Tonight, the school board reviewed the case of Mr. Michael Collins. We weren't allowed to hear their deliberations, but at the open forum, everyone was trying to crowd into the choir room, where it was being held, and a fire marshal told us that wasn't going to work--there were hundreds of people there, the parking was full and then some, and everybody wanted in on it. So we adjourned to the gym.
There, several different people addressed the board members, who were sitting in chairs down on the floor, with the rest of us up in the chairs.
Every single one of them spoke out for Mr. Collins.
Every single one of them received thunderous applause.
And they nearly all got standing ovations.
They talked about how Mr. Collins is an outstanding educator; how he is one of those special individuals who has a true talent and love of teaching; how many kids he's impacted for the better; how much he's meant to so many; how what the people persecuting him are doing is cowardly, ignoble, and shameful.
The last person to speak wasn't given a microphone, they tried to shut him up, and the board walked out, refusing to listen. He said they walked out because they are afraid of him. ("Him" and "he" and "this man" was used a lot because we weren't allowed to speak his name--and SEVERAL people, including the speakers, had something to say about this restriction on our free speech.) And he's right.
The board, the administration, these kids persecuting Mr. Collins--they're afraid. The kids, who have not been punished whatsoever for their heinous actions which so infuriated Mr. Collins (and anyone else would have felt the same who heard what the kids were saying) were afraid to getting in trouble. The administration is afraid he'll stay around and oppose their policies detrimental to the science department and the environment and the education of the kids at this institution, and the board is afraid of looking stupid.
The man who spoke last, whom the board walked out on, is a personal friend of Mr. Collins. The exact charges haven't been revealed, since it is only Mr. Collins' right to reveal them, but he said Mr. Collins had told him what the charges were, and that they are trumped up, ridiculous, and absolutely not deserved.
As I saw on the news just now--I'm watching as I'm writing--they're talking about "other complaints" and a bunch of stuff like that, but the only people--and I mean the ONLY people--who are speaking against Mr. Collins are those who have their own personal agenda that only the taking down of Mr. Collins is going to further.
It is NOT RIGHT.
How they can do this to a man who has been nothing but good for this school, for its kids, and personally for me is beyond my power to comprehend.
Right now we're awaiting a date to be set for Mr. Collins's hearing.
If they think the board meeting was noisy and insisting, wait till they see that!
I wore Support Mr. Collins stickers, I signed the petition (too late to have it on the printed off edition for tonight, much to my disappointment), and I'm going to do my best to get the word out that there is a huge injustice going on here.
And if they can do this Mr. Collins? If they can take a wonderful person, and vilanize him, and try to ruin his reputation with mudslinging, what are they going to do to the rest of the teachers? What kind of precedent is being set here? A precedent of tyranny that's what. How many teachers are going to be afraid to discipline for fear of complaints being sent about them to the office?
A substitute teacher, our sometime debate assistant coach and a wonderful woman going for a full teaching license, who was inspired by Mr. Collins, was there tonight and had an offer for an interview from one of the tv crews, and couldn't speak out like she wanted to because she wouldn't be asked back, she'd lose her job, just like none of the teachers can say anything for fear of being fired--fired for supporting justice!!
It's a tyranny of personal agendas and it's time for it to STOP.
One of the parents was on the news "My son isn't a bully blah blah blah"--the kid was antagonizing, horribly antagonizing, the MENTALLY HANDICAPPED. Who WOULDN'T fly into a rage seeing something like that? And then to have the bullies go completely unpunished--it's an OUTRAGE.
I just wish I could do more.
Please, keep the story of Mr. Collins in mind. It may yet end happily, but who knows--we're facing the dark side of America here, the side far removed from freedom of speech and justice for all, and someday, you might have to face that, too. We need this to become a precedent for better, not the bad.
Do the right thing, right now--
http://www.petitiononline.com/collins
http://mr-collins.com
Take A Stand, and REINSTATE MR. COLLINS!!
(Stay tuned for part three, which I will most likely post after the hearing and the final results and decisions are all in.)
