODY ON THIS SITE "BUT FOR YOU I WILL {YOU ARE SCUM AND KEARNY WILL BE SORRY FOR THE DAY YOUR WERE BORN} I HOPE THE NJ BAR SEES THIS FOR WHAT IT REALY IS AND DISBARRS YOU! ALSO YOUR SON WILL PAY THE PRICE FOR YOUR SCAM! HISTORY PROVES ME RIGHT ON THIS JUST ASK THE ****** KIDS!!! ALSO YOU FORGET YOUR IN KEARNY YOU BETTER THINK HARD ABOUT IT IM TALKING ABOUT THE TOWNS HISTORY WITH TROUBLE MAKERS LIKE YOU!!! :excl:

KOTW Note: The above post was edited for content.

Gee whiz, OldFart, don't sugar coat it. If you've got a problem with Paul, come right out and say it.

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The New York Times quotes me today as saying that we will consider litigation in the proselytizing teacher matter unless Kearny High's students are properly educated regarding Paszkiewicz's anti-scientific mis-statements and the Constitutional separation between church and state. I am opening this topic to explain to the community why we believe this is important.

I hope we all agree in principle that the schools, both public and private, exist to educate our young people. That means teaching them science and enough law so they can function positively as citizens in a democracy. When a teacher mis-states and distorts science and law to such an extent as David Paszkiewicz did (and I suspect has done for quite some time), corrections are mandatory if the school system is to fulfill its educational purposes.

This is especially true when the teacher is popular, as appears to be the case here. The worst possible scenario educationally is that a popular teacher convinces young people that his twisted views of science and the law are true. That also appears to have happened here, judging from student reaction and from the absence of any correction in the past. All the rationalizations aside, the real reason Paszkiewicz is being defended is that some people think his ignorance and his bigotry are acceptable.

I am personally disgusted as a taxpayer, a parent and a citizen that the adminisration in the Kearny school district seems not to care. It is unacceptable that these remarks go uncorrected, especially when so many members of the community and even a fellow teacher (anonymously quoted in The New York Times on December 18) see absolutely nothing wrong with what Paszkiewicz has been doing. This is intellectual poison, I can give it no less strong a term. The only thing worse than no information is misinformation, and this was misinformation.

It is not acceptable that our schools in Kearny are training our young people to be "ignorant and scientifically illiterate," as Dr. Tyson, the astrophysicist who heads the Hayden Planetarium, put it in a letter to The New York Times. That is why Kearny is in the Times again today, and remains in the news. While I truly am reluctant to use the word "stupid," it does come to mind.

Must we really fight with the school board and the administration to ensure that the students receive an education in science, instead of the 2006 equivalent of flat-earth science? Must we have a legal team straighten out the mess Paszkiewicz has made of the students' understanding of the Constitution? This is insanity.

I understand that some people think the issue is resolved, and don't like our continuing to press it. There is a very simple solution, and I address this to the board, the administration and the teacher: admit your mistakes, make appropriate corrections, and let's move on. We've been asking for that for nearly three months now, and obviously these parties have no intention of doing that.

OK, so we'll do this the hard way. We would never have imagined that we would have to fight a bitter battle with this school system to force it to do its job, but apparently that is what will be necessary. I invite concerned citizens to speak up, or to contact us to try to resolve this in an appropriate way, so that the world can say the citizens of Kearny spoke up and demanded a proper resolution.

Paul - not that you are "wasting" your time, but you're not being as efficient as you could be in this matter. Get funding from supporters (and the NY Times, if possible) and run as a candidate for the BOE. If you are that committed to the quality of education, you would do this regardless of the teacher's comments. Change things from the inside. As you well know, no one really wins a litigated matter. Good luck.

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ALSO YOUR SON WILL PAY THE PRICE FOR YOUR SCAM!

You may want to consider rewording that, as it sounds very much like a threat, and a threat by an adult against a minor at that. If it was not meant as a threat (and I suspect it wasn't), then you very much need to make that clear.

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Paul,

I agree that what DP did was wrong and the lack of appropriate public action by the Superintendent and BOE is possibly more wrong than what DP did, but what damage has he done?

Did he convert your son?

Does every kid in his class now believe in creationism?

