04/30/2007
Indiana Teacher Transferred, Barred from Teaching Journalism for Allowing Pro-Gay Tolerance Essay
The story of an Allen County, Indiana teacher I posted in February has taken another outrageous turn. You may remember that Amy Sorrell was put on paid leave in March following the publication of a pro-gay tolerance essay by sophomore Megan Chase in the Woodlan Junior-Senior High School Tomahawk (which Sorrell supervises) that read, in part:
"I can only imagine how hard it would be to come out as homosexual in today’s society. I think it is so wrong to look down on those people, or to make fun of them, just because they have a different sexuality than you. There is nothing wrong with them or their brain; they’re just different than you."
Following a warning for "insubordination" by the school's principal Edwin Yoder, Sorrell was suspended from teaching and put under "investigation" Yoder also said all future issues of the school newspaper would require his approval before going to press.
The results of the school's "investigation," according to the Indianapolis Star? Sorrell will be "transferred to another school and barred from teaching journalism for three years."
All for allowing a student-written essay that said people should tolerate gays and lesbians.
The Star: "Sorrell had to choose between 'the students of Woodlan High School and a free press and the children living in her home,' said Jack Groch, a union representative with the Indiana State Teachers Association who represented her. Sorrell, who grew up in Monroeville, southeast of Fort Wayne in Allen County, attended East Allen schools. She always wanted to teach there, Groch said. But Sorrell felt she couldn't take the chance of losing her job, he said. 'She is not a wealthy person and felt she couldn't maintain her family if she had to undergo a long appeal process.'"
School administrators held a press conference after the settlement decision, saying they were the victims of "character assassination", apparently upset that their bigoted behavior had been exposed in the media.
Said Superintendent Kay Novotny (pictured, in blue): “EACS senior administrators have been able to set aside their frustrations with the spin applied to this situation to give Amy Sorrell a second chance to prove, despite her relative youth and obvious inexperience, that she can make as great a positive mark on EACS education as the administrators whose reputations her comments and actions have helped tarnish."
Sorrell was also apparently made to issue an apology "stating that she did not intend her actions or comments over the last three months to suggest that administrators were intolerant toward homosexuality."
Added Novotny: "(We) assume that her statement of apology was sincere and heartfelt and not some shallow, insincere statement made, with her fingers crossed behind her back, in order to save her job."
Absolutely sickening.
Journalism teacher to be moved [indy star]
EACS: Sorrell’s job saved by compassion [fort wayne journal gazette]
You may have missed...
Gay Tolerance Puts Indiana Teacher Under Investigation [tr]
HS Pro-Gay Tolerance Editorial Gets Warning from Principal [tr]
School information, after the jump...
(260) 446-0290 Woodlan Junior-Senior High School
Principal Phone:, 219-446-0290 ext 7401
Posted 8:19 AM EST by Andy in Censorship, Education, Indiana, News | Permalink
Comments
Good fucking Lord. Let's all contact these people and rip them a new one.
Posted by: Marco | Apr 30, 2007 8:31:24 AM
"Superintendent Kay Novotny said the settlement was made because the administrators are compassionate."
Liar.
Posted by: homer | Apr 30, 2007 8:32:38 AM
This is unbelievable! What kind of people are running this school? The reputations of those administrators should be "tarnished". Is their contact information for these school administrators? I would like to write to them.
Posted by: Becky | Apr 30, 2007 8:45:01 AM
Does anyone have the contact information for these people?
Posted by: Brett | Apr 30, 2007 8:52:48 AM
Just another one of Towleroad's posts I have read with my mouth open in disbelief.
Posted by: EireKev | Apr 30, 2007 8:54:49 AM
Thanks Andy for keeping this on the front burner!
Posted by: Brandon Fitzgerald | Apr 30, 2007 9:02:46 AM
Thank you, Towleroad! I read this yesterday on IndyStar.com and I couldn't believe it. I'm from Indiana (not this place), but I am outraged that this teacher got in any trouble. I now live in the wonderful San Francisco Bay Area, where this teacher would be applauded for her efforts.
--Davearama
Posted by: Davearama | Apr 30, 2007 9:34:04 AM
Wow. It was their own actions that revealed their intolerance, not anything the teacher did. Their statements don't help either.
knovotny@eacs.k12.in.us (Kay Novotney, superintendent)
eyoder@eacs.k12.in.us (Edwin Yoder, the principal)
Board members
Stephen L. Terry, Sr. President
sterry@eacs.k12.in.us
Kenneth E. Eytcheson Vice President
keytcheson@eacs.k12.in.us
Janice A. Kelly Secretary
jkelly@eacs.k12.in.us
Terry Jo Lightfoot Assistant Secretary
tlightfoot@eacs.k12.in.us
Leland L. Etzler Board Member
letzler@eacs.k12.in.us
William D. Hartman Board Member
whartman@eacs.k12.in.us
Richard A. Allgeier Board Member
rallgeier@eacs.k12.in.us
Posted by: karashi | Apr 30, 2007 9:35:19 AM
I guess we should commend the school board for their compassion.
