Sub teacher’s criticism of Bush probed

By Emily Richmond

Thursday, Feb. 12, 2004 | 8:52 a.m.

Clark County School District officials are investigating a parent's complaint that a substitute teacher at K.O. Knudson Middle School told seventh graders the war in Iraq wasn't about a search for weapons of mass destruction but an act of revenge for a failed assassination attempt on President Bush's father by Saddam Hussein.

Megan McGowan, 12, said she was expecting Monday's first period history class to be a continuation of a unit on the American Revolutionary War. But it was a substitute teacher at the head of the class that morning and not her regular teacher, Megan said.

After asking the class what time they said the Pledge of Allegiance,the substitute launched into her remarks about the Iraqi War, Megan said.

"(The substitute) said she voted for (Al) Gore last time and was going to vote for a Democrat again," Megan said. "She said Bush was only going after Saddam because Saddam had gone after his dad.

"She shouldn't have been talking about the president that way. Even if she wanted to say Bush was great, it isn't her job to be preaching political stuff. That really got on my nerves."

The political diatribe by the substitute infuriated Megan's father, David McGowan.

"They should teach my daughter how to read and write -- not how to vote," McGowan said Wednesday. "This wasn't a discussion or exchange of ideas in a college political science class. This was a teacher using her position of power over a group of captive seventh graders to cram her point of view down their throats."

Substitute teachers are supposed to follow the lesson plans provided by the regular classroom teacher, said Agustin Orci, deputy superintendent of instruction for the Clark County School District. All teachers -- both substitutes and full-time employees -- are expected to keep their personal politics and viewpoints out of the classroom, Orci said.

"You need to make sure both sides of any issue are provided," Orci said. "It is inappropriate for a teacher to share their personal opinion."

McGowan said he spoke with Eva White, assistant superintendent of the Clark County School District's east region, who told him a preliminary investigation revealed his daughter's version of the events were accurate.

White told the Sun she could not comment on the situation because it was a personnel issue.