Teacher Suspended Over 'Puerto Ricans Destroying Orlando' Letter

Florida elementary school teacher Jan Hall has been suspended for exercising her constitutional right to freedom of speech. She wrote to her representative out of concern that our government is allowing illegal aliens to burden law- abiding Americans, and the school board (a government institution) suspended her for that.

A sample of this Florida teacher's letter to her representative-

Dear Honorable Congressman,

Please consider my views when you are voting and representing voters.

I believe we must close the doors to all foreigners for awhile (sic) until we get this economy and the schools back on their feet. As a classroom teacher in Florida for 28 years, I know that foreigners are the largest users of our taxpayers’ money. Foreigners are taking all of the jobs that poor and little-educated Americans could have. Many people are being paid under the table, and therefore they are not paying their fair share of taxes. Schools are dealing with too many problems with language differences, and time is lost to our American children who have parents who pay taxes. I’m seeing money going to local charities going to Mexican, Haitian, and Mid-Eastern immigrants instead of to the poorer people of American descent.
Read more.

It doesn't really matter if we agree or disagree with the Florida teacher's assessment, the fact remains that the school board is in clear violation of the First Ammendment, which prohibits the government from suppressing protected (criticizing the government) speech.

Please click here to locate the individual contact info of every member of this school board to voice your thoughts on this issue (and hopefully urge them to reinstate this teacher immediately as well).

Update: Teacher who wrote controversial letter resigns

"The district had offered her several options, including teaching homebound students, if she apologized and met with a psychiatrist.

Hall said she rejected the offers because officials did not address her key issue - looking into how a principal at Englewood Elementary handled her complaints when a student battered her in 2002, causing her to undergo reconstructive surgery."

Hall went on to make the following statement-

"They still failed to do anything about the battery to my leg," Hall said in a phone interview this morning. "I'm tired of fooling with them. I'm sure I can go to work in a private school in another county."

Can't say that I blame her. In the private sector good teachers are normally met with either children who are well disciplined and eager to learn or administrative support in dealing with such issues. I wish her well.