TRI In The News
Fired Teacher Taking Case to Higher Court
From One News Now
Original article available here
One attorney says an Ohio science teacher, fired for asking his students to think critically about the theory of evolution, has every reason to take his case to the state Supreme Court.
The Rutherford Institute is defending John Freshwater, who was suspended in 2008 and fired in 2010 from Mount Vernon Middle School for teaching alternative theories to evolution.
"In most schools … they teach [evolution] as a fact. It's not a fact; it's still a theory. There are different viewpoints by people all the way from Albert Einstein to Ben Stein, the comedian," notes Institute president John Whitehead. "So there [are] a lot of different opinions on it, but all this man was trying to do is get the kids to think it through, and obviously the school district did not want that."
Though the school board, a county judge and the Fifth Circuit have upheld the action taken against Freshwater, Whitehead is confident that the Ohio Supreme Court will hear the case.
"I think they will review it, and if this doesn't go well, the Ohio Supreme Court will talk to John Freshwater to see if he wants to go to the U.S. Supreme Court," the attorney predicts.
Freshwater is arguing that his religious and academic freedoms were violated. He also asserts that he never mentioned creationism or intelligent design during his instructions. When the science teacher was suspended, students showed their support for him by carrying Bibles to class and wearing T-shirts with crosses.
