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February 07, 2014

Reinstated Porn-Watching Teacher Apologizes to Parents

MADISON, Wisc.—A Wisconsin teacher who won his job back after being fired for looking at porn at school has issued a written apology to parents of his seventh-grade students four years after his indiscretions took place. In his missive, Andrew Harris accepts responsibility for his actions, apologizes for them and promises that parents have nothing to worry about. However, after reading through the 57-page report by the arbitrator, issued in February 2012, we're not quite sure why Harris is apologizing so profusely. Contained therein is a list of the images and videos found to be problematic, all of which had been emailed to Harris by his sister during 2008 and 2009, and it looks as if only one of them contained sexually explicit content. According to the arbitrator, "23 items are the e-mails that the District found objectionable. Five of them are videos and the others are pictures or images. A couple are jokes with a sexual overtone. Some are single pictures, others contained multiple pictures under the same attachment or e-mail. Harris’s sister sent all of them to Harris’ e-mail address at the District during 2008 and 2009. [District Superintendent Donald] Johnson reviewed all the images at the hearing and rated them on the movie scale of PG-13, R and X. He called PG-13 probably suggestive but not any significant nudity, R would be partial or frontal nudity, and X would be genitalia and sex acts." The one item that appears to contain sexually explicit content was sent April 9, 2009. According to the report, "The subject line read 'Rodney' and the e-mail had an attachment called 'Lucky Midget.wmv' which is an obscene video of a little man running around naked and having sex with women. Harris replied several days later by commenting, 'wow! happy easter Monday to me!!' Johnson called this video pretty significant and beyond X if there were such a thing." Other aspects of the case borne out in the exhaustively detailed report indicate that a personal conflict among teachers at the school may have led to the accusations levied by another teacher against Harris, who was the only individual among several who lost his job. Following his termination, however, "Harris’ union, the Middleton Education Association, cried foul, asserting that the teacher’s punishment was too harsh. An arbitrator agreed, ruling in 2012 that Middleton-Cross Plains had treated Harris unfairly and ordering the teacher be reinstated," reported watchdog.org earlier this week. "The district fought the arbitrator’s ruling, losing at the district court and state appeals court levels. Its legal remedies were exhausted last month when the Wisconsin Supreme Court declined to hear the case." In addition to getting his job back, Harris was awarded about $200,000 in back pay. The site added that the district ponied up about a million dollars fighting the case. "So Harris returned to the classroom last week, amid protest and outrage from parents and other community members," reported watchdog.org, adding, "About 20 people protested Harris’ return to Kromrey Middle School." Harris' letter of apology, as well as the decision to allow parents to keep their kids out of his class if they so choose, are meant to put the situation in the past. "I am grateful for this second chance and am hopeful that you will give me the opportunity to educate your student,” Harris wrote in the letter. His travails are not quite over, though. According to the site, "State Department of Public Instruction Superintendent Tony Evers has yet to answer Gov. Scott Walker’s request issued a week ago that the agency revoke Harris’ teaching license. Hibner said the district has received no communication from DPI on the matter. "In his letter to Evers," added watchdog.org, "the governor urged the superintendent to 'act efficiently in your investigation into the actions of Mr. Harris and to initiate revocation proceedings.' “'The arbitration process afforded to Mr. Harris failed the school district and the students,' Walker wrote. 'It has taken both a financial and emotional toll on the district.'" Image: Stock photo of a teacher upset about something.

 
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