Butt Painting Teacher Put On Suspension

Stephen Murmer, an art teacher working for the Chesterfield County Public Schools (a Richmond, Virginia suburb) was put on paid administrative leave when it was discovered Murmer is a professional butt and crotch painter. Using the name “Stan Murmer,” the art teacher creates floral and abstract paintings by covering his posterior and genitals in paint and pressing them against a canvas.  His paintings have been sold for upwards of $900.

“I am certainly proud of the ass painting,” Stan Murmer said on a clip on YouTube. “I do have a real job where I do have real clients, and I don’t think they’d be too understanding if I was also the guy that painted with my ass.”

A spokeswoman for the school system said an investigation into Murmer began when officials were told about the YouTube video. “We do have personnel regulations that state the teachers are expected to set examples for students through their personal conduct — that is a written Chesterfield County Public School regulation,” she said. “And additionally, the Supreme Court has stated that schools must teach by example, and that teachers, like parents, are role models.”

This is the second time Murmer’s unconventional painting style has landed him in trouble with the school system. A few years ago, school officials discovered his website, www.buttprintart.com, but the issue was resolved.

“Somehow it’s resurfaced,” said Kent Willis, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia. “Schools need to respect the rights of teachers to have private lives.”

Top 4 Strangest College Clubs

Going to college is a time for students to explore their identities and find like-minded people who share their interests.  School clubs are a great way for students to find others who enjoy the same activities.  But some school clubs are a little off the beaten path, such as the following:

1. Students for an Orwellian Society, Columbia University: This club seeks to promote the philosophies of IngSoc and Big Brother, as featured in George Orwells “1984.” These philosophies included eliminating individualism, controlling the people through fear, and destroying free thought.  Hopefully, the club’s activities are satirical in nature.

2.  The Harvard Tiddlywinks Society, Harvard University: While most students are playing games on video game consoles, the members of the Tiddlywinks Society get their kicks the old-fashioned way—by popping little plastic disks in the attempt to land on each other.

3. The Carleton College Mustache Club:  Members of this college club must have a mustache, or put a fake one on for special occasions.  Women are invited to join as long they promise will shave their face except for the area above their lips.  This weird club at least works for a good cause; they raise money for a domestic abuse shelter through the sale of T-shirts and pins.

4. Students Against Hippies in Trees: This club was formed on Facebook after students at the University of California at Berkeley camped out on trees to prevent the building of an athletic center.  The construction would have resulted in removal of the trees.  Presumably, this club these Berekely tree-huggers have gone too far.

Teacher resigns to date porn star (Radio show prank)

An art teacher at Monessen High School in Monessen, Pennsylvania resigned his job after winning a date with the pornographic actress Akira.  Jaison Biagini won the date on the “Bubba the Love Sponge” radko show on Sirius satellite radio.   The prize included an all-expense paid trip to St. Petersburg, Florida.  The school board accepted Biagini’s resignation.  The date did not go as well as Bigani had hoped, however.  Biagini described the date as “all fake and staged,” and that the radio station ridiculed him for his disabilities. (Mr. Biagini is in a wheelchair).  Biagini claimed that he entered the contest so he could win a free trip and visit the Salvador Dali museum in St. Petersburg.

ACLU contends “Rent” cancellation is anti-gay

The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California sued Corona del Mar High School in Orange County, California for creating a “hostile environment” for gay and female students.  Their evidence?  The school briefly cancelled the school production of “Rent.”  The ACLU sued on behalf of a female student, arguing that state and federal equal protection laws were violated.  The ACLU also contended that homophobic remarks were rampant in the school, and that the student had to endure rape and death threats.  Principal Fal Asrani has said that the production of “Rent” was never cancelled, but that she actually approved the production.  This version of events was disputed by the drama teacher, Ron Martin, who said “Rent” was indeed canceled.

Poll Gets Student Newspaper Censored

The Chestnut Street Journal, the student newspaper of the Amherst Regional Middle School in Amherst Massachusetts, was censored after the principal decided she did not like the results of a student poll. Eighth-grader Joshua Wolfsun had a meeting with Principal Fran Ziperstein about student frustration over the school’s Zero Tolerance policy over disciplinary issues.  Not satisfied with the meeting, Wolfsun and his classmates decided to poll the students about the opinion of the school’s disciplinary policies.

The students took several weeks conducting interviews, compiling data, and creating graphs and charts over the issue.  They interviewed 175 students out of the school body of 575.  The poll found that 78% of the students felt their voices and idea were not being heard by the school, and 76% did not like the school’s disciplinary policies. Another 65% did not feel the school’s vision statement coincided with the school atmosphere. The article also included student comments and recommendations for improving the school’s policies.

After the article was published, school administration prohibited the paper from being distributed on school grounds.  The students were surprised with Justin Eck, their teacher advisor, told them they used flawed methodology, and their data was biased.  Wolfsun, however, says The Chestnut Street Journal had conducted earlier polls using the very same methods, and had published previous polls without administration comment. The students believe the paper was suppressed because Ziperstein was not pleased with the poll’s data.

Ziperstein disagrees, saying the students’ method of face-to-face interviews in the lunch room may have created biased results, and that the whole student body should have been polled.

American Civil Liberties Union attorney William C. Newman sent a letter Monday to Principals Ziperstein, Michael Hayes, and three other school officials asking them to reconsider their decision.

Student Gets Detention for Heroism

15-year old Marina High School student Amanda Rouse received a weeklong detention for cutting classes after she prevented a bus from careening out of control. Rouse was punished for not following proper protocol for reporting an illness.

Rouse had fell ill on the way to school, so the bus driver agreed to take her home after the elementary school route was finished. Since she stayed on the bus, Rouse did not check in with her school and report that she was ill. After a sharp turn, the driver fell out of her seat and hit her head. The bus went out of control and slammed into two parked cars.

Acting quickly, Rouse jumped into the driver’s seat and hit the brakes, safely stopping the bus. The bus driver, Rouse, and the forty elementary school students on the bus were not injured.

Though her quick thinking likely saved lives, Rouse was still hit with a weeklong detention from “cutting classes” because she did not properly report she would not attend class due to her illness. Rouse failed to check into the office and get parental approval for not attending her classes.

Rouse must attend Saturday school as punishment for failing to call in sick that day. “She is in trouble with school because she made the wrong decision,” said Rouse’s grandmother, Sally Correll. “But I can’t help but believe that she was where God wanted her to be.”

School To Rehire Murderer

An arbitrator ordered the largest school district in Montreal, Quebec to rehire a teacher after he was fired for not being 100% forthcoming on his past.  In 1990, Jean-Alix Miguel was convicted of manslaughter after beating his wife to death.  In 1998, he got a job with the Montreal School Commission as an electrician teacher at a trade school.

On his application form, Miguel said he had never been convicted of a crime.  The murder conviction was discovered after Miguel filed for worker’s compensation. The arbitrator ruled that Miguel was not a danger to his students and colleagues because of his good teaching record, and his prior murder rap was not related to his work.

Ginette L’Heureux, a spokesperson for the Quebec Human Rights Commission, said Miguel has the right to earn a living.  “If you’re a convicted pedophile, you can’t get a job in a daycare. If you’re an arsonist, you can’t get a job as a fireman,” Ms. L’Heureux said. “But if the crime is not related to the job, you can’t be discriminated against.”