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Utah Teacher Fired After Telling 5th-Graders “Homosexuality Is Wrong”

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3 years ago

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  • When a substitute teacher in Utah asked a class of fifth-graders what they were thankful for the week before Thanksgiving, one 11-year-old said, “I’m thankful that I’m finally going to be adopted by my two dads.”
  • But that seemed to have upset the teacher, who went on to lecture the class and tell them “homosexuality is wrong.”
  • Three girls in the class repeatedly asked her to stop, then walked out of the room to complain to the principal. 
  • The teacher was fired from the school and the staffing agency that contracted her.

Thanksgiving Exercise About Gratitude Takes a Turn 

A substitute teacher in Utah was fired after allegedly telling a class of fifth-graders that “homosexuality is wrong.”

In a video recently posted on social media, former Dancing with the Stars pro Louis Van Amstel talked about the incident that happened in his 11-year-old son Daniel’s classroom. 

The week before Thanksgiving, the substitute asked students at Deerfield Elementary School in Cedar Hills what they were thankful for ahead of the holiday. Some said turkey and mashed potatoes, others said their pets or joked about not having to go to school over the break, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

But one boy had a more serious response. “I’m thankful that I’m finally going to be adopted by my two dads,” he told the class.

However, he was surprised when the substitute teachers’ response was, “Why on earth would you be happy about that?”

The instructor reportedly proceeded to lecture the 30 students about her views for about 10 minutes. Her rant allegedly included comments like “homosexuality is wrong” and “ two men living together is a sin.” She also reportedly looked at the boy and said: “That’s nothing to be thankful for.” 

According to Van Amstel, three girls in the class asked the teacher to stop multiple times. When she continued with her comments, they walked out of the room to complain to the principal. 

Teacher Fired 

The boy’s fathers were called immediately after the incident and were told by school officials that the teacher continued to argue about her views as she was escorted out of the building. 

“She also tried to blame out son and told him that it was his fault that she went off,” Van Amstel told The Tribune.

When question by the school, Van Amstel’s son said he didn’t want to talk about it or get the teacher in trouble. The school instead pieced together the story from other student accounts and fired the teacher.

Van Amstel explained that his son understood what the substitute was saying, but he decided not to speak up because he had gone through two failed adoptions before and was afraid of causing any trouble that would make his dads rethink their decision before their final court hearing on Dec. 19. 

“He was so fearful that this could make us think that we don’t want to adopt him,” Van Amstel told the paper. “That’s definitely not going to happen. But this situation really hurt him. This person really hurt us.”

Ultimately, Van Amstel said he was pleased with how the school immediately handled the situation. “I am so proud of Daniel’s school. Not only did they let go of the teacher, they said this woman is never going to teach in this school again,” he said in his social media video

In another post, he wrote, “I’m proud of those three girls and Daniel’s school for standing up for our family against this bully.” 


Daniels’s other father, Josh Van Amstel, also told local news station KSTU that the school principal, Caroline Knadler, is “wonderful” and has been “really amazing,” He added that she escorted the substitute out of the building herself, telling her: “There’s the door, keep walking.”

Alpine School District spokesperson David Stephenson noted that Alpine has a strict non-discrimination policy. “[We’re] committed to having the best employees who care about all children in our schools, whether it be the teacher, the custodian, the secretary or a substitute teacher,” he said. 

“Obviously, when situations come up like this, we quickly investigate and take appropriate action. That was done in this situation.”

However, he said he was unsure if the substitute would be allowed to work in the district moving forward and referred that question to Kelly Services, the staffing company the district uses to contract substitutes. 

The staffing company then issued a statement to several media outlets on Sunday saying, “We are concerned about any reports of inappropriate conduct and take these matters very seriously. We conducted an investigation and made the decision to end the employee’s relationship with Kelly Services.”

See what others are saying: (ABC News) (The Salt Lake Tribune) (People) 

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U.S.

White Supremacist Propaganda Reached Record High in 2022, ADL Finds

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2 weeks ago

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March 9, 2023

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 “We cannot sit idly by as these extremists pollute our communities with their hateful trash,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said.

White supremacist propaganda in the U.S. reached record levels in 2022, according to a report published Wednesday by the Anti-Defamation League’s Center of Extremism.

The ADL found over 6,700 cases of white supremacist propaganda in 2022, which marks a 38% jump from the nearly 4,900 cases the group found in 2021. It also represents the highest number of incidents ever recorded by the ADL. 

The propaganda tallied by the anti-hate organization includes the distribution of racist, antisemitic, and homophobic flyers, banners, graffiti, and more. This propaganda has spread substantially since 2018, when the ADL found just over 1,200 incidents. 

“There’s no question that white supremacists and antisemites are trying to terrorize and harass Americans with their propaganda,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement. “We cannot sit idly by as these extremists pollute our communities with their hateful trash.” 

