In Mount Vernon, Ohio, a 14-month hearing over the expulsion of a creationist school teacher accused of burning crosses into his students arms is nearing its conclusion on January 22, but according to CBS News the verdict won't be known for another few months:
"The allegations and the hearing have divided the small town outside of
Columbus, with plenty of supporters for and against Freshwater's
firing. After he was suspended without pay, many students showed up at
school wearing t-shirts with 'I support Mr. Freshwater — God' on the
front.
"
The NYT reports: "Mr. Freshwater, who declined to be interviewed, has said he did not
mean to burn a cross on any student's arm. Instead, he said he intended
to leave a temporary X on the skin using a device called a Tesla coil
during a science demonstration. He says he had done that, with no
complaints, hundreds of times in his 21 years as a teacher at Mount
Vernon Middle School."
And if that's not enough, the NYT adds:
"One high school teacher said she consistently had to reteach
evolution to Mr. Freshwater's students because they did not master the
basics. Another testified that Mr. Freshwater told his students they
should not always take science as fact, citing as an example a study
that posited the possibility of a gene for homosexuality. 'Science is wrong,' Mr. Freshwater was reported as saying, 'because the Bible states that homosexuality is a sin, and so anyone who is gay chooses to be gay and is therefore a sinner.' A third teacher testified that Mr. Freshwater advised students to refer to the Bible for additional science research. School
officials said Mr. Freshwater's science classroom was adorned with at
least four copies of the Ten Commandments and several other posters
that included verses from Scripture."