While I am opposed to the initial invasion of Iraq, I feel events such as these need to be made aware of, and the decision of the principal reflects a
person that should not be in charge of a school.
Matthew Lund and Zach Richardson were college roommates. After college Richard joined the Marines and Lund started teaching. Richardson went to
Iraq, Lund to Carson Middle School, there to teach a 6th grade language arts class.
As a class assignment Lund gave his students the opportunity to write a letter to Sgt. Richardson in Iraq. Richardson wrote back and gave the class
the names of five other Marines who would like to receive letters. Soon other middle school classes were also sending letters to the Marines in
Iraq.
When Sgt. Richardson returned to the United States he told Matthew Lund that he wanted to come to the Carson Middle School to personally thank the
students for their support and letters. Lund filled out and submitted a "Resource Visitor or Guest Speaker Form" and submitted it to Principal
Corbett. Lund says he never got the form back from Corbett. He says he asked the Principal about the form, and was told that she was not going to
look at it.
When Sgt. Richardson showed up at the Carson Middle School Lund took him to the school's media center to prepare to meet the students. At that
point, according to Lund, Principal Corbett called him into the hall and told him that the Marine was not approved to be at the school. Lund told
Corbett that the proper form had been submitted and had been ignored. Corbett's response was "that's your problem, not mine." Lund's version of
the discussion with Corbett in the hallway suggests that Corbett harbored a great deal of hostility toward Sgt. Richardson and Matthew Lund. She told
Lund that the students had not earned the visit from the Marine, and closed the discussion with Lund with the phrase "what part of what we just
discussed do you not understand?" She then ordered Matthew Lund to escort Sgt. Richardson off the school campus.
Considering the relationship between the teacher and the Marine, and the relationship with the students, I feel this was an absurd move by the
principal. The principal felt she could justify her position to the local paper by stating that the Marine was a threat to the safety of the
students.
The attitude of the principal was very unprofessional in this entire episode, and I think the teacher displayed a good amount of civil disobedience in
following what he thought was right.
Don't worry, there are links for you to get in touch with the Middle School and school district.
