Portland (Oregon) Public School district offers an optional program to its high school students called Teen Outreach Program (TOP). The TOP program is offered nationwide by several organizations but here in PDX, Planned Parenthood Columbia/Willamette is the org that gives the presentations. Just what is TOP, exactly? Well:
Wyman’s Teen Outreach Program® (TOP) aims to prevent teen pregnancy and increase academic success by increasing life skills on a number of different topics, including healthy relationships, communication, values clarification, examining influences, goal setting, decision making, adolescent development and sexual health, and community service learning. The TOP program is recommended by the US Department of Health and Human Services based on rigorous evaluation. PPCW is a certified replication partner of Wyman's TOP program.You can learn more about the program here.
TOP is a comprehensive youth development strategy that promotes the positive development of adolescents through a combination of curriculum-guided group discussion and community service learning. The program provides teens with the necessary supports and opportunities to prepare for successful adulthood and avoid problem behavior. The TOP clubs meet weekly throughout the school year for approximately one hour sessions. The TOP program is implemented in partnership with schools and community organizations.
Recently a local high school teacher, Bill Diss, was placed on administrative leave & rec'd for dismissal because of his atrocious and disruptive behavior in his workplace, the classroom. Diss is a well-known opponent to Planned Parenthood and calls the org and its mission "filth". Mr. Diss claims it's because of his personal views (and many conservative, anti-choice outlets are trying to run with that).
Nope.
Diss was reprimanded in September for stopping employees from giving a presentation about the program in his classroom, according to a letter he provided to The Oregonian. They eventually finished their presentation, but district officials said he interrupted them.The 82nd Avenue reference? Because it's an area more or less known for prostitution.
[...]
In one of the suspension letters he provided, officials accuse him of trying to stop students from attending the program because of his religious beliefs, as well as telling students to "shut (their) mouths."
"(Students) also quoted you as saying, 'they would end up on 82nd (Avenue) and that they kill over a million babies every three years,'" according to the letter, which was addressed from Principal Carol Campbell and Frank Scotto, human resources regional director.
The letter included statements from another teacher in the classroom, who said Diss frequently yelled and confronted students. It also told Diss it was inappropriate to discuss chastity, purity, premarital sex, abortion and religion in his math, computer science and study hall classes.
"I think, deep down, it's because of my views," Diss said. "And that it's much more important for them to have Planned Parenthood in the schools than to have a really dedicated teacher who really teaches math well and goes the extra mile and does a whole bunch with the kids."So we have a teacher who, at his workplace: prevented people from doing their jobs, made highly inappropriate comments to students, and who used his class time to "discuss" with students on his religious views. It's not because of his views that he has been removed from the classroom, it's because of his behavior. No matter how "dedicated" a math teacher he may be, he could not conduct himself professionally and he doesn't deserve to be in a classroom because of it.
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