Art Teacher Loses Job After Kids See Nude Sculpture

[Sgent]

FRISCO, Texas -- An award-winning Texas art teacher who was reprimanded after one of her fifth-grade students saw a nude sculpture during a trip to a museum has lost her job.

The school board in Frisco has voted not to renew Sydney McGee's contract after 28 years. She has been on administrative leave.

The teacher took her students on an approved field trip to a Dallas museum, and now some parents are upset.

The Fisher Elementary School art teacher came under fire last April when she took 89 fifth-graders on a field trip to the Dallas Museum of Art. Parents raised concerns over the field trip after their children reported seeing a nude sculpture at the art museum.

Denver Channel
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I am both speechless and expect it. This is sad.

[tuvor]

1. The human body is a vile, despicable, dirty thing.

You'd think the devil designed it.

[kath]

27. Yep. Vile, despicable and dirty, yet "made in the image of God". WTF

is wrong with these people?!?!

[MindPilot]

2. Isn't this incident almost a week old?

[Demoiselle]

5. Story today (Saturday) in the New York Times. (eom)

[rainbow4321]

11. It initially started back in August

Maybe it just took this long to make national news..local news covered it in August:


http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-nakedcomplaint_24cco.ART0.North.Edition1.3e87f61.html

A veteran Frisco art teacher says school administrators have retaliated against her because a student reportedly saw a nude sculpture during a field trip to the Dallas Museum of Art.

District officials say they are supporting a principal who reprimanded Sydney McGee over the field trip and other performance issues. At Ms. McGee's request, the situation was aired in public during a school board meeting Monday.

Ms. McGee, who has taught in various Texas districts for 28 years, said she visited the museum and spoke with museum staffers before the trip to ensure that it was appropriate for the fifth-grade class. Ms. McGee said she does not know which piece of art offended the parent, and the district did not identify it.

Ms. McGee said principal Nancy Lawson called her into a meeting the day after the trip to admonish her about the parent's complaint. Shortly thereafter, she received a negative review and a series of directives about displaying student artwork and creating lesson plans
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Then this was in the Dallas Morning news on the 25th:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/092606dnmetteacherspat.30c4a11.html

An elementary school art teacher who has been publicly at odds with the Frisco school district over a field trip to the Dallas Museum of Art is no longer in front of a classroom.

The school district placed Sydney McGee on leave with pay Friday afternoon. After a special school board meeting Monday night about Ms. McGee, Superintendent Rick Reedy said he would recommend that her contract not be renewed when it expires at the end of the school year.

In the meantime, Ms. McGee will be paid her full salary while remaining on leave from Fisher Elementary School.

<snip>
The school board stopped short of terminating Ms. McGee's contract Monday night. But after a closed-door session, Dr. Reedy said he would recommend that her contract not be renewed. "If they had good reason to fire her, they would have, but they don't," Mr. Dunn said. "It's mind-boggling."

[area51]

3. that is so sick.

We've turned into nazi "puritan" world.

[zreosumgame]

4. ah, the Marching Morans win again...

how DARE that teacher take their procious widdle future charistian jihadists to see a public museam! Oh, the humanity! Now those children might have an independant thought!

[Pharaoh]

6. Spellcheck!

[Sgent]

9. Huh?

I copied and pasted the article as required by DU rules (including the headline).

Blame the newspaper editor for spelling errors.

[Pharaoh]

32. referring to post #4

[readmoreoften]

44. "Moran" isn't misspelled. It's a joke to spell it that way on DU.

stick around. :)

[Debs]

46. Yeah

But precious IS mispelled

[readmoreoften]

47. Ah! You are right! Sorry :)

So are a few other words.

[1monster]

7. I was a chaperone for my son's THIRD grade class's field trip to an art

museum where, gasp! there were some nude statues, much larger than life. Yes, a couple of the kids got the giggles. We adults just told them to get over it.

The parents and the school board really stretch my ability to comprehend! Blaming an art teacher for the content of a museum, especially when the field trip was approved.

