High-court majority reaffirms Freshwater’s dismissal | The Columbus Dispatch

This case is a bit odd IMHO. If I am following it correctly it started in 2008:

The mother of a Mount Vernon student says she and her husband were initially curious and eventually horrified when their 14-year-old son told them his science teacher had burned his arm.

Zachary Dennis, now a high-school freshman, told his mother that his eighth-grade teacher, John Freshwater, held his arm down Dec. 6 and used an electrical device used to test gases to burn a cross on his forearm during a science class demonstration.

"He said 'Mr. Freshwater said this cross will be here for awhile; it's like a temporary tattoo,' " recalled Jenifer Dennis, Zachary's mother.

[,,,]
Freshwater has been suspended without pay, pending the outcome of a hearing to determine whether he should be fired for misusing the electrical device, teaching religion in his science class and failing to follow district curriculum and rules.

Religious bullshit aside, WTF is a teacher doing burning a "symbol" into a students arm? And why is/was their any question as to whether they should have fired his ass on the spot?

The following year, it somehow devolved into an issue of "free speech"

John Freshwater, an eighth-grade science teacher facing dismissal for allegedly preaching in the classroom, is suing the Mount Vernon City School District, saying it violated his constitutional and civil rights.

[,,,]
Freshwater's suit calls the actions of the school board, the superintendent and the middle-school principal "malicious, fraudulent and oppressive and committed with an improper and evil motive."

The board announced last June that it intended to fire Freshwater for preaching his Christian beliefs about how the world began, discrediting evolution and deviating from the required science curriculum. An investigation initiated by the board found that Freshwater used a high-voltage lab tool to burn crosses into the arms of students and that he told them gays were sinners.

It has been in the courts since that time with the finale (hopefully) occurring 2 weeks ago:

The Ohio Supreme Court will not revisit its 4-3 decision that found a Mount Vernon teacher was legally dismissed for insubordination when he refused to remove religious symbols from his classroom.

In an identical vote, the justices in the majority yesterday rejected a motion by lawyers for John Freshwater to reconsider their Nov. 19 ruling.

The court ruled that Freshwater, a former middle-school science teacher, was terminated properly for refusing school administrators’ orