BY MONICA VON DOBENECK
Of The Patriot-News
Annville-Cleona High School science teacher Tom Ritter said he thinks armed teachers would be a better deterrent against terrorists than lockdowns, and that the Classrooms for the Future course was a waste of time.
In a federal lawsuit against the school district, Ritter said he thinks those opinions, and his tendency to express them, led to his "unsatisfactory" rating from the administration.
He is seeking $10 million in damages from the district for violating his civil rights.
Ritter said Monday that the district is not allowing him to teach and has stopped paying him. He said he is waiting to see if the school board fires him at the April meeting.
Superintendent Marsha Zehner was out of town and could not be reached for comment. District solicitor Bob Frankhouser would not comment on the case, only saying that "I can assure you" the district will defend the lawsuit vigorously.
Ritter, 61, of Orwigsburg, said he is a good teacher and has the support of many of his students. He has been teaching chemistry and physics in the district since 1997 and was chosen by the class of 2004 to be the commencement speaker.
In his lawsuit, Ritter said the district had a lockdown drill several weeks ago. Ritter said that he thought the drill was dangerous and "would not prevent terrorists from massacring perhaps several hundred children before the police could act."
According to the lawsuit, he said publicly that "a much more effective deterrent would be to allow teachers to possess guns in school, a position that got him a tongue lashing from the superintendent."
Ritter elaborated on Monday, saying lockdowns, in which students are kept in the classrooms during dangerous situations, might be useful in Columbine or Virginia Tech type shootings, but not against terrorists "who know that American schools are gun-free zones."
According to the lawsuit, Ritter also said in a fall survey that he thought the Classrooms for the Future course given to teachers was worthless.
He said his responses were "entirely honest and, in fact, shared by most teachers who were forced to take the course."
The director of technology said Ritter's response to the survey could jeopardize a $650,000 state grant, according to the lawsuit.
A few weeks later, Ritter received the unsatisfactory rating, which he said was to harass him for his political views.
It's not Ritter's first run-in with the administration. He was suspended in May after he refused to grade a retest the principal gave a student. Ritter had given the student a zero for allegedly copying from another student's test.
In May 2007, Ritter received some notoriety by claiming that evolution was bad science in a debate with a university professor.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Not All Is Gloomy In Washington, D.C.
U.S. Senate Votes to Uphold Second Amendment in Washington, D.C.
Fairfax, Va. – The United States Senate has voted, with overwhelming bipartisan support, to adopt an amendment offered by Senator John Ensign (R-NV) that seeks to protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens in the District of Columbia.
The amendment, attached to S.160, the D.C. Voting Rights Act, will repeal restrictive gun control laws passed by the District of Columbia’s (D.C.) city council after the landmark D.C. v. Heller Supreme Court decision. The vote margin was 62-36.
“Today’s vote brings us one step closer to restoring the Second Amendment freedom of law-abiding D.C. residents,” said NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox. “It’s ludicrous that good people in our nation’s capital continue to be harassed as they try to defend themselves and their loved ones in their own homes. This vote reinforces the historic Heller ruling.”
After the Heller ruling, the D.C. city council passed a law requiring would-be gun owners to pay a registration fee, pass a 20-question multiple choice test, take a five-hour training course, undergo an invasive background check every six years, re-register any firearm every three years, and finally, submit all handguns for ballistics testing. Current D.C. law also bans an overwhelming majority of firearms commonly used for self-defense. This Ensign Amendment would also remedy that unjust practice.
“NRA would like to thank the lead sponsor, Sen. John Ensign for his efforts to reform D.C.’s gun laws and enable folks to protect their property and their loved ones,” concluded Cox. “It’s time for leaders in Washington to wake up to the fact that the Supreme Court decision is now the law of the land.”
-NRA-
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen's group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation's leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military.
Fairfax, Va. – The United States Senate has voted, with overwhelming bipartisan support, to adopt an amendment offered by Senator John Ensign (R-NV) that seeks to protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens in the District of Columbia.
The amendment, attached to S.160, the D.C. Voting Rights Act, will repeal restrictive gun control laws passed by the District of Columbia’s (D.C.) city council after the landmark D.C. v. Heller Supreme Court decision. The vote margin was 62-36.
“Today’s vote brings us one step closer to restoring the Second Amendment freedom of law-abiding D.C. residents,” said NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox. “It’s ludicrous that good people in our nation’s capital continue to be harassed as they try to defend themselves and their loved ones in their own homes. This vote reinforces the historic Heller ruling.”
After the Heller ruling, the D.C. city council passed a law requiring would-be gun owners to pay a registration fee, pass a 20-question multiple choice test, take a five-hour training course, undergo an invasive background check every six years, re-register any firearm every three years, and finally, submit all handguns for ballistics testing. Current D.C. law also bans an overwhelming majority of firearms commonly used for self-defense. This Ensign Amendment would also remedy that unjust practice.
“NRA would like to thank the lead sponsor, Sen. John Ensign for his efforts to reform D.C.’s gun laws and enable folks to protect their property and their loved ones,” concluded Cox. “It’s time for leaders in Washington to wake up to the fact that the Supreme Court decision is now the law of the land.”
-NRA-
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen's group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation's leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military.
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