Religion

rug

(82,333 posts) Fri Feb 17, 2017, 01:55 PM Feb 2017

Teacher being investigated over Facebook comments

District: Susan Creamer made disparaging comments about students

By John Henderson
Posted Feb 16, 2017 at 12:10 PM

PANAMA CITY — The school district is investigating a school teacher for allegedly making disparaging remarks about her students on a closed Facebook page for local atheists.

Karen Tucker, a spokeswoman for Bay District Schools, said it is against school policy to criticize students either in person or on an Internet page.

In one of the posts, Susan Creamer, a teacher with Merritt Brown Middle School, states some of her middle school students "are taking turns either inviting me to church or leaving (anonymously) flyers inviting me to church events. ... Every time any child sneezes, they loudly say 'God Bless You!' and look in my direction. I have complained twice to the principal — once last month and once today. She has spoken privately to one or two of the little cretins, but it seems to do NO GOOD.

"I am feeling bullied and harassed. It has become intolerable."

Creamer could not be reached for comment.

Tucker said Human Resources is investigating that and other comments made by Creamer on the Facebook page of Atheists of Bay County. She made the remarks on the closed page, but writing disparaging remarks about students, whether a Facebook page is closed or not, is violating school policy, she said. The district received word of her comments after a group member took and somehow distributed a screen shot.

http://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/20170216/teacher-being-investigated-over-facebook-comments/1

3 replies

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Teacher being investigated over Facebook comments (Original Post) rug Feb 2017 OP

What to say Phoenix61 Feb 2017 #1

Teacher is wrong, for sure, for posting that. Mariana Feb 2017 #2

I don't think they are supposed to be passing out flyers for church functions at school Phoenix61 Feb 2017 #3

Phoenix61

(17,006 posts)

1. What to say

Reply to rug (Original post)

Fri Feb 17, 2017, 03:43 PM

Feb 2017

First, these are middle school kids. Go figure, they like to get under their teacher's skin. That being said, should it have been addressed by the principal? Yes. Should she have called her students "cretins" in writing anywhere, probably not. Buy getting upset about children saying "God bless you" when somebody sneezes seems a bit extreme.

Mariana

(14,857 posts)

2. Teacher is wrong, for sure, for posting that.

Reply to Phoenix61 (Reply #1)

Fri Feb 17, 2017, 05:48 PM

Feb 2017

As far as being upset at students saying "God bless you" it depends on how it's done. Do they just say "God bless you" like a normal person does, or do they shout "GOD!!! bless you" deliberately to needle her? Good chance it's the latter. My kid was in school in Texas when Newdow's ridiculous suit was in the news. A student would recite the Pledge over the PA in the morning, and that student made a point to emphasize "under GOD!!!" each time.

In this part of Florida, there probably isn't much the principal can do, without the Christian kids' parents and the local churches landing on the school and raising all kinds of Cain that the kids are being denied their freedom of religious expression. It's also possible the principal approves of the Christian students' behavior.

Phoenix61

(17,006 posts)

3. I don't think they are supposed to be passing out flyers for church functions at school

Reply to Mariana (Reply #2)

Fri Feb 17, 2017, 06:11 PM

Feb 2017

I subbed for many years and my guess is that, for one reason or the other, the students don't like her and found way to needle her. It didn't say, but I'm curious what subject she taught. I can see religion coming up in science class considering where this occurred.

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