Teacher’s suit example of troubling trend
As a retired teacher, I applaud John Grande’s service to his district, but his suit against the Hartford Public Schools serves as an example of a troubling trend [Jan. 14, Sunday CT, Page 1, “Veteran teacher files free-speech suit”].
Although Mr. Grande’s physical education training no doubt qualifies him as an expert on critical race theory, the reality is that in a professional development meeting, Mr. Grande’s comments generated enough complaints to compel a senior official to issue an apology to the other members of the group.
His admission of feeling “man-bashed” and his assessment of the training as “white-bashing BS” resulted in a letter of reprimand and an order to attend sensitivity training.
Like too many others, Mr. Grande now cloaks his offensive rhetoric under the banner of “free speech” and “First Amendment rights” and continues a four-year crusade for vindication.
Certainly, we need to defend our rights, peacefully protest injustice, and exercise our free will, but as I often reminded my students, our rights extend only to the point where we violate someone else’s.
I am hoping the judicial system sees Mr. Grande’s suit for what it is: yet another instance of Constitution-thumping individuals and supporting organizations excusing untrue, unprofessional, unproductive, uncivil, incendiary and offensive discourse as free speech.
Hiding behind “First Amendment rights,” these finger-pointing, habitual victims view professional and personal accountability as the now trite “witch hunt and kangaroo court.”
Thanks to the current climate, respecting the rights of others, telling the truth, remaining civil, employing language appropriate to the setting, and availing ourselves of productive avenues of disagreement and protest seem to be the exception rather than the rule.
Rather than risk offending the group, Mr. Grande would have done better to register his complaint in a professional manner, take appropriate action elsewhere, and “sit here quietly” as he had promised.
Nina Fournier, Amston