I figure the reactions to something this stupid are going to get this thread into the Pit, so I might as well just put it there…
Teacher Placed On Leave For Hanging Foreign Flags
Wow. That’s *exceptionally * stupid. I’m very nearly impressed.
I’m not sure what’s more disturbing, Colorado having a law about not displaying foreign flags permanently in a classroom (I’m sure there is no purpose of displaying flags in a classroom, none at all :rolleyes: ), or someone was dumb enough to try and enforce it. Seriously, does anyone think something like this through before they pull the trigger?
I’m not sure I understand why they would even have a geography curriculum if they have a problem with the display of foreign flags.
Then I guess the Spanish teacher’s room doesn’t have a Spainish or Mexican flag, and the French teacher can’t display a French flag. I hope those teachers don’t go rotting our kids’ minds with their commie ideas and teach them about different cultures or anything like that.
That is fucking ridiculous.
They were up for two days and that’s permanent? Hell, all he has to do is take them down over Christmas break and put them back up after break and they’re not permanent. Does this principal figure the flag police are going to stake out the school?
Dumbass.
“…a Colorado law that makes it illegal to display foreign flags permanently in schools.”
What did he do that was permanent? Did he superglue them to the walls, or what?
So hanging flags for two days is “permanent”?
What’s stupid is, if you read the law, it makes an exception for flags that are displayed temporarily for a lesson plan or student project. So, yeah, I don’t see why the principal was concerned the teacher was breaking the law there.
And some people wonder why American kids know nothing about world geography.
I must say, this is almost so stupid i can’t even get angry or worked up about it. The notion that foreign flags can’t be displayed in a geography classroom is just so “Bizzarro World” that i’m almost having trouble believing the OP’s link isn’t a hoax of some sort.
For those who are interested, i’ve found the text of what appears to be the relevant Colorado law. Subsection 4 (a) (IV) seems to be the most directly applicable:
Plus, and I cannot stress this enough, it has occurred to me that flags on display for two days do not fall under any reasonable definition of “permanent.”
Now that that is cleared up, what would happen if he displayed pictures of flags? After all, the map is not the territory.
On preview, I see that **mhendo **has provided the answer.
Now I want to go to Colorado. That guy is actually going to have an areest record for “Anarchy-Sedition.” I am jealous as hell.
No. He wasn’t arrested or charged. He was put on leave by the school district for refusing to take down the flags.
Once somebody reads 18-11-205 (4) (a) (IV) to the court, and they dismiss charges against Eric Hamlin with apologies, perhaps the court will take the opportunity to give a lesson to the unnamed Carmody Middle School principal and Jeffco Public Schools spokeswoman Lynn Setzer on the subject of frivolous charges, the purpose behind the law and how it does not apply in this case, etc.
Section 2 is interesting, and would seem to prohibit a private person from displaying a flag on his or her own property that will be seen by the public, if that is likely to cause a breach of the peace.
It makes me think of the Nazi on Maytide street and his White Power and swastika flags that he flies from his porch in a mixed race neighborhood. I wonder if it would be numbnuts like that for which this law was intended, at least in part.
I don’t like it, and I’d hope that we as a people would be able to tolerate being exposed to flags of other nations.
So, a Virginia flag counts.
Wow.
So, does Colorado still think of itself as a sovereign nation?
Does this mean that the First Amendment to the US Constitution is not applicable to Colorado?
They go spurs that jingo jingo jingo.
Tris
Well, again, the guy hasn’t been charged with anything. He’s been placed on administrative leave for disobeying instructions by his principal.
Welcome to Bizarro World, where teaching geography in geography class gets you suspended.
I’m not getting the outrage.
The guy was placed on leave for subordination. IOW, the principal told him to take the flags down and he refused. The principle appears to have believed that having the flags up was breaking the law. Now maybe he was wrong, or maybe he was right but the law is stupid. IMO that doesn’t matter, your supervisor tells you to do something, your response is not “No.” Not unless it is something you feel so strongly about that you’re willing to risk losing your job over it.
At the end of the day, I think you’ll find that regardless of how the flag issue shakes out, the administrative leave will be upheld.
They certainly seemed to think so pre Romer v Evans…