Tim Latham, who has spent the last 19 years teaching students American history and government . . . [says] that his personal political views weren't making the grade with the rest of the faculty . . .
UPDATE 6/23/09: School re-hires teacher after national scrutiny
-- From "Kansas Teacher Claims Conservative Views Led to Loss of Job" by Joshua Rhett Miller, FOX News 6/12/09
The 44-year-old teacher filed a grievance earlier this month with his district after his contract was not renewed in April. He argues the district didn't follow the proper process.
Latham claims school officials violated his contract by not conducting proper reviews — four 20-minute in-class evaluations throughout the year — and says they were looking for a way to get rid of him due to his personal politics.
During Latham's brief meeting with [Assistant Principal] Gentry, he claims Gentry told him his school-affiliated Web site was "too patriotic." The site has links to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the Air Force, the U.S. Army and other military- and history-related sites.
He claims the critiques took a personal turn in October, when class lessons began focusing on the presidential race between Obama and John McCain. One student, whom Latham declined to identify, complained to Gentry that he had been too critical of Obama.
Latham also said that Gentry asked him about a "McCain-Palin" bumper sticker on his car.
"She said, 'I don't know how you could support that woman,'" Latham said. "That was the beginning of what was going on. They were trying to find a reason to get rid of me."
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