March 10, 2021

Part I

Last evening I signed a separation agreement between myself and the school district where I've worked for 21 years. It was the culmination of a relentless cancel culture mob's activism and my concurrent unwillingness to acquiesce to their demands that I forfeit my First Amendment right to free speech.

 

They made baseless accusations about my being an anti-Semitic, racist, misogynist, transphobe and that I was a threat to do physical harm to students or others in the school community because of my vocal support for the Second Amendment.

They lodged complaints not only with the district administration, but went so far as to call the police and file a report with the FBI.

 

I was never contacted directly by law enforcement, but friends I have in these agencies validate that contact was made and upon their investigation dismissed.

At the district level, I was placed on administrative leave while HR did their own investigation of the many claims made against me. This investigation concluded last week and was reviewed by outside legal counsel this week. The investigation concluded that there was ZERO evidence that I had violated any law, professional or ethical standard, or provision of my teaching contract with the district.

ZERO evidence.

Therefore - no basis could be found for severing my employment with the district.

However, the issue has become so politically volatile that my return to the classroom would have been unmanageably disruptive to teaching and learning (not by my doing, but by the noise caused by the mob -- which now includes members of my own faculty). So to avoid further conflict I was offered a settlement in return for my resignation.

I accepted their proposal and finished cleaning out my classroom early this morning.

 

I am not done teaching. I am just done teaching there.

 

Part II

 

I believe in God. I don't believe that God is random. I believe that God has purpose for our lives and that if we seek him he will reveal it to us.

 

I say that, because in all of this I have come to understand that I am in this situation for a reason. I don't know exactly what it is yet, but I believe this to be true.

 

Why?

 

Because God has protected my family.

 

We are in a position in our careers and in our lives where this turn in the road is just a turn in the road and not a head-on collision or a spin-out accident. If this had happened a year ago, or five years ago, it would have a significant impact on my family's trajectory, but it didn't. For a reason.

 

My fear is for the family of the next teacher who speaks out. The teacher who is younger in our profession with high aspirations and huge potential. The one who can ill afford to uproot their family, leave the district/community, and replant themselves somewhere else. If that teacher's freedom is curtailed, the cost to their family, to our profession, and to our future is incalculable.

Comments

[Rhonda]

File a defamation lawsuit against the school district including slander, libel, nuisance, discrimination harrassment...a good lawyer can add to the list. MAKE THEM PAY LITERALLY.