Teachers' Union Wins: Wisconsin
Porn-Watching Teacher Reinstated
by Dr. Susan Berry 29 Jan 2014,
11:21 AM PDT
On Tuesday, Gov. Scott Walker (R) of Wisconsin urged his state’s school
superintendent to revoke the teachers’
license of Andrew Harris, a middle school teacher who was found to have viewed
pornography and other inappropriate sexual material at the school.
According to Wisconsin Reporter at Watchdog.org, Walker
sent a letter to state schools Superintendent Tony Evers regarding Harris, who
teaches in the Middleton-Cross
Plains School
District.
“After hearing from concerned
parents, I am asking you to act efficiently in your investigation into the
actions of Mr. Harris and to initiate revocation proceedings,” Walker wrote. “The
arbitration process afforded to Mr. Harris failed the school district and the
students. It has taken both a financial and emotional toll on the district.
Cases, such as this one, are a good example of why our reforms are necessary.”
Harris was fired in 2010 after
another teacher filed a complaint stating that Harris showed her pornographic
images at the school. A district investigation found that Harris received
hundreds of pornographic images, videos and inappropriate jokes in his school
email account and viewed them while at work.
Harris’ union, however, filed a grievance requesting that he be reinstated.
The arbitrator in the case, according to Wisconsin Reporter, was Karen
Mawhinney, who contributed $1,500 to both of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett’s
failed campaigns for governor -- in 2010 and the recall election in 2012 --
against Walker.
In Harris’ case, Mawhinney sided
with the union, ordering the district to reinstate him to a similar position
and pay him nearly $200,000 in back pay. In addition, the district spent
$627,000 in legal fees in an unsuccessful attempt to have the decision
overturned in the courts. The state Supreme Court declined to review the case.
The school district reassigned
Harris to Kromrey
Middle School where he
was to begin teaching again on Monday prior to a school cancellation due to
cold weather.
The district plans to have a
teacher’s aide in the classroom with Harris and permit his students to attend
study hall rather than his class. According to Wisconsin Reporter, district
spokesman Perry Hibner said that at least five students have requested the
study hall. Harris will teach about 125 students.
Parents, however, remain concerned
and formed a protest against Harris’ return. Hibner reportedly said the
district has received scores of emails and phone calls from angry parents.
School district Superintendent Don
Johnson told Wisconsin Reporter that his district must serve all constituencies
involved – students, parents, teachers, the community, and Andrew Harris.
Johnson added that the district must honor Harris’ reinstatement or face the
threat of a lawsuit from the teacher and his union, the Middleton Education
Association.
According to Hibner, the district
asked the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to revoke Harris’ license in
2010 for “immoral conduct,” but the request has either been ignored or put on
hold while DPI waited for the legal process to be completed. DPI, however, has
the authority to act on a license at any time and has revoked licenses on
lesser misconduct charges, officials said.
“I am confident that the
overwhelming majority of teachers and educators across the state and in the
Middleton-Cross Plains District are committed and dedicated to working hard
every day for the benefit of our students, their families, and our state as a
whole,” wrote Walker. “Teachers who make decisions that contradict what is best
for students shed a negative light on their colleagues and the district, and in
some cases, put students at risk.”
Teachers' Union
American
Federation of Teachers was a contributor for Priorities USA Action.
Note: Priorities
USA Action was a super PAC supporting the 2012 Barack Obama presidential campaign.
Barack
Obama was the candidate for the 2012
Barack Obama presidential campaign, and is the president for the Barack Obama administration.
Gabriella Gomez
is the assistant secretary for legislation at the U.S. Department of Education for the Barack Obama administration, and was a lobbyist for the American Federation of Teachers.
Demos
was a funder for the American Federation
of Teachers.
Foundation
to Promote Open Society was a funder for Demos, the Drum Major
Institute for Public Policy, the Economic
Policy Institute, the International
Rescue Committee, the Robin Hood
Foundation, the Brookings Institution
(think tank), and the Aspen
Institute (think tank).
George Soros
was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Clifford S.
Asness is a director at the International
Rescue Committee, was a leadership council member for the Robin Hood Foundation, and supported same-sex marriage in New York.
Rhonda Weingarten
is the president for the American
Federation of Teachers, a director at the Economic Policy Institute, an overseer at the International Rescue Committee, and was the president for the United Federation of Teachers.
Demos
was a funder for the United Federation of Teachers.
Adele
S. Simmons is a trustee at Demos,
and a member of the Commercial Club of
Chicago.
Commercial Club of Chicago,
Members Directory A-Z (Past Research)
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Rahm
I. Emanuel is a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago, the Chicago (IL) mayor,
Ari Emanuel’s brother, and was the
White House chief of staff for the Barack
Obama administration.
Ari
Emanuel is Rahm I.
Emanuel’s brother, and the co-CEO & director for William Morris Endeavor Entertainment.
Kevin
Smith is a William Morris Endeavor
Entertainment client, and the writer & director for Zack and Miri Make a Porno.
Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Zack and Miri Make a Porno is a
2008 romantic sex comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, distributed
by The Weinstein Company.
Harvey Weinstein
is the co-founder & co-chairman for the Weinstein Company, and a director at the Robin Hood Foundation.
Valerie B. Jarrett
is a member of the Commercial Club of
Chicago, the senior adviser for the Barack
Obama administration, and her great uncle is Vernon E. Jordan Jr.
Cyrus F.
Freidheim Jr. is a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago, and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Vernon E. Jordan Jr. is Valerie B. Jarrett’s great uncle, an
honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), a director
at the American Friends of Bilderberg (think tank), a senior counsel for
Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld,
LLP, and a 2008 Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).
Tommy G. Thompson
was a partner at Akin, Gump, Strauss,
Hauer & Feld, LLP, and the governor for the Wisconsin state government.
Scott
Walker is the Wisconsin state
government governor, wanted to slash union benefits & collective
bargaining with the 2011 showdown
between Wisconsin governor & public unions,
and ran ads in support of stand against unions with Americans for Prosperity.
David
H. Koch was a donor for Americans
for Prosperity, is the chairman for the Americans for Prosperity Foundation, and a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).
Americans
for Prosperity Foundation is an affiliated group with Americans for Prosperity.
James S.
Crown is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and a member
of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Lester Crown
is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and was a lifetime
trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).
Foundation
to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank), and Demos.
George Soros
was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Demos
was a funder for the American Federation
of Teachers, and the United Federation of Teachers.
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