Student writes how Jesus would give pot to the sick. Teacher put on admin leave, resigns.

Crossposted in General Discussion

Give a rec there if you can.

The administration said that the teacher was not fired, but she chose to resign rather than conduct her class "in a professional manner".

I would think there would be a wide range of what is considered "professional" in a creative writing class of all places. A student writes creatively of a topic that offends another student and their parents. She was targeted and harassed.

I found the news video at You Tube, the article is listed below it.

The assignment was to take a fairy tale or legend and rewrite it in modern times. One student changed the biblical story about Jesus handing out bread and fish to the poor to Jesus handing out marijuana to the sick.

“I don't take any personal offense. It's not written for me. It's written for them. It's how they can express themselves,” said Guarascio.

But according to the teacher, during peer review, one of the other students got highly offended by the story and told her parents. And then the teacher was put on administrative leave while the district investigated.

“If they have something to say, say it,” Guarascio said. “Not everyone's going to agree with you. But that doesn't make your point invalid or worthless. Tell your story.”

Katrina Guarascio, a teacher at Cleveland High School in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, gave her class the assignment to rewrite a fairy tale or legend with a modern setting. One of her students, following instructions, rewrote a tale about Jesus, a central biblical figure, to have him handing out marijuana to the sick. During the subsequent peer review session, one of the students claimed to be so offended, she complained to her parents, who then filed a complaint to the school. Guarascio was subsequently placed on administrative leave pending investigation, despite not having violated any rules.

“It was Kind of a slap in the face after years of hard work,” Guarascio said to KOAT 7. The teacher had been working for the school for eight years at the time of the incident. Of the student who claimed offense, she said on Facebook that the student had been bragging to her classmates that she was going to get Guarascio fired. Now Guarascio has resigned amid being “targeted and harassed.”

In response, the school district’s Communications Director Kim Vesely, declining to go on camera with KOAT7, released the following statement:

“The teacher involved chose to resign rather than follow the school district’s direction that classes be administered in a professional manner.”