Michigan Teacher Suspended for Disciplining Anti-Gay Student?

Imagine that a student comes bursting through the classroom doors, wearing a big, bright, shiny Confederate flag as a belt buckle, and telling the entire class that he doesn't accept gay people. Would that student then deserve to be disciplined?

One Michigan teacher at Howell High School thought so. Last Wednesday -- which incidentally was Spirit Day, a day commemorated at schools across the country to remember victims of anti-gay bullying -- Jay McDowell told such a student that he should leave the classroom. After all, disrespecting your peers tends to result in some sort of punishment.

Only in this instance, the student wasn't punished. The teacher was, earning a one day suspension from his high school teaching job for what the school district very bureaucratically calls "a personnel matter."

So let's get this straight, Howell High School: a student tells a classroom of folks that he doesn't accept gay people, while donning Confederate Flag apparel, and the teacher is the one who gets punished? What a message that sends to our youth.

David Boeving, a Howell alum with a younger brother who goes to Howell High School, told The Livingston Daily that he was shocked a teacher would be punished for standing up against homophobia.

"I was kind of taken aback when I heard (McDowell) was suspended, especially if the sole reason for the suspension was trying to topple gay hate," Boeving said. He noted that McDowell let folks know about his one-day suspension through a Facebook account status update. Man, Facebook is all about becoming a vehicle for breaking news, eh?

There was also a school board meeting this week where at least one student and one parent in the district tried to speak on behalf of McDowell. They were shot down by administrators, who said that the school board couldn't comment on confidential personnel matters. So instead the two folks talked about what it's like to be LGBT in the district, and how teachers like McDowell are necessary in order to foster a safe climate for all students.

And that's exactly right. Imagine a teacher that didn't speak up after a student walked into a classroom and said, "I don't accept gay people." Would that be the kind of teacher we'd want in front of our students?

Hardly. Administrators in Howell have some serious explaining to do. They're standing by the suspension, saying that they can't release details because of confidentiality. But the district should make it very clear that McDowell wasn't suspended for confronting homophobia. If he was, well then, Howell has their education priorities entirely backwards, rewarding homophobic students over responsible teachers.

Photo credit: comedy_nose