Teacher Fights Firing For ‘Swats’

Item: Trial begins involving former Plummer-Worley teacher suspended for ‘swatting’ demonstration /Chris d’Angelo, St. Maries Gazette-Record

More Info: According to the complaint, on April 12, 2007, then-Principal Bill Burns spoke with Mr. Lust about students swatting each other on the backside during school. Mr. Burns informed Mr. Lust that this conduct was unacceptable and needed to be stopped. “During the course of the day on April 12, 2007, (Mr.) Lust explained to each of his classes that the students were not to swat each other on the backside,” according to court documents. “In the course of doing so, he demonstrated the offending conduct on a randomly chosen student from each class. Lust made brief physical contact with four of his students.”

Question: If the offense was accurately described in the complaint, that Lust was merely attempting to follow the principal’s orders during his demonstration, should he have been fired?