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Illinois teacher fired for stepping on U.S. flag
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Illinois teacher fired for stepping on U.S. flagPosted:

ProfessorNobody
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A teacher in eastern Illinois has been fired for stepping on a small U.S. flag during a lesson on free speech.

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The Martinsville School District board voted 6-0 to fire English teacher Jordan Parmenter. Martinsville is about 80 miles southeast of Champaign near the Indiana state line.

The district had placed Parmenter on leave after the May 15 incident.
Parmenter has said he used the flag as a pointer during a lesson on free speech at Martinsville Junior-Senior High School.

A student complained that the teacher was being disrespectful, and Parmenter said he then stepped on the flag as an example of free speech.
Parmenter declined to comment about being fired. He said he plans to speak to his union representative.


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The following 1 user thanked ProfessorNobody for this useful post:

Mickers (07-02-2015)
#2. Posted:
Sophist
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So much for free speech after all
#3. Posted:
Echo
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Ironic really haha, although it illegal for anyone to step on the national flag, poor woman
#4. Posted:
kidding
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Honestly man he has a good argument on the free speech thing man but doing it in front of kids like that? What did he expect?
#5. Posted:
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I don't think this is right, he was using it as a pointer and shouldn't have, but firing him over it is no better than him doing it. There were plenty of other examples he could have done to get his point across.
#6. Posted:
ProfessorNobody
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Standing on the American flag was the perfect example to use because it is such a controversial thing to desecrate.
The kid must not have been paying attention, thinking that he was actually doing it to be disrespectful rather than to make a point.
This is pure insanity. He should be glad to see that he's been vindicated though.

There is no 'other side of the argument' on this, in my opinion, it's stupidly ironic and I cannot actually believe that this has happened.
America, a country which prides itself on being free and having freedom of speech and the freedom to do whatever you want, fires a teacher because he was making a point by standing on the flag?
American's might not realize this, but you guys look like complete jokes to freedom when you defend things like this.
MickersRevoltv3 wrote Ironic really haha, although it illegal for anyone to step on the national flag, poor woman

It's not illegal and it was a man.
#7. Posted:
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Freedom of speech technically wasn't harmed in this considering he wasn't fined or arrested. As for firing him, I don't know, man... I can understand the pressure that would put the school in. The amount of people that complains about stepping on the flag is huge. The reputation the school would have after wouldn't be good at all. If I had a say, I wouldn't fire him. I guess I'd be a part of that "liberal schools destroying our country" thing, lol.
#8. Posted:
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Sophist wrote So much for free speech after all


There is such thing as free speech as long as your willing to accept any consequences that come with showing your freedom of speech.

Illinois is a fire at will state which means the employer can fire an employee for any reason at all except for something illegal, (gay/bi, black/white, etc.)
#9. Posted:
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Motto: "If love is just a word then why does it hurt so much when you realize it isn't there" - Gaara
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MickersRevoltv3 wrote Ironic really haha, although it illegal for anyone to step on the national flag, poor woman


It's not illegal it's just disrepectful.
#10. Posted:
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Disrespectful yes, but fired hmm.
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