11-year-old berated by teacher after boy says he's thankful for his 2 dads.

[left-of-center2012]

CEDAR HILLS, Utah —
Former "Dancing with the Stars" pro Louis van Amstel is speaking out after a teacher berated his son for saying he's thankful for his two dads. Amstel and his husband, Joshua Lancaster, are in the process of adopting an 11-year-old boy, who is currently in fifth grade. The 11-year-old joined the family after being in foster care for years and experiencing two failed adoptions.

During a pre-Thanksgiving lesson, a substitute teacher at the boy's Utah elementary school asked the class to share what they were thankful for. According to van Amstel, when the boy said that he was thankful he was "finally going to be adopted by my two dads," the unidentified teacher responded that two dads were "nothing to be thankful for."

The teacher reportedly went on to lecture the fifth-graders about how she believed being gay is wrong. "Three female students asked the teacher to stop multiple times, and when she didn't, they walked to the principal's office to report her. She was ultimately escorted from the building and, as this unfolded, she continued to argue her point," he wrote.

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The substitute teacher, who was subcontracted by the Utah school district through Kelly Services, was fired. "We are concerned about any reports of inappropriate conduct and take these matters very seriously," a representative for the company said in a statement. "We conducted an investigation and made the decision to end the employee's relationship with Kelly Services."

Van Amstel credited the school for how it handled the incident.

https://www.koat.com/article/teacher-berates-child-who-told-his-class-he-s-thankful-for-his-dads/30101417

[lambchopp59]

1. When I was in Eastern Colorado near Colorado Springs a few years ago

Colorado Springs being the home base of a veritable compound that even has it's own freeway exit, Focus on the Family. I'd heard of and had some remote experiences with that group's pseudo-religious zealotry.
I saw a bumper sticker that made me have to pull over before continuing to drive because I was laughing so hard: it read "Focus on Your Own Damn Family".
Good for the school and Kelly Services to do the right thing. I'll bet this boy will finally have a loving home, and likely a far better start at young adulthood than the likes of Ms. Substitute Bigot allowed me many 5 decades ago when her obstinately biased rant would have been supported.

[Saviolo]

2. Sounds like the school handled it well.

And Kelly Services. Quick and decisive. Also very good to see some classmates standing up for the boy, even going so far as to report the substitute to the principal. Nice to see something so well-handled without a bunch of public pressure having to be applied before the school and the contract services company act.