Do they realize that their kids are naked under their clothing? Do they blindfold their kids in the shower?

Do they realize that everyone is naked under their clothing? Are we all to blindfold ourselves against the horrifying possibility of seeing a small flash of nudity?

Do they realize that they, themselves, are naked under their cloting? :horrors!:

:crazy:

[dkofos]

12. OMG your'e right. I just looked, and by god, your'e absolutely right.

I'M NAKED UNDER MY CLOTHES.

How will I ever get into heaven knowing that.

[dkofos]

8. What were the parents thinking (or not) when they signed a

permission slip for a trip to the ART MUSEUM.

[rodeodance]

16. it is just not the parents--but the school board members who did this

to the teacher. obviously, they are afraid of a few parents-or, they themselves have the same mentality!

[Whoa_Nelly]

20. Oh! So now you're blaming the parents????

That teacher should have called ahead about statue exposure and calico coverings being put in place BEFORE sending home those permission slips! I mean, REALLY! Where was her planning for these innocent children????

Look how this child aged overnight by the evil exposure to a naked statue!



:sarcasm:

[rodeodance]

22. i am glad you put your sarcasem button on.

The teacher took her students on an approved field trip to a Dallas museum, and now some parents are upset.

[rodeodance]

10. obviously some parents of FRISCO, Texas - are not 'cultured" themselves

FRISCO, Texas -

[rodeodance]

14. asscroft mentality prevails in so many places across America.

[rainbow4321]

17. Their art association: "expand minds and encourage creative solutions"

Guess they figure the words look good on paper.

The city is in the middle of one of the top 3 repuke counties in Texas (75%-25%). More churches in this county than there are Starbucks...

http://www.friscoarts.com/

Frisco Association for the Arts welcomes you to its website. We are a community-based organization formed by citizens of Frisco, Texas who believe that the arts play a vital role in the life and well-being of the community. Our goal is to encourage the development and growth of the arts and arts groups in our community.

The Arts enrich lives, expand minds and encourage creative solutions to the challenges we face in everyday life. They help create the cultural infrastructure that allows our community to flourish and grow. They provide depth and reflection in an increasingly hurried world. And, the Arts are important tools for educational, economic and community development.

We hope you will join with us in your support of the Arts in Frisco - by your participation, your attendence, and your contributions. And now, enjoy exploring the Frisco Association for the Arts website and discover all that the arts have to offer you in Frisco, Texas.

[C_U_L8R]

13. this sort of repression

creates republican deviants, pedophiles and torture advocates.

Freud would have a field day

[rodeodance]

19. prime example of a School left behind (and the kids)

[It was not a pretzel]

15. Jesus H

the Taliban are celebrating another victory.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry :(

[Sinti]

18. This is absolutely ridiculous! It's an ART Museum

of course they have nudes. Classical art in particular is full of nudity, because the human body is beautiful and a work of art unto itself.

Geez, I took my son to the Hirshhorn when he was 4-5 years old, he loved the Sculpture Garden the best. I thought it would give him an appreciation for the "finer things," if you will... in retrospect, it must've ruined him for life. At least he seems okay on the outside, so nobody knows. :eyes:

[rodeodance]

21. the principal had urged her to take the students to the museum.

McGee said the principal had urged her to take the students to the museum.

Now, McGee, who was honored with a Star Teacher Award two years ago, is on paid administrative leave until her contract with the school district expires in March.

Other parents are worried about the future of the art program at the school, which they cite as a reason for moving into the neighborhood.

"Our main concern right now is what's going to happen to the children and what's going to happen to the art program at Fisher Elementary. It is the best art program. That's the reason we moved to this neighborhood. It's because of the teachers," said Shannon Allen, a parent. "It was a principal-approved trip. What's the big deal?"

Officials with the Frisco school district declined to comment on the matter.

[leesa]

24. Somebody needs to be voting in some new school officials.

[fedsron2us]

23. They do not want the kids seeing this sort of thing

It might give them ideas about changing society when they grow up.