After all, it would have been well within their rights to have stoned this woman to death for such a grievous offense as this.
It's clear that the school administrators are the innocent victims of bigotry here. How dare anyone try to make them look backwards and homophobic. Maybe we should organize a rally to show our support for these angels.
/end sarcasm
Posted by: Zeke | Apr 30, 2007 9:48:27 AM
I feel bad for her. It's unfortunate in this day an age you can't express anything without being attacked. It's definitely a reason I keep my private life private and keep a seperate public life at work. I would like to keep making good money.
Posted by: Matt | Apr 30, 2007 9:50:08 AM
So the "teacher" has to excuse for the media attention that the "verdict" has caused.
This is like forcing a Black Person to excuse for that punishment he got.
Posted by: somedude | Apr 30, 2007 9:54:18 AM
Thanks to Karashi (above). The email addresses seem to work for the superintendant and principal, but emails I wrote to the rest of the Board Members were bounced back to me.
Posted by: Chesnut | Apr 30, 2007 10:19:10 AM
Wow. The school board response is a piece of work! They present themselves as the real authorities on the First Amendment and claim that court precedent allows them legally to control content in a course (which is probably technically true, but...):
In Mayer v. Monroe County Community School Corp., 474 F.3d 477 (7th Cir. 2007), that court reaffirmed an earlier position it had taken in 1990 “that public school teachers must hew to the approach prescribed by principals (and others higher up in the chain of authority)” and that public school teachers did not have a constitutional right to introduce their own views on a subject “but must stick to the prescribed curriculum – not only the prescribed subject matter, but also the prescribed perspective on that subject matter.”
Scary, no? If you have a homophobic principal you have to hew to the prescribed perspective on gay issues? That seems to be their argument.
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/news/editorial/17147845.htm
Posted by: KevinVT | Apr 30, 2007 10:27:10 AM
Odd how this pack of fools made themselves out to be the victims in all of this. The doublespeak they unleashed in their release to the media would make the lead asshole in D.C proud. These idiots are educating our children.
Posted by: Bill | Apr 30, 2007 10:27:42 AM
It's always the same. People get very defensive when forced to confront their own bigotry. And that apology letter, and the smarmy comment that Novotny made, hoping that she wasn't making a "shallow, insincere" statement? Nothing like making statements under duress... it's worked for Islamic terrorists for years.
I wrote a letter to all of them expressing (politely) my outrage. I'd encourage all of you to do the same. "Character assassination" my ass... it's not character assassination to reveal the true nature of someone's character to the public whom they serve.
Posted by: Brian | Apr 30, 2007 10:46:13 AM
-----"I feel bad for her. It's unfortunate in this day an age you can't express anything without being attacked. It's definitely a reason I keep my private life private and keep a seperate public life at work. I would like to keep making good money."-------
unfortunately Matt, that's not helping the issue. You should take the risk of being out in the workplace and in life so that bigotry like this is broken down bit by bit. people work with and around homosexuals every day, they just don't know it. they should.
Posted by: MW | Apr 30, 2007 11:07:16 AM
This is outrageous. I can totally imagine myself being booted from my classroom for teaching someone that they need to practice tolerance and not being the bigoted, backwards, dogmatic wingnut their parents are.
Posted by: Xavier | Apr 30, 2007 11:25:46 AM
Sorry MW. I would love to be out at work but I am not willing to take the risk. I need my income. Sorry, I live in a state that can fire you for being gay. It's not that I care more about making money than being out. I care about being able to survive financially and if being closeted at work helps me do that then so be it.
Posted by: Matt | Apr 30, 2007 11:45:40 AM
Irony abounds. Amy Sorrel experienced firsthand the kind of bigotry she was trying to eliminate. And another piece of irony, Superintendant Novotny has the same last name as the much more tolerant character played by Sharon Gless in "Queer as Folk". So much for the heralded common sense of the Midwest. Their lives must be so pitiful that they have to take their anger out on others.
Posted by: woodroad34 | Apr 30, 2007 11:50:10 AM
Please also feel free to contact kay novotny at her personal email address novotnys@comcast.net
Don't be nasty. Just break it down for her.
J
Posted by: jacko | Apr 30, 2007 11:55:53 AM
And let's not forget that supression only goes so far. There are ways to get around the likes of the merely educated, yet highly unsophisticated Superintendant. Many small actions work as well as moderately big ones. Remember how the movie industry got around the Hays Code? Pigs like the superintendant like to wallow in their own bigoted filth, while it takes someone like Amy Sorrel to hose 'em down and fatten them up for the slaughter. I wish I had the money to help Amy mount a legal action against that hog. Pork anyone?
Posted by: woodroad34 | Apr 30, 2007 11:55:57 AM
Matt -
"It's not that I care more about making money than being out."
Actually, that's exactly what you're saying. I agree that there are some situations that place extraordinary pressure on GLBT people to remain closeted... there's no question about that. But if no one ever risked anything, nothing would ever get done. It's your choice to remain in the closet, and I'll support it. But don't you think that the reason your state doesn't protect GLBT people from being fired is the fact that good people stay silent? Times are changing... I think you'd probably find more support than you realize. If not, then no one's forcing you to live there...
