Government Schools - Soldiers Not Welcome

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.

boortz.com...

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.

Have you looked at this principal's background?
Great credentials here

Prior to becoming a teacher I worked in Miami as a probation and parole officer. After successfully working with some youthful offenders I felt that I could possibly effect a change with more youth in a different setting. Since then I have taught high school English, Spanish and ESOL and middle school English. I have worked as an administrator in Florida, Alabama and Georgia in elementary, middle and high schools.

Add to that she is in direct conflict with her Motto We will be on a steady quest for excellence.

I would not be surprised that network news do not take off with this story.
I would also like to see the principle defend her position especially with what the local news station has for proof.

It seems like a personal issue than a school board issue, the heading on the thread is misleading in a way that as far as I know our "Marine Corp band" here where I live is book constantly by the school system for all kind of activities.

Meaning that the soldiers are welcome to our schools, also is guess speakers also from the Marine Corp base and we just recently welcome one of our teachers/reservist back from Iraq to our school system.

So I guess is all about a personal conflict between the principal, the teacher and the friend that happens to be a Marine.

The recent denial of a visit by a grateful Marine to the school should be a matter of sham. The very fact that Ms. Corbett would deny the Marines access as she stated, "my regard for the safety and welfare of our children," is a high form of hypocrisy. In her own personal history it is stated that she "worked in Miami as a probation and parole officer," a position in which while working with children she was armed with a loaded pistol.

Her questionable work history, "Since then I have taught high school English, Spanish and ESOL and middle school English. I have worked as an administrator in Florida, Alabama and Georgia in elementary, middle and high schools," should have been a strong warning that she was obviously not working out at the many previous jobs she held. I would strongly suggest that they immediately suspend Ms. Corbett without pay pending an impartial investigation into her actions and real work history.

Originally posted by marg6043
It seems like a personal issue than a school board issue, the heading on the thread is misleading in a way that as far as I know our "Marine Corp band" here where I live is book constantly by the school system for all kind of activities.

I just copied the title of the article, I don't think it was meant to be a generalization, but who knows.

So I guess is all about a personal conflict between the principal, the teacher and the friend that happens to be a Marine.

It wasn't just that he "happened to be a Marine", it happened because he was a Marine. The entire issue revolved around his being a Marine, the letters, the visit, the Marine having to leave.

The principal refused to even look at the request, that raises some flags right there.

[edit on 5-6-2005 by Jamuhn]