[tammywammy]

25. I've seen this story on the local news here a couple of times

There are some parents fighting the school board over this. They thought it was just stupid to fire her over this, and are worried about what's going to happen to the art program after this.

And to top it off, the principal told the teacher to take the students to the museum.

I grew up in DFW and I went to the Kimball art museum in Ft. Worth as a field trip in the 6th grade. I remember beforehand the teachers discussing that there will be nude paintings and sculpture and telling us it's art and to not be embarrassed.

I hope this teacher gets picked up at another district, because it sounds like she was a real asset to the students.

[OneBlueSky]

26. survey results (on that page) . . . "Would you be upset if your child . .

saw a nude sculpture at a museum of art while on a field trip?" . . .

Yes - 3%
No - 97%

[Blue_Tires]

28. looks like the teacher is being railroaded

parents had to actually sign permission slips--i don't know where the complaints are coming from

[KitSileya]

29. Not to mention the principal apparently asked her to take them

to the art museum - I cannot but see that she must have excellent grounds for suing the school district. She was doing what her immediate boss told her, with the written permission of the parents, and she got fired over it?

[mitchtv]

30. One more reason why you should never refer to San Francisco as

Frisco

[Solo_in_MD]

31. Au contraire

One should always do so...it upsets them terribly

[mitchtv]

36. you can see why

the common response is "Frisco is in Texas"
Yes, ignorance does upset San Franciscans

[Solo_in_MD]

37. and their snobby churlishness annoys the rest of us

[TheFarseer]

33. Michelangelo was a pervert

If people in the 15th century could handle this, I think we can today. I highly doubt this child was scarred for life after seeing a piece of rock shaped like a penis. Should we ban bananas and zucchinis as well?

[Hoping4Change]

34. EMAIL the Board of Directors! What effing morans.

To contact School Board Members, as per the Frisco School District website, email Shana McKay-Wortham
FISD Director of Communications.



Questions and Comments Regarding Frisco ISD

Shana McKay-Wortham
FISD Director of Communications
Email: [e-mail]
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

[Clarkie1]

35. Completely unjustified. The field trip was approved by parents.

All field trips require a permission slip from parents. If the parents had a problem with a field trip to a museum where nude sculptures were present, they should not have signed the slip.

I won't even go into how ludicrous is is to be offended by a nude sculpture of the human form.

[Recursion]

38. Wasn't this a "Simpsons" episode?

It boggles the mind.

The funniest thing about this and the Ashcroft statuegate thing is that nudity in classical art has always symbolized purity and innocence: Justice is bare-breasted because she has (had, at least) nothing to hide or be ashamed of. What are these freepers so ashamed of?

I mean, I can understand if you want to say we can't afford to do serious arts education in public schools because we need the resources for math and science (I disagree, but I can understand it). But to suggest that you could do a serious arts survey that did not deal with the human nude in art is beyond ridiculous; it is one of the oldest, most-studied, and most important forms in art.

[AtomicKitten]

39. some parents are really freaked out by nudity

I had a family house-sitting while my kids and I were out of the country for a month, and came to back to find a charcoal drawing I had made in college (a nude male from the back) covered with a sheet.

You just never know.

A release signed beforehand might have remedied this problem.

[Auntie Bush]

40. Looks like the school board took a lesson from John Asscrotch

when he set an example for those fools when he covered the nude statue behind his desk with a curtain. I can't believe these people!

But it seems to be OK to be a pedophile.

[Gman]

41. Yet these same parents will haul their kids to Las Vegas

and walk right past the replica of David in the forums area at Caesar's.

[Chico Man]

42. One of my faves

[readmoreoften]

43. She shouldn't lose her job. The parents should lose custody of their kids.

Expecting your child to be shielded from nude sculpture at a major urban art gallery. Fucking absurd.

[NMMNG]

45. One student sees a nude sculpture,

And an award-winning teacher of 28 years loses her job?

This country is going to hell in a hand basket.