(WJLA) The firing of a beloved teacher at Bishop O'Connell High School in Arlington has sparked an uprising, and on Thursday, nearly 150 students made their voices heard in support of former teacher John Harrison.
Harrison says he was fired to bring in two younger, less-expensive replacements, and he plans to file an age discrimination lawsuit. The former Army infantry officer who earned a Purple Heart in Vietnam became an extremely successful trial lawyer, but his dream was always to be a high school Social Studies teacher.
That dream was realized, then came to a sudden end."I've always wanted to be a high school history teacher and that's all I want to be until I can't work anymore," Harrison said. "It was hard to describe how much fun it was to go to work in the morning."
He says that the way he and other teachers were treated by what he calls an "autocratic" principal is outrageous. It led to a vocal protest by dozens of Bishop O'Connell students and Facebook pages numbering thousands of supporters.
"Part of the reason I'm going to college is because of Mr. Harrison," student Armando Ouilando said. "It was one class that I went home and shared what I learned that day."
In response, Bishop O'Connell officials said they could not discuss individual personnel matters. In a statement, they said that they understand the difficulty of change, but they acknowledge that change must occur so that the school can flourish.
Harrison said he has not encouraged the students to rise against the school's administration; then again, he hasn't tried to quell it, either, saying that the latter would go against everything he has taught his students.
Link:
UPDATE: The following e-mails were sent by Kevin Di Gregory, Chairman of the Board of Governors of Bishop O'Connell High School:
1.
From: O'Connell Board of Governors <board@bishopoconnell.org>2.
Sent: Friday, 20 April 2012 4:25 AM
Subject: A Message from the O'Connell Board of Governors
Dear Families, Alumni and Friends,
According to Diocesan policy, the school administration is not at liberty to discuss individual personnel situations.
The Office of Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Arlington and the Board of Governors of Bishop Denis J. O'Connell High School fully and completely support the school's administration as it continues its effort to create the best possible educational environment for all of its students.
We understand the difficulty of change, but acknowledge that change must occur so that the school can flourish and move forward in meeting present and future educational needs.
With thanks for the tremendous support that the O’Connell community has always provided for our students, we ask that this community now join forces to shape an even greater future.
Sincerely,
Kevin Di Gregory
Chairman, Board of Governors of Bishop O'Connell High School
From: O'Connell Board of Governors <board@bishopoconnell.org>
Date: 20 April 2012 9:32:06 AM AEST
Subject: Clarification - Message from the O'Connell Board of Governors
Dear Alumni,
We apologize for any confusion that our earlier e-mail may have caused. You may or may not have heard about a staffing situation that has recently arisen at Bishop O'Connell High School, and about which the school has been receiving numerous inquiries. The Board of Governors of the Bishop O'Connell in conjunction with the Office of Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Arlington has released the following statement (which appeared in our previous e-mail):
According to Diocesan policy, the school administration is not at liberty to discuss individual personnel situations.
The Office of Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Arlington and the Board of Governors of Bishop Denis J. O'Connell High School fully and completely support the school's administration as it continues its effort to create the best possible educational environment for all of its students.
We understand the difficulty of change, but acknowledge that change must occur so that the school can flourish and move forward in meeting present and future educational needs.
With thanks for the tremendous support that the O’Connell community has always provided for our students, we ask that this community now join forces to shape an even greater future.
Sincerely,
Kevin Di Gregory
Chairman, Board of Governors of Bishop O'Connell High School
No comments:
Post a Comment