U.S. - Warning lands Batavia teacher in hot water

[S.J.B.]

Warning lands Batavia teacher in hot water
Susan Sarkauskas
Daily Herald
May 25th, 2013

A Batavia High School teacher's fans are rallying to support him as he faces possible discipline for advising students of their Constitutional rights before taking a school survey on their behavior.

They've been collecting signatures on an online petition, passing the word on Facebook, sending letters to the school board, and planning to speak at Tuesday's school board meeting.

Students and parents have praised his ability to interest reluctant students in history and current affairs.

But John Dryden said he's not the point. He wants people to focus on the issue he raised: Whether school officials considered that students could incriminate themselves with their answers to the survey that included questions about drug and alcohol use.

Dryden, a social studies teacher, told some of his students April 18 that they had a 5th Amendment right to not incriminate themselves by answering questions on the survey, which had each student's name printed on it.

Read the full story here.

Christ, they gave the students drug use surveys with the students' names on them? Bad, bad, bad... they are really lucky this guy was there. Who knows where those could end up and how long they could stick.

 

[SDforever420]

I remember having to do these back in high school every couple of years. Unlike these ones we didn't have to put our names on them.

This teacher did the right thing.

 

[RedRum OG]

I can't believe he's getting in trouble

I also can't believe any high schooler would willingly make a written confession to crimes, with their name on it, and give it to an authority figure

 

[matt2012]

That's easy to say now but thinking back...I wouldn't have thought twice about filling it out. I didn't use any drugs until after high school so it probably wouldn't have bit me in the ass but the "fuck the system" guys I knew would have delighted in telling the world of their drug exploits just to say FU to the man.

 

[Newbierock]

Call me cynical but if someones stupid enough to brag about what chemicals they've taken on something like that, then hell they bring being busted upon themselves.

You don't see me tagging the side of my house with spray all like " CHRONIC HERBS FOR ALL HERE M8" which to me would basically be the same thing. ¬_¬

 

[shimazu]

yeah I loved taking those surveys because I filled in the worst possible choice for every answer

let the school board sweat a little more this summer you know

 

[Odd_nonposter]

I remember taking similar surveys before and after some kind of abstinence/drug education thing in middle school.

I put down all of the "right" answers before and all of the "wrong" answers after.

I was a little shit in middle school.

 

[shimazu]

I didnt even know what salvia was until I took the 12th grade survey, and later that day me and my friend both went and bought some after we found out it was legal and were laughing at how we actually didnt lie about using it on the survey as we were both whacked long before they ever tallied the results.

talk about your all-time backfires

 

[23536]

Has anyone noticed how much this guy looks like The Dude?

 

[SleepingTaper]

One of the best teachers I've ever had! I cannot believe I'm reading this on BL!!!

 

[Help?!?!]

Has anyone noticed how much this guy looks like The Dude?

LfuckingOL! He totally does! If I had to put my name down on the survey I just would have picked the loudest, most anti-drug kids name and filled it out, then marked all of the worst possible answers for the lulz. I'm almost positive we never had to fill any of these out though....the fuck? They just don't care about our districts kid's/the drugs their consuming?!?

 

[23536]

The survey was not a diagnostic tool, but a "screener" to figure out which students might need specific help, Newkirk said.

In other words, it was a diagnostic tool.

 

[twotoomany]

Ya know, I live less than 20 miles from Batavia. We have seen no media coverage. Funny, huh?