MOUNT VERNON — Monday’s meeting of the Mount Vernon City Board of Education was well attended, and a number of community members addressed the board during the public participation portion of the meeting.
Although there was no dialog between the board and the speakers, each individual registered to speak was allowed three minutes to make his or her statement. Board president Ian Watson assured the speakers that the board “will take what we hear and consider those words deeply.”
Since the declared topic of the participants was middle school science teacher John Freshwater, Watson addressed a rumor that the board was planning to dismiss Freshwater later during the business meeting. He said the board has “no plans to take action until all of the information [regarding the allegations] is collected and verified.” Watson said the outside investigator has spoken with the child, the parents, middle school principal Bill White and Superintendent Steve Short, and is expected to speak with Freshwater later this week.
Several of the community speakers spoke in support of Freshwater; others supported the school board’s decision to conduct an investigation and to protect the physical and psychological well-being of all Mount Vernon students.
One person said that as a teacher in a public school classroom, Freshwater is an agent of the state and cannot claim the rights of a private citizen to profess his faith in the classroom because the Constitution requires the separation of church and state. Someone else said “the separation of church and state is a myth,” and that Freshwater has the right to keep a Bible on his desk.
Yet another said Freshwater did not misuse his position and was not preaching to the students, and someone else said the law is there to protect everyone and to guarentee rights to freedom from religious indoctrination. Another individual said the school board was setting a dangerous precedent in taking God out of school, and yet another said the board has a duty to uphold the law.
After the meeting, Watson told the News, “A number of people spoke highly of Mr. Freshwater’s character and teaching in the classroom. Comments were made by others concerning the current status of the law in matters such as we are experiencing, leaving little room in their minds for a variety of outcomes. What impressed me the most was the civility each person displayed. It is also very clear that emotions run high in this area.”
Watson said the investigation is not centered on whether Freshwater has a Bible on his desk in the classroom.
“It’s more about the totality of some actions that have taken place,” Short said.
Those actions include allegations that Freshwater was teaching particular religious views in class and that he conducted a science experiment in which a child was allegedly harmed.
The make and model of the device alleged to have been used to burn crosses on the arms of students in December is BD-10A, manufactured by Electro-Technic Products Inc. The company describes the device, which is a variation on the Tesla coil, as a hand-held unit which generates a high voltage at a high frequency.
The product is used in industrial applications for pinhole leak detection and to ionize gas in a lamp, neon sign or similar device to determine whether a good vacuum is being maintained. Safety precautions suggested by the company include: “Never touch or come in contact with the high voltage output of this device, nor with any device it is energizing.”
Freshwater has declined to speak with the News concerning the allegations against him.