The school does have a science curriculum that is teaching the same things that you are asking to be corrected.  Give the students enough credit that they can form their own opinions on such matters.

I implore you not to bring a lawsuit.  That is not where I want my tax dollars spent.

If the students understood science and the Constitution, I wouldn't be as concerned, but obviously they don't. They don't even understand what a scientific theory is. Listen to the recordings, where that is obvious.

When the school contributes to the students' ignorance instead of educating them, my judgement is to press ahead. The harm DP did, and has been doing for years, is that he feeds popular misconceptions that interfere with a solid education. So while I give the students as much credit as I can, I can't help being concerned when I hear what I've heard on the recordings of a few days in Paszkiewicz's classroom. Most professional educators who have commented on the various blogs are absolutely horrified by Paszkiewicz's "methods" in those sessions.

Students can learn a great many things in school. It's similar in some ways to a trade. Trying cases in court, for example, is a trade of sorts. If a trial lawyer is poorly trained, it can take years to undo the damage, and sometimes it never be undone. The same is true of doctors, teachers and students. Feed them misinformation, they can carry it with them for a lifetime. Just look at some of the nonsense being spouted by Paszkiewicz's apologists. Reminds me of a barber we had in the little town where I grew up, of whom my father used to say "He gives a pretty good haircut if he doesn't run out of hair." I think Paszkiewicz has done a lot of harm, and I'm hardly alone.

I appreciate your wish that no lawsuit be instituted. That is my wish, too. We have told the administration that over and over. Implore the school board and the administration to resolve this appropriately, then maybe we can avoid a suit.

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Paul - not that you are "wasting" your time, but you're not being as efficient as you could be in this matter.  Get funding from supporters (and the NY Times, if possible) and run as a candidate for the BOE.  If you are that committed to the quality of education, you would do this regardless of the teacher's comments.  Change things from the inside.  As you well know, no one really wins a litigated matter.  Good luck.

I'd be happy to work on this issue in a more productive way, though I do think this has served a good purpose. There's obviously a problem, and the first requirement for solving a problem is to bring attention to it and have it recognized.

So will you join me? Register as a member, then pass me an e-mail. KOTW forwards them. Then let's work together.

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:D PAUL I NEVER SAY THIS TO ANYBODY ON THIS SITE "BUT FOR YOU I WILL {YOU ARE SCUM AND KEARNY WILL BE SORRY FOR THE DAY YOUR WERE BORN} I HOPE THE NJ BAR SEES THIS FOR WHAT IT REALY IS AND DISBARRS YOU! ALSO YOUR SON WILL PAY THE PRICE FOR YOUR SCAM! HISTORY PROVES ME RIGHT ON THIS JUST ASK THE ****** KIDS!!! ALSO YOU FORGET YOUR IN KEARNY YOU BETTER THINK HARD ABOUT IT IM TALKING ABOUT THE TOWNS HISTORY WITH TROUBLE MAKERS LIKE YOU!!! :excl:

KOTW Note: The above post was edited for content.

The last part of your post kinda sounds threatning. Kearny has a history of taking care of trouble makers? Thats a joke right it must be. I've lived here for 43 years. Tell ya what why don't you stick to Florida's problems and leave Kearny to the people who live here.

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2smart4u: And Paul has become the hero of the left wing anti-God crowd.

Perhaps. But he is also a hero to the pro-God crowd who understand that a fundamental American principle has been attacked. The Christianists have, through their own words, thrown a strong light onto the issue, highlighting the very problem Paul has uncovered, and made us even more determined to draw the line here and now, lest we fight this same battle over and over again in school districts all over the country.

It's precisely because I am pro-God that I want to ensure that His name won't be dragged any farther through the mud by his alleged defenders.

Leigh Williams

Austin, Texas

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:D PAUL I NEVER SAY THIS TO ANYBODY ON THIS SITE "BUT FOR YOU I WILL {YOU ARE SCUM AND KEARNY WILL BE SORRY FOR THE DAY YOUR WERE BORN} I HOPE THE NJ BAR SEES THIS FOR WHAT IT REALY IS AND DISBARRS YOU! ALSO YOUR SON WILL PAY THE PRICE FOR YOUR SCAM! HISTORY PROVES ME RIGHT ON THIS JUST ASK THE ****** KIDS!!! ALSO YOU FORGET YOUR IN KEARNY YOU BETTER THINK HARD ABOUT IT IM TALKING ABOUT THE TOWNS HISTORY WITH TROUBLE MAKERS LIKE YOU!!! :excl:

KOTW Note: The above post was edited for content.

