Freshwater Asks SUPCO To Reconsider

The Mount Vernon Middle School science instructor who refused to remove religious materials from his classroom wants the Ohio Supreme Court to reconsider its decision upholding his dismissal. Attorneys for John Freshwater say the court wrongly interpreted his attempts to deal with what they call vague requests from administrators with flat-out insubordination. A divided court last week ruled the Mount Vernon school board had grounds to fire Freshwater in 2011 for insubordination for keeping religious books and a poster of a praying president in the classroom. The court also concluded the district infringed on Freshwater's First Amendment rights by ordering the removal of his personal Bible from his desk.