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| Prairie View Grade School music teacher Nathan Etter (far right) reportedly was told to "stick to the curriculum" after he talked to students about being in a same-sex marriage. (Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune) |
The Chicago Tribune reports:
When Nathan Etter, a first-year music teacher at Prairie View Grade School near Elgin [Illinois], received the bouquet from his husband, some first-grade students asked who they were from. He said he answered honestly and that some students reacted with comments like “ewww” and “gross.”
Etter, 30, who has been married to Philip Etter since August, said he used the interaction as a “teachable moment,” making very brief comments about respect and tolerance and explaining how some families have two moms or two dads.
According to administrators in Kane County-based Central Unit School District 301, the parent of one student contacted the district with “serious concerns” about Etter’s comments, prompting the principal to meet with the teacher to learn more about what had occurred.
The union claimed Etter was told to “stick to the curriculum.” The accusations of discrimination were repeated in social media postings and prompted a “rally for equality” before Monday’s school board meeting, supported by the statewide Illinois Education Association. The Etters have received letters of support and more than 30 bundles of flowers and gifts, they said.
The group of about 100 students, parents and union members gathered in the frigid weather outside before the board meeting, with participants carrying signs saying, “We support Mr. Etter” and “Respect for All.” They chanted, “Inclusion and diversity is more than just a policy.”
When Nathan Etter, a first-year music teacher at Prairie View Grade School near Elgin [Illinois], received the bouquet from his husband, some first-grade students asked who they were from. He said he answered honestly and that some students reacted with comments like “ewww” and “gross.”
Etter, 30, who has been married to Philip Etter since August, said he used the interaction as a “teachable moment,” making very brief comments about respect and tolerance and explaining how some families have two moms or two dads.
The union claimed Etter was told to “stick to the curriculum.” The accusations of discrimination were repeated in social media postings and prompted a “rally for equality” before Monday’s school board meeting, supported by the statewide Illinois Education Association. The Etters have received letters of support and more than 30 bundles of flowers and gifts, they said.
The group of about 100 students, parents and union members gathered in the frigid weather outside before the board meeting, with participants carrying signs saying, “We support Mr. Etter” and “Respect for All.” They chanted, “Inclusion and diversity is more than just a policy.”
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