I find it truly depressing that I live in the same state with someone so clearly ignorant and so willing to threaten people for doing the right thing as you are. When I moved here, I thought that NJ was more of an "enlightened" state that some of the places in the midwest that I had lived. Apparently I was wrong. Bigotry is universal.

Geez, you sound like some sort of stereotype of a Jersey mobster. Pathetic. By the way, in case you weren't aware, typing in all capital letters in online forums or e-mail is the online equivalent of shouting. Typing an entire post in all caps gives the impression that you are unhinged. Perhaps it's an accurate impression, given the content of your post.

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The New York Times quotes me today as saying that we will consider litigation in the proselytizing teacher matter unless Kearny High's students are properly educated regarding Paszkiewicz's anti-scientific mis-statements and the Constitutional separation between church and state. I am opening this topic to explain to the community why we believe this is important.

I hope we all agree in principle that the schools, both public and private, exist to educate our young people. That means teaching them science and enough law so they can function positively as citizens in a democracy. When a teacher mis-states and distorts science and law to such an extent as David Paszkiewicz did (and I suspect has done for quite some time), corrections are mandatory if the school system is to fulfill its educational purposes.

This is especially true when the teacher is popular, as appears to be the case here. The worst possible scenario educationally is that a popular teacher convinces young people that his twisted views of science and the law are true. That also appears to have happened here, judging from student reaction and from the absence of any correction in the past. All the rationalizations aside, the real reason Paszkiewicz is being defended is that some people think his ignorance and his bigotry are acceptable.

I am personally disgusted as a taxpayer, a parent and a citizen that the adminisration in the Kearny school district seems not to care. It is unacceptable that these remarks go uncorrected, especially when so many members of the community and even a fellow teacher (anonymously quoted in The New York Times on December 18) see absolutely nothing wrong with what Paszkiewicz has been doing. This is intellectual poison, I can give it no less strong a term. The only thing worse than no information is misinformation, and this was misinformation.

It is not acceptable that our schools in Kearny are training our young people to be "ignorant and scientifically illiterate," as Dr. Tyson, the astrophysicist who heads the Hayden Planetarium, put it in a letter to The New York Times. That is why Kearny is in the Times again today, and remains in the news. While I truly am reluctant to use the word "stupid," it does come to mind.

Must we really fight with the school board and the administration to ensure that the students receive an education in science, instead of the 2006 equivalent of flat-earth science? Must we have a legal team straighten out the mess Paszkiewicz has made of the students' understanding of the Constitution? This is insanity.

Indeed it is, and I find it hard to believe that such ignorance exists a mere 30 miles or so from where I live (central Jersey), but perhaps I shouldn't. For all of our pretensions of "blue state" enlightenment compared to the poor, backward "flyover country," there's plenty of backwardness right here in NJ, as I discovered when I moved here and as I'm rediscovering now with this incident. What Paszkiewicz did was so clearly against the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment that not even the usual fundamentalist suspects seem willing to defend him. And you are correct, because he is popular, far too many of the people of Kearny appear willing to excuse what he did and even paint your son as the villain for simply revealing what Paszkiewicz did. Personally, as a NJ taxpayer, I seriously resent that my tax dollars in the form of state aid to the Kearny school district are going to pay this guy and the administration that defends him.

Remember, when confronted with the accusation, Paszkiewicz outright lied about what he did. That's not a very Christian thing to do. In fact, Paszkiewicz was obviously confident that no one would believe your son and that other students wouldn't back your son up, and, given what I've read on this board, he was probably correct. It's a good thing your son actually recorded Paszkiewicz, or we might never have become aware his proselytizing.

Keep up the good fight, and don't let idiots like the "all caps" guy scare you.

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Paul,

I agree that what DP did was wrong and the lack of appropriate public action by the Superintendent and BOE is possibly more wrong than what DP did, but what damage has he done?

Did he convert your son?

