WTHR |Teacher suspended over controversial book

Teacher suspended over controversial book

Mary Milz/Eyewitness News

Perry Township - A Perry Meridian High teacher suspended for insubordination will get her job back, but not right away.

Monday night, the Perry Township School Board voted to offer Connie Heermann a year-and-a-half unpaid suspension. Several board members called it a "compromise," describing the 27-year veteran as a good teacher who made a bad call.

Heermann was suspended in November after allowing her students at Perry Meridian High School to read the Freedom Writer's Diary after an administrator's told her to stop using the highly acclaimed, yet controversial book. Some school officials objected to it because of racial slurs and sexual content.

While board members initially took up a motion to end Heermann's contract, board member Steve Maple amended it to an unpaid suspension through the end of the 2008-2009 school year.

"I think the penalty of cancelling the contract exceeds the violation," said Maple.

Board member Rubie Alexander agreed, "but you just don't walk away with being insubordinate."

While others praised Heermann as a "passionate" teacher, they stressed that the issue was about following the rules.

"My vote isn't about supporting the Freedom Writers or not supporting it, it's about a teacher honoring the process," said board member Nancy Walsh.

The board's decision to suspend Heermann caught her by surprise.

"This is a decision that will take us some time to evaluate," she said. "I don't think I'm going to actually sit back and do nothing for a year and a half, but to jump into any rash decisions is not what we're going to do either."

Heermann, who had parents sign permission slips, said she began talking to administrators about the book in August.

"They never gave me a direct answer until after the book was handed out," Heermann said.

Heermann used a critically-acclaimed - and controversial - book in her lessons, but school administrators didn't want it in the classroom. She thought the book - a collection of personal, yet graphic, success stories of inner city teenagers would be a great lesson.

"I don't think we're talking about a non-compliant teacher here, we're talking about someone who was excited to teach, someone who loved kids," said Casey Patterson with the Indiana State Teachers Association.

The outcome drew several different reactions.

Perry Township resident Bonnie Cane said, "I'm not sure what a suspension until next year means. Is she still employed? Can she get another job or does she sit home with no money? It's unclear to me."

Kim Sons, a student said, "I agree with the comments about insubordination being treated too severely, but I think they treated it very fairly tonight."

Board members pointed out The Freedom Writers Diary is not banned at Perry Meridian High School, and that there are 10 copies in the school library.

Free speech issue?

School board members and legal observers say this is not a free speech issue. It is a question of insubordination and if she disregarded her superior's orders. Educators, however, claim the controversy is much bigger than a single teacher.

"It is serious everywhere," said Mark Shoup of the Indiana State Teachers Association. The group insists Heermann's situation has a chilling effect on teachers wanting new, exciting and engaging lessons for students.

"That cold wind that blows," Shoup said. "You think, what will happen if I bring in materials like this."

The American Library Association says the number of books banned or challenged at public libraries increases every year. Along with titles with obvious references to sexuality, violence and vulgarity, the Harry Potter series and classics like "Of Mice and Men" and "Huckleberry Finn" rank among the most-challenged books.

The president of Indiana's Association for Media Educators says librarians rely on professional journals, like their own judgement and community values when selecting books for children.

"The fear of whether a book is going to be challenged or not challenged is not the guiding force," said Robyn Young. "The educational needs of the students is the guiding force."

(Eyewitness News reporter Rich Van Wyk contributed to this story.)