A state referee has recommended that Mt. Vernon, Ohio science teacher John Freshwater should be fired after repeated violations of the Establishment Clause. Freshwater's case drew national attention after school officials placed him on unpaid leave for using the classroom to teach creationism and to otherwise invoke his own personal religious beliefs. The Columbus Dispatch reports on the official's strongly worded conclusion:
"Unfortunately, John Freshwater was not satisfied with the positive results of his teaching in terms of successful state test scores and the development of a love for the subject of science in the minds of his students," Shepherd wrote.
Instead, "he was determined to inject his personal religious beliefs into his plan."
…
In 2003, Freshwater asked the district to allow discussions of creationism, as well as evolution, in class. The board refused. The report said that Freshwater "overtly and covertly" began to teach creationism himself."He used his classroom as a means of sowing the seeds of doubt and confusion in the minds of impressionable students as they searched for meaning in the subject of science," Shepherd wrote.
You can read the recommendation here (pdf).