This is America. You're welcome to do what you want. I'm just saying that in my experience life is so much better when you're able to integrate your personal and professional lives in an honest, forthright way.
Posted by: Brian | Apr 30, 2007 12:56:10 PM
I guess that is what I'm saying Brian. You are right no one is forcing me to live here but my family and everything I know is here. I honestly don't think I could make it anywhere else. I'm glad people take risk and I support them but I'm not going to be the one to take the risk. Thanks for being at least kind about your opinion and not ripping me a new one for my decision.
Posted by: Matt | Apr 30, 2007 1:14:59 PM
Matt -
I agree. Those of us who has moved to gay-friendly states like California or Massachusetts are sometimes overzealous in our belief that anyone can simply pack up and hop on the next flight to San Francisco, Los Angeles, or Boston. It's easy for us to say because we've made a conscious decision to "break" with the past.
But many gays have strong ties to the region in which they grew up in. They have familial obligations they do not want to abandon. And I respect that.
Posted by: John | Apr 30, 2007 1:30:06 PM
Is it something in the water across this country that has rendered hoardes of gay men so willing and eager to surrender their balls without a fight. When did the latest gay club dance craze become "The Crawl"? Exactly what does anyone think being pleasant is going to accomplish? "Polite outrage" is an oxymoron. Why not send the superintendant flowers? Invite the bitch to tea?
From the Fort Wayne paper article: “speaking for himself, [Sorrell’s] attorney Patrick Proctor... said the district is blaming Sorrell for something only the district has control over.
“They are blaming Amy for how they’ve been portrayed in the media, but they still haven’t accepted responsibility for any of their own conduct, and if there was anybody that was in a position to repair their own public image, it’s them,” Proctor said. “All they would have to do is issue a formal policy on tolerance regarding homosexuality and free speech, but throughout this they’ve failed to do that.”
Jack Groch, the Indiana State Teachers Association representative for East Allen County Schools who was at the news conference, said the issue was anything but a routine personnel matter.
“This situation erupted after the word ‘homosexual’ appeared in the school newspaper,” he said. The administration put Sorrell in a situation where she had to choose between what she believed in and the financial well-being of her family.
“Had it not been for Amy Sorrell’s financial condition, we would have been ready to pursue a lawsuit,” Groch said. Sorrell accepted the settlement and made the required statements because she had to, he said. ...
Sorrell’s father, Neil Ternet, also attended Friday’s news conference and said he is proud of his daughter.
“I think Amy’s right. I don’t think she did anything wrong,” he said. He didn’t accept the administration’s assertion that they are victims or compassionate.
“You can put a dress on a pig, but it’s still a pig,” Ternet said.
Posted by: Leland | Apr 30, 2007 1:33:07 PM
While hopefully the firm represented the teacher pro bono, I'm sure she could use some money, both because of her week-long suspension without pay beginning tomorrow[another part of the "settlement"], and as a concrete expression of how much we appreciate her courage and its multi-faceted cost. Mailing address:
Amy Sorrell
c/o Patrick L. Proctor
Eilbacher Fletcher, LLP
803 S. Calhoun St., Ste 400
Fort Wayne, IN 46802
Posted by: Leland | Apr 30, 2007 1:58:07 PM
By the way, this number: Principal Phone:, 219-446-0290 ext 7401
Would actually be: 260-446-0290 ext 7401 as the Northeastern area of Indiana switched from the 219 area code to 260 several years ago.
I'm an alumnus of this school district and also a gay man and i couldn't be more ashamed. I'm glad to know that Amy, like myself, is a much more enlightened product of this district than the people running it. I have hope for Indiana even though this seems so backward and cruel... at least these things are being discussed and making the news... just a few years ago even that would not have been the case. We have to keep up the good fight. For those of us who have remained in "flyover country" lets keep fighting the good fight for equality and justice.
Posted by: matt | Apr 30, 2007 3:32:40 PM
Anti-gay people want CONTROL over gay people's lives.
Here is an example of a straight ally where that is the case. They want to control what jobs she can take. She no longer can teach journalism and has to go to another school.
Anti-gay people want CONTROL over gay people's lives. Look at any part of a gay person's life and you'll see that they want to control it. Holding hands in public; no. Job freedom; no. Talking about a partner; no. The list goes on.
Posted by: Jack! | Apr 30, 2007 3:48:36 PM
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Posted by: Bill | Apr 30, 2007 10:16:58 PM
I'd like to see the essay itself. I'd also like to see it in National Newspapers or Mainstream magazines... This teacher has my $50.00 on its way to her.
Thanks for this Andy...love your blog.
Posted by: Dave O. | May 6, 2007 8:04:09 AM
This article is another reason to NEVER go to Indiana (ad that to my FLY OVER state catagory) ...especially since 2000, there is sooo many states I totally avoid...America has shrunk for Gay People.
Posted by: Disgusted American | Jan 7, 2008 9:23:24 AM
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