Oregon Student Teacher Discriminated Against Because Of His Sexual Orientation

From the Oregonian, a report on 23 year old Seth Stambaugh, a graduate teaching student at Lewis & Clark college in the Beaverton School District who was placed as a student teacher in a fourth and fifth grade class at Sexton Mountain public school, and who was recently re-assigned over a conservation he had shared with a student and his style of dress. According to reports, Stambaugh was asked by a fourth grade student if he was married, and he replied he was not. When asked by the same student why, Stambaugh who is gay answered that it is not legal for him to marry because he would chose to marry another man. The student then asked if that meant Seth liked to hang out with other guys, to which Stambaugh replied yes. The parent of the student overheard the conservation, complained, and Beaverton School District administrators asked his college advisors to transfer him to another school. Earlier that same week, the same parent had complained about Stambaugh’s classroom appearance – pressed pants, an oxford shirt, and a cardigan – although it appears the principal ignored that complaint. However, the second time, the parent’s complaint, accompanied by a threat to remove the child from the school entirely, was addressed, and on September 15th, the principal called the Beaverton School District and asked that Stambaugh be barred from teaching in the district, Stambaugh told that his conservation with the student was “inappropriate,” district spokesperson Maureen Wheeler emphasising the decision was not discriminatory, but was based on “concerns about a conversation he had with a fourth-grade student. Our concerns were about the professional judgement and age appropriateness,” adding that the district’s “policy and practice is non-discrimination. We train on this issue. But student teachers, also known as interns, are not employees and the district does not have polices dealing with them,” underlining that Lewis & Clark is responsible for student teacher placements, Wheeler insisting that the college determined what actions to take to address complaints made against Stambaugh. However, the Portland Mercury reports that Lewis & Clark disputes Beaverton School District’s assertions, spokesperson Jodi Heintz saying “We categorically deny that we had the final call on what happened to Seth,” adding that there usually when there is a conflict between a student teacher and a school, someone from Lewis & Clark is involved in conflict resolution meeting, though in this case there was no discussion. “The fact that we were completely cut out of the process was an aberration,” she said. Stambaugh, who has legal counsel, said he simply focussed on finding another school to continue his placement program.