The report found that there were at least 50 white supremacist groups behind the spread of propaganda in 2022, but 93% of it came from just three groups. One of those groups was also responsible for 43% of the white supremacist events that took place last year. 

White supremacist events saw a startling uptick of their own, with the ADL documenting at least 167, a 55% jump from 2021. 

Propaganda was found in every U.S. state except for Hawaii, and events were documented in 33 states, most heavily in Massachusetts, California, Ohio, and Florida.

“The sheer volume of white supremacist propaganda distributions we are documenting around the country is alarming and dangerous,” Oren Segal, Vice President of the ADL’s Center on Extremism said in a statement. “Hardly a day goes by without communities being targeted by these coordinated, hateful actions, which are designed to sow anxiety and create fear.”

“We need a whole-of-society approach to combat this activity, including elected officials, community leaders, and people of good faith coming together and condemning this activity forcefully,” Segal continued. 

See what others are saying: (Axios) (The Hill) (The New York Times)

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Adidas Financial Woes Continue, Company on Track for First Annual Loss in Decades

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2 weeks ago

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March 8, 2023

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Adidas has labeled 2023 a “transition year” for the company. 

Yeezy Surplus 

Adidas’ split with musician Kanye West has left the company with financial problems due to surplus Yeezy products, putting the sportswear giant in the position to potentially suffer its first annual loss in over 30 years. 

Adidas dropped West last year after he made a series of antisemitic remarks on social media and other broadcasts. His Yeezy line was a staple for Adidas, and the surplus product is due, in part, to the brand’s own decision to continue production during the split.

According to CEO Bjorn Gulden, Adidas continued production of only the items already in the pipeline to prevent thousands of people from losing their jobs. However, that has led to the unfortunate overabundance of Yeezy sneakers and clothes. 

On Wednesday, Gulden said that selling the shoes and donating the proceeds makes more sense than giving them away due to the Yeezy resale market — which has reportedly shot up 30% since October.

“If we sell it, I promise that the people who have been hurt by this will also get something good out of this,” Gulden said in a statement to the press. 

However, Gulden also said that West is entitled to a portion of the proceeds of the sale of Yeezys per his royalty agreement.

The Numbers 

Adidas announced in February that, following its divergence from West, it is facing potential sales losses totaling around $1.2 billion and profit losses of around $500 million. 

If it decides to not sell any more Yeezy products, Adidas is facing a projected annual loss of over $700 million.

Outside of West, Adidas has taken several heavy profit blows recently. Its operating profit reportedly fell by 66% last year, a total of more than $700 million. It also pulled out of Russia after the country’s invasion of Ukraine last year, which cost Adidas nearly $60 million dollars. Additionally, China’s “Zero Covid” lockdowns last year caused in part a 36% drop in revenue for Adidas compared to years prior.

As a step towards a solution, Gulden announced that the company is slashing its dividends from 3.30 euros to 0.70 euro cents per share pending shareholder approval. 

Adidas has labeled 2023 a “transition year” for the company. 

“Adidas has all the ingredients to be successful. But we need to put our focus back on our core: product, consumers, retail partners, and athletes,” Gulden said. “I am convinced that over time we will make Adidas shine again. But we need some time.”

See what others are saying: (The Washington Post) (The New York Times) (CNN)

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Immigration Could Be A Solution to Nursing Home Labor Shortages

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2 weeks ago

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March 7, 2023

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98% of nursing homes in the United States are experiencing difficulty hiring staff. 

The Labor Crisis 

A recent National Bureau of Economic Research paper has offered up a solution to the nursing home labor shortage: immigration. 

According to a 2022 American Health Care Association survey, six in ten nursing homes are limiting new patients due to staffing issues. The survey also says that 87% of nursing homes have staffing shortages and 98% are experiencing difficulty hiring. 

The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) outlined in their paper that increased immigration could help solve the labor shortage in nursing homes. Immigrants make up 19% of nursing home workers.

With every 10% increase in female immigration, nursing assistant hours go up by 0.7% and registered nursing hours go up by 1.1% And with that same immigration increase, short-term hospitalizations of nursing home residents go down by 0.6%.

The Solution 

Additionally, the State Department issued 145% more EB-3 documents, which are employment-based visas, for healthcare workers in the 2022 fiscal year than in 2019, suggesting that more people are coming to the U.S. to work in health care. 

However, according to Skilled Nursing News, in August of 2022, the approval process from beginning to end for an RN can take between seven to nine months. 

Displeasure about immigration has exploded since Pres. Joe Biden took office in 2021. According to a Gallup study published in February, around 40% of American adults want to see immigration decrease. That is a steep jump from 19% in 2021, and it is the highest the figure has been since 2016.

However, more than half of Democrats still are satisfied with immigration and want to see it increased. But with a divided Congress, the likelihood of any substantial immigration change happening is pretty slim. 

See what others are saying: (Axios) (KHN) (Skilled Nursing News)

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