By nearly every account Timothy Locke is one of the most beloved teachers in the Cherry Hill, N.J., school district.

Locke is a veteran of the Iraq war and for the past 17 years he’s flavored his classroom lessons at Cherry Hill East High School with real-life experiences.

But on Feb. 22, the veteran school teacher was summoned to the principal’s office where his bag was searched, he was placed on administrative leave and was ordered to undergo a physical and a psychiatric evaluation.

According to parents and students Locke’s only crime was to address his concerns about school safety with youngsters in his Advanced Placement History class. The teacher feared a similar attack could happen at Cherry Hill East.

“During the course of the conversation he indicated that he would protect his students if something like (Parkland, Florida) happened here,” parent Eric Ascalon told "The Todd Starnes Radio Show." “He was raising safety concerns about the school with the students. And the intent of his statement (was that) he would protect his students at all costs.”

Imagine that, folks. An Iraq war veteran reassured his students that if someone tried to attack the school, he'd be there to protect them. That’s a good thing, right?

Well, the leadership at Cherry Hill East felt otherwise after a student in the classroom complained.

The school district refuses to comment on what was said or why Locke was placed on administrative leave. Locke, too, has stopped talking on the advice of his attorney.

But before that happened he granted an interview to Philly.com.

“The bottom line is that I was very concerned about the security at my school,” Locke told the news site. “I was adamantly concerned with the welfare of my students.”

Philly.com reports the school is guarded by two unarmed “campus police” – but the officers are not employed by local law enforcement.

“He was speaking up and addressing an issue that has to be addressed,” Ascalon told me.

Students by the dozens staged a protest on campus Monday – urging the school to reinstate the teacher.

"A lot of what the school here is doing is trying to shut out what happened in Florida, instead of saying 'this is what we have to do, this is what we're going do next,' how we can fix what we are doing," sophomore Debbie Goldberg told ABC News.

"Mr. Locke, if you're watching, we got your back," said senior Justin Prechodko.

Ascalon said his son was enrolled in one of Locke’s classes last year and called him an “amazing teacher who has an ability to connect with the students on a variety of levels.”

He also pointed out the discussion was held during an advanced academic class.

“It’s an upsetting topic (school safety), but it’s a topic the students are crying out to address,” Ascalon said. “He speaks to them like young adults who are capable of critical thinking,”

It’s too bad the Cherry Hill East High School does not share the same capability – to think critically.

Instead of honoring a war veteran teacher willing to think outside of the box, the school districts sends him to a shrink. That’s just plumb nuts.

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quote:

Originally posted by JALLEN:
Well, the leadership at Cherry Hill East felt otherwise after a student in the classroom complained.

The school's reaction is wrong on so many levels. And, what's this kid's problem? I think the kid is the one who needs counseling.

quote:

Originally posted by mikeyspizza:

quote:

Originally posted by JALLEN:
Well, the leadership at Cherry Hill East felt otherwise after a student in the classroom complained.

The school's reaction is wrong on so many levels. And, what's this kid's problem? I think the kid is the one who needs counseling.

Yep, everyone has to find a reason to complain and/or be offended. It's like people hunt for that type of stuff now.

Why not publish who that kid is? If he wants to complain, he may as well do it openly.

What it is is probably some jackass kid who isn't getting the grade he feels he's owed in class and this is his way of getting back at the teacher.

quote:

Originally posted by mikeyspizza:

quote:

Originally posted by JALLEN:
Well, the leadership at Cherry Hill East felt otherwise after a student in the classroom complained.

The school's reaction is wrong on so many levels. And, what's this kid's problem? I think the kid is the one who needs counseling.

Reality scared the snowflake.

Reason #87,246 to home school your child. And that just this week.

One of these days, someone is going to come along and say, “Why don’t we close these schools which consistently fail to meet standards and expectations at great expense, and force parents to edicate their children as they chose.”

^^^

agreed

public schooling is a waste - you don't learn anything useful, you are simply indoctrinated into socialism

time to give them up

and the feds need to abolish the Department of Education for its utter failure

He was placed on leave, that’s a pretty big deal. Seems odd that would happen just because he expressed concerned about safety.

My spidey sense makes me wonder if they didn’t find a gun in his bag?

But then it would seem they’d call the cops?

Dunno, just seems like there has to be more to this.

quote:

Originally posted by esdunbar:
He was placed on leave, that’s a pretty big deal. Seems odd that would happen just because he expressed concerned about safety.

My spidey sense makes me wonder if they didn’t find a gun in his bag?

But then it would seem they’d call the cops?

Dunno, just seems like there has to be more to this.

If he had a gun on the school grounds, inside, no permit, he would have been arrested.

quote:

Originally posted by JALLEN:

quote:

Originally posted by esdunbar:
He was placed on leave, that’s a pretty big deal. Seems odd that would happen just because he expressed concerned about safety.

My spidey sense makes me wonder if they didn’t find a gun in his bag?

But then it would seem they’d call the cops?

Dunno, just seems like there has to be more to this.

If he had a gun on the school grounds, inside, no permit, he would have been arrested.

Ha. JALLEN made a funny (permit in NJ where the serf in question isn't named Springsteen or Norcross, the latter being the Camden County Democratic Party boss.)

Safe to assume that his only offense is talking about the emperor's clothes. Goes against NJEA and administration talking points.

quote:

Instead of honoring a war veteran teacher willing to think outside of the box, the school districts sends him to a shrink. That’s just plumb nuts.

Perhaps the psychologist seeing him is competent and does not see a mental health concern. Overreaction by school officials is not unheard of.LOL

Any staffmember at any school who is NOT asking the questions this man asks IS crazy.

There was an incident out in Oklahoma last month where they had a student that was being hunted by the police and the principal chose not to inform the staff to be on the lookout for the extremely dangerous kid.

When I got sent to get a psych exam when I was insubordinate with the cheating, it sealed my decision to expose what was REALLY going on with the corrupt system.

I also got myself a 6 day suspension.

The superintendent got forced to resign and forfeit her retirement.

The psych exam is merely a stigma to be put on your employment record. Even though I came back clean, I can never teach ever again because it is never removed.

[sarcasm]How dare he be committed to deny the young cowering nameless SJW the opportunity to die as a martyr for the cause? He was probably mansplaining while in a seated manspreading position and displaying other microaggressions.[/sarcasm]