Batavia teacher should be lauded

Batavia teacher should be lauded

Regarding, “Batavia school board disciplines teacher after survey flap,” the superintendent stated in a letter to the Batavia community that “the issue before the board was whether one employee has the right to mischaracterize the efforts of our teachers, counselors, social workers and others.”

The issue that should have been before the board is this: How did this project go as far as it did without anyone asking the important questions about how to facilitate this information-gathering process in a way that does not infringe upon students’ rights? And is that even possible?

Batavia High School social studies teacher John Dryden took a real life situation in students’ lives and used it as an opportunity to teach civics. For that he should be lauded. However the board, rather than recognize his action as exemplary teaching, demonized him in order to protect their own interests and reputations.

And that in a nutshell is why we have a Bill of Rights — to protect the individual from the misuse of the power of government.

Carla Eisenberg

Hanover Park