A wildly popular science teacher has been removed from the classroom after two of his science fair students turned in projects deemed dangerous by the administrators. Greg Schiller teaches Advanced Placement biology and psychology, and honors biology at Grand Arts High School in Los Angeles. He’s been overseeing science fairs for 15 years. Science Fairs aren't places where major scientific breakthroughs are expected, but rather are places where students show applied science and physics, like where they build and launch rockets, catapults, electrical devices, behavioral experiments with mice, dissections of flowers, etc. The two projects in question were flagged and confiscated before he even had a chance to grade them.
To show just how serious the Los Angeles Unified School District takes this, they released this statement:
"There is an ongoing investigation, therefore, we cannot comment. It is the practice of the Los Angeles Unified School District to reassign an employee to a non-classroom setting when there are allegations related to student safety. We will always err on the side of protecting students. On the other hand, the District does not reassign employees on a whim. The reassignment of employees is taken very seriously. For this reason, there is a rigorous decision making process associated with the reassignment of employees."
Sounds serious. What are these two projects that got this teacher removed from the classroom two months ago? One is an electromagnetic linear accelerator that uses coiled wire around a tube and a circuit board to shoot a projectile - A.K.A. a "coil gun." When the ninth-grader proposed it, Schiller told him to be more scientific, to construct and test different coils and to draw graphs and conduct additional analysis.
The other was pieces of PVC pipe that can be pressurized with a hand pump that shoots marshmallows - A.K.A. a "marshmallow gun." Methods for testing the pressure and measuring the distances were a requirement.
A school employee saw the air-pressure project and raised concerns (went bat crap crazy) about what looked to her like a weapon, according to the teachers union. Schiller, who said he never saw either completed project except in photos, was summoned and sent home. Both projects were confiscated by administrators as “evidence.”
The administrators at the LAUSD have charged Schiller “supervising the building, research and development of imitation weapons.”
“As far as we can tell, he’s being punished for teaching science,” said Warren Fletcher, president of United Teachers Los Angeles.
Students in Schiller's classes are concerned about Advanced Placement exams for college credit in May. “The class is now essentially a free period,” said 17-year-old psychology student Liana Kleinman. “The sub does not have a psych background and can’t help us with the work.”
Schiller initially prepared lesson plans for the substitute, but the district in an email directed him to stop.
“This is really hurting my students more than anything else,” Schiller said in an interview. “I would never do anything to set up a situation where a student could be harmed.”
Schiller also coaches the school fencing team, which has been shut down in his absence, ironically because administrators deemed it impossible for them to safely compete without Schiller in charge.
Schiller also was the teachers union representative on the campus and had been dealing with disagreements with administrators over updating the employment agreement under which the faculty works. His suspension, with pay, removed him from those discussions, coincidentally, I'm sure.
Different stories on this:
Popular LAUSD science teacher on being suspended due to controversial experiments | AirTalk | 89.3 KPCC
Teacher removed for 'dangerous' science projects; supporters rally - latimes.com
Science Teacher Suspended for Teaching Science
Incidentally, at the 2012 White House Science Fair, a marshmallow gun created by 14 year old Joey Hudy (The Extreme Marshmallow Cannon) won the top prize, for shooting a marshmallow 175 feet. Obama even played with it by shooting a marshmallow across the State Dining Room. The Secret Service didn't melt down once. Obama was not suspended for the incident.
To show just how serious the Los Angeles Unified School District takes this, they released this statement:
"There is an ongoing investigation, therefore, we cannot comment. It is the practice of the Los Angeles Unified School District to reassign an employee to a non-classroom setting when there are allegations related to student safety. We will always err on the side of protecting students. On the other hand, the District does not reassign employees on a whim. The reassignment of employees is taken very seriously. For this reason, there is a rigorous decision making process associated with the reassignment of employees."
Sounds serious. What are these two projects that got this teacher removed from the classroom two months ago? One is an electromagnetic linear accelerator that uses coiled wire around a tube and a circuit board to shoot a projectile - A.K.A. a "coil gun." When the ninth-grader proposed it, Schiller told him to be more scientific, to construct and test different coils and to draw graphs and conduct additional analysis.
The other was pieces of PVC pipe that can be pressurized with a hand pump that shoots marshmallows - A.K.A. a "marshmallow gun." Methods for testing the pressure and measuring the distances were a requirement.
A school employee saw the air-pressure project and raised concerns (went bat crap crazy) about what looked to her like a weapon, according to the teachers union. Schiller, who said he never saw either completed project except in photos, was summoned and sent home. Both projects were confiscated by administrators as “evidence.”
The administrators at the LAUSD have charged Schiller “supervising the building, research and development of imitation weapons.”
“As far as we can tell, he’s being punished for teaching science,” said Warren Fletcher, president of United Teachers Los Angeles.
Students in Schiller's classes are concerned about Advanced Placement exams for college credit in May. “The class is now essentially a free period,” said 17-year-old psychology student Liana Kleinman. “The sub does not have a psych background and can’t help us with the work.”
Schiller initially prepared lesson plans for the substitute, but the district in an email directed him to stop.
“This is really hurting my students more than anything else,” Schiller said in an interview. “I would never do anything to set up a situation where a student could be harmed.”
Schiller also coaches the school fencing team, which has been shut down in his absence, ironically because administrators deemed it impossible for them to safely compete without Schiller in charge.
Schiller also was the teachers union representative on the campus and had been dealing with disagreements with administrators over updating the employment agreement under which the faculty works. His suspension, with pay, removed him from those discussions, coincidentally, I'm sure.
Different stories on this:
Popular LAUSD science teacher on being suspended due to controversial experiments | AirTalk | 89.3 KPCC
Teacher removed for 'dangerous' science projects; supporters rally - latimes.com
Science Teacher Suspended for Teaching Science
Incidentally, at the 2012 White House Science Fair, a marshmallow gun created by 14 year old Joey Hudy (The Extreme Marshmallow Cannon) won the top prize, for shooting a marshmallow 175 feet. Obama even played with it by shooting a marshmallow across the State Dining Room. The Secret Service didn't melt down once. Obama was not suspended for the incident.
