By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer

A teacher in the Lawrence School District in Lawrence, Kansas was told his contract was not being renewed because his website contained information that was “too patriotic.”

OneNewsNow.com is reporting that Tim Latham, who has been teaching history and U.S. Government for more than 19 years, learned that his contract was not being renewed after just one of teaching in the Lawrence School District. He was told it was because his website – which he hosted and paid for himself – contained views that other teachers believed to be too conservative.

One of the teachers who confronted him about the site said she was concerned about the contents, Latham said.  “ . . .(S)he wanted a lot of the stuff that was on it removed. And when I asked why, I was told because it was too patriotic.”

Latham said he’s never had any complaints about the website, only compliments. “Parents love it because of their access to assignments, grades, etc.”

The site has an introductory video where he tells students that he wants them to love the American way of life.  However, the school told him to remove the video because “not everybody loves the American way of life.”

Other complaints included that he was picking on Obama too much.

When Latham confronted administrators about why his contract was not renewed he was told, “You refuse to conform” and “you just don’t fit in.”

“Those are word-for-word quotes given to me by the director of human resources, who says he is quoting what the administration told him — I refuse to conform and I just don’t fit in,” Latham said.
 
Latham has filed a grievance and is considering suing the school district if he does not get a satisfactory response.

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