Does every kid in his class now believe in creationism?

The school does have a science curriculum that is teaching the same things that you are asking to be corrected.  Give the students enough credit that they can form their own opinions on such matters.

I implore you not to bring a lawsuit.  That is not where I want my tax dollars spent.

It is irrelevant if Paul's son was "converted" or not, and it is equally irrelevant whether "every kid in his class now believes in creationism." Stating that the students can "form their own opinions" on such matters is a bad argument as well; it is clear from the tape that they do not yet know enough to do so and that the do not even know what a scientific theory is. It is up to the schools to teach them that, and clearly the Kearny school district has failed in that task. Even if they did know enough to " form their own opinions" what Paszkiewicz did would still be wrong.

Paszkiewicz broke federal law, and the Kearny school district is not doing its job in disciplining him. Indeed, it's supporting him. The framers of the Constitution understood the coercive power of the state and the danger of the state appearing to endorse any one religion over another, which is the very reason behind the First Amendment and that the very first clause of this amendment prohibits the establishment of religion and protects freedom of religion. Paszkiewicz was acting as a representative of the state and while doing so he preached his particular form of Christianity as fact and used it to justify a religious pseudoscience (creationism) to his students. He abused his position and his authority, and the school district is not calling him to account for it.

If Paul ends up suing, place the blame squarely where it belongs, and that is not on Paul or his son. It is on Paszkiewicz and the school district that supports him.

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Guest A Christian
I'm not surprised the NY Times, being the left wing rag that it is, has found a friend in Paul. Together you can carry the torch for this "terrible injustice", forever and ever ad nauseam. I bet you're proud of yourself, you're famous. We all need a hero, someone we can look up to. And Paul has become the hero of the left wing anti-God crowd. Wow, I'm impressed.

It appears to me 2smart4u is correct on this one. Paul is reveling in the attention he's getting and he doesn't want it to go away. He knows that a lawsuit will take years to resolve and he's guaranteed of constant attention during that time. Paul thought he hit the lottery when the NY Times picked up his story and he now sees himself as the standard-bearer for the atheists. Will he sue ?? Of course he'll sue, he's enjoying himself now.

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It's always interesting when bigots, in this case evangelical christofascists, expose their asses to the world and then claim they are surprised when the rest of the civilized world reject their bigotry. To the bigots above who feel threatening a student and his father, when both are absolutely right and well within their ethical and legal rights, you bring GREAT discredit to the citizens of Kearny, you obviously have no idea the world has changed, every bigoted and threatening statement has gone out across the internet and everyone sees your horrible and criminal behaviour for what it is. A teacher can have opinions, but can not bring his private personal religious into the classroom, a teacher should never denegrate a student because that student disagrees with the teacher's personal religious opinion, and any teacher that LIES about an interaction with a student (this liar having to be caught by audio tape before he admitted he lied about the student) should be dismissed. And those Kearny residents that feel they can bully and threaten, remember the world is watching your threats, bigotry, and evangelical fascism and your words and actions are being recorded (kind of like the teacher), they can be tracked back to you, and you are giving everyone the perfect picture of Kearny, one of bigotry and official endorsement of bigotry and threatening their citizens.

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Guest briancoughlanworldcitizen

Hi there Americans.

The rest of the world can actually see this stuff you know :wub:

Phew .... talk about barking mad. Theocracy is clearly alive and thriving in the good 'ol US of A, well done Paul for standing up against this religious madness.

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Paul,

If I understand you correctly you are looking for three things:

1. Disciplinary action against Dave P.

2. Correction of the scientific errors made by Dave P.

3. An apology from Dave P.

For #1, the BOE has stated that they have taken action against Dave P. However, by law, based on the union's contract, they are not allowed to publicly discuss the type of or severity of disciplinary action unless the teacher grants them permission.

Is your threat of a lawsuit because you do not believe them? Or just to discover through the court proceding what the action was?

For #2, as previously stated, the district does provide a cirriculum teaching the science that you agree with. Dave P. is not qualified to make the corrections that you are requesting, so other than the current science cirriculum, what more do you want?

For #3, a personnel apology from Dave P. is not within the control of the BOE. They cannot force him to do that. What do you want a lawsuit against the BOE to accomplish in this regard?

JW

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