Howell Michigan School Superintendent: “Jay McDowell Himself Bullied Students Who Offered An Opinion Different Than His Own”

Howell, Michigan school officials Wednesday said that students who witnessed the now controversial classroom exchange between Howell High School teacher Jay McDowell and the two students he suspended from classroom on October 20th insist that the teacher called them “racist,” became visibly angered, was demonstrative, and generally behaving in a manner befitting a bully, reports the Livingston State Journal. Mr. McDowell denies all the allegations. The district now claims that he, and not the two students, was the provocateur, asking 16 year old Daniel Glowacki if he accepted gays, and when Glowacki answered, ‘No, it’s against my religion,’ McDowell removed him from the class. Howell Public Schools Board of Education President Debi Drick says “The teacher made a bad call. Kids asking questions isn’t a reason to kick them out of class,” adding, oddly, that “The story has been told, not just locally, but on a national level. The story that’s been told isn’t complete. The written statements contradict the story that’s been told.” According to the school officials, those statements, taken from an estimated 12 of the 29 in Mr. McDowell’s sixth-hour economics class, allege that once he removed Glowacki and another student from the class, he went to the hallway, and angrily confronted the two, according to at least one witness, calling them racists. The international attention the incident has brought upon the school district appears to have angered Howell Superintendent Ron Wilson, who said that the time has arrived to end debate on the incident and the subsequent suspension of McDowell, adding that he “is not helping the district going on TV talking about this issue. I’ve even gotten calls from California from people saying we should reverse our decision. I’m the CEO of the largest corporation in Livingston County. I don’t have the authority to deviate from board policy. This has really put (the district) in a bad light.” Wilson also said “Jay McDowell himself bullied students who offered an opinion different than his own ... Additionally, Jay McDowell had numerous opportunities to resolve the situation amicably, but instead chose to act in a manner that escalated the situation.” McDowell has filed a grievance regarding the suspension, and a hearing is scheduled for next week, after which the district has ten days to respond.