Teacher's 'branding' case opens a religious divide

This in the Los Angeles Times, by Tim Jones of the Chicago Tribune:

John Freshwater, who teaches middle school science,

is said to have burned a student's arm during class;

the parents are suing.

His supporters say his creationist beliefs are on trial.

MT. VERNON, OHIO -- It's the kind of story that turns heads and stomachs alike, especially in a small town. A well-known and popular middle school science teacher known for strong religious beliefs is charged with branding the shape of a cross onto the forearm of an eighth-grader.The teacher is in big and possibly career-ending trouble, a quiet college town is bitterly divided and the Bible is at the center of it.

The case of John Freshwater, a 21-year veteran of the Mt. Vernon City School District, has split this politically conservative town of 14,000 into camps -- those who see Freshwater as a heroic figure, persecuted for his Christian beliefs and his insistence on having his personal Bible on his desk, and those who condemn him as a religious predator promoting creationism and intelligent design and undermining the teaching of evolution in violation of school policy.

Around town, some suggest that the unidentified child made up the branding story or that the photo of the child's forearm was doctored. Others say Freshwater, who teaches creationism and intelligent design at Trinity Worship Center, has been pushing his personal religious agenda in the public school for years.

In 2003, Freshwater proposed a policy to "critically analyze evolution," which the school board rejected.Freshwater, 52, has vehemently denied branding anyone and insists he teaches evolution. In a brief interview, Freshwater said the investigation into his activities was biased. All this is prelude to an Aug. 26 hearing at which a referee will consider the school board's unanimous recommendation that Freshwater, who has been suspended without pay, be fired.

The alleged branding occurred in December during a classroom science experiment. Freshwater was using an electrostatic device common in science classroom demonstrations. Science teachers at the school say they have used the device for many years to identify the color of gases.

Freshwater told investigators, according to an independent probe, that students often ask if they can touch the device, which carries high voltage but low current. On that day, several students volunteered, including one unidentified child whose parents complained of a crosslike "burn that remained on their child's arm for three or four weeks," the report said.

The parents are suing Freshwater and the school system.

Many here wish the whole matter would go away, along with the television crews that have swooped in for another chapter in the simmering national saga of creationism versus evolution."There's a battle of ideology going on here," said Don Matolyak, a Freshwater supporter and pastor at the church where he teaches. "I believe the ultimate issue is the Bible on the desk." No way, argues Beth Murdock, who runs a downtown bakery. "This makes us look like a bunch of hicks, and that's not what this is."

"I don't think he meant to burn anybody," she said. "He got some bad counsel to make this all about the Bible and God. All he needed to do was say he was sorry, but he wouldn't do that."

The alleged branding has overshadowed a more complex story of religious beliefs and public education. Freshwater supporters argue that religious freedom is on trial here, along with the teacher.

The school district begs to differ.

"To try to put this in the context of Scopes would not be appropriate," said school board attorney David Millstone, referring to the Tennessee teacher tried in 1925 for teaching evolution. "This is about the safety and well-being of students and protecting their constitutional rights to get an education."

Mt. Vernon is home to several thriving manufacturers and Mt. Vernon Nazarene University. A few miles down the road in Gambier is Kenyon College, founded in 1824 to educate clergymen "for frontier America," according to the Kenyon website. Alumni include President Rutherford B. Hayes, author E.L. Doctorow and actor Paul Newman.

Freshwater's case has strained the community. One yard sign read, "The student goes. We support Mr. Freshwater. The Bible stays!"Lori Miller, a mathematics teacher at the middle school, said Freshwater was being singled out for his religious beliefs. Miller said she kept a Bible on her desk too and, like Freshwater, had posters on her classroom walls with religious themes. Other teachers have Bibles in their rooms, she said."Nobody's ever told me to remove my Bible or to remove the other religious material hanging on my walls," Miller said.

Freshwater is teaching children to ask questions "and not just to take what a teacher said as a fact."The investigative report said Freshwater "challenged kids to question [Charles] Darwin," the English naturalist who formulated a theory of evolution.

The report also cited work sheets given to students that ask, "Is there an I.D. [intelligent design] involved?"On Main Street, opinions reflect the community's discomfort.Anne Storan, who runs a bookstore, called Freshwater "a wonderful man" who is well-liked by the community. "And because they like him they've protected him."

Up the street, Lori Metcalf, who runs a music store with her husband, said Freshwater was the best teacher her daughter ever had."Do I think he might have overstepped his bounds? Yes," Metcalf said. "But he should be reprimanded, not fired."

Backstory from KSN&C.