Teh One Who Knocks
03-14-2011, 05:08 PM
By Jason Schultz and Julius Whigham II - Palm Beach Post Staff Writers
PALM BEACH GARDENS — A quiz meant to teach high school students how innocent notions can become sexually charged as a person matures has landed a longtime William T. Dwyer High School teacher in hot water.
"We do feel that it was over the top," said Dwyer Principal Joseph Lee of the quiz given Monday by Frank Rozanski to his advanced placement psychology class.
Rozanski was disciplined but was still in the classroom teaching this week, Lee said.
Rozanski wrote 10 questions on the whiteboard, Lee said. The class was working on a lesson about social psychology and perceptions.
The questions could either be answered with something non-sexual like bubble gum or could be taken as a sexual innuendo, Lee said. The point of the questions was to show students how wording that a 3rd grader would find innocent, an adult would assign a sexual connotation.
Lee said there were about 30 students in the class and the parents of a few of those students complained. After school officials investigated, they determined that the questions were inappropriate.
"Were there sexual innuendos? Yes," Lee said. "But it wasn't a sexual test."
Lee said he he could not disclose what discipline he has handed out in a specific personnel case, but that he is not allowed to fire a teacher.
School district spokeswoman Vickie Middlebrooks said: "Our principal is handling it within the progressive discipline guidelines of our (Classroom Teachers Association) contract."
According to Robert Dow, the president of the Classroom Teachers Association union, the maximum discipline a principal can hand out to a teacher on their own is a verbal or written reprimand. A principal can recommend suspension or firing of a teacher, but such actions must then be approved by the school board, Dow said.
Lee said he made contact with many of the parents of students in the class this week during the investigation and planned to set up a time to sit down and meet with those parents in person to talk about the incident.
Lee said that advanced placement teachers have textbooks, but that they also have a set of guidelines about what type of information is likely to be on the advanced placement tests at the end of the course. They are supposed to shape their curriculum to prepare students for the material they are likely to see on the advanced placement test.
"They talk about social psychology," Lee said. "Issues of human sexuality could likely be on the test."
Lee said he did not know where Rozanski got the questions he put on the board.
Rozanski could not be reached for comment.
Rozanski has taught at Dwyer for more than 10 years, Lee said. According to Dwyer Athletic Director Tom Pagley, Rozanski coached girls soccer for several years but stepped down after the 2008-09 season. Before that Rozanski coached boys volleyball at Dwyer until 2004.
Lee said the quiz will not be given again at his school. He said he would refer the case to district officials who will make the ultimate determination about what discipline Rozanski will face for the quiz.
PALM BEACH GARDENS — A quiz meant to teach high school students how innocent notions can become sexually charged as a person matures has landed a longtime William T. Dwyer High School teacher in hot water.
"We do feel that it was over the top," said Dwyer Principal Joseph Lee of the quiz given Monday by Frank Rozanski to his advanced placement psychology class.
Rozanski was disciplined but was still in the classroom teaching this week, Lee said.
Rozanski wrote 10 questions on the whiteboard, Lee said. The class was working on a lesson about social psychology and perceptions.
The questions could either be answered with something non-sexual like bubble gum or could be taken as a sexual innuendo, Lee said. The point of the questions was to show students how wording that a 3rd grader would find innocent, an adult would assign a sexual connotation.
Lee said there were about 30 students in the class and the parents of a few of those students complained. After school officials investigated, they determined that the questions were inappropriate.
"Were there sexual innuendos? Yes," Lee said. "But it wasn't a sexual test."
Lee said he he could not disclose what discipline he has handed out in a specific personnel case, but that he is not allowed to fire a teacher.
School district spokeswoman Vickie Middlebrooks said: "Our principal is handling it within the progressive discipline guidelines of our (Classroom Teachers Association) contract."
According to Robert Dow, the president of the Classroom Teachers Association union, the maximum discipline a principal can hand out to a teacher on their own is a verbal or written reprimand. A principal can recommend suspension or firing of a teacher, but such actions must then be approved by the school board, Dow said.
Lee said he made contact with many of the parents of students in the class this week during the investigation and planned to set up a time to sit down and meet with those parents in person to talk about the incident.
Lee said that advanced placement teachers have textbooks, but that they also have a set of guidelines about what type of information is likely to be on the advanced placement tests at the end of the course. They are supposed to shape their curriculum to prepare students for the material they are likely to see on the advanced placement test.
"They talk about social psychology," Lee said. "Issues of human sexuality could likely be on the test."
Lee said he did not know where Rozanski got the questions he put on the board.
Rozanski could not be reached for comment.
Rozanski has taught at Dwyer for more than 10 years, Lee said. According to Dwyer Athletic Director Tom Pagley, Rozanski coached girls soccer for several years but stepped down after the 2008-09 season. Before that Rozanski coached boys volleyball at Dwyer until 2004.
Lee said the quiz will not be given again at his school. He said he would refer the case to district officials who will make the ultimate determination about what discipline Rozanski will face for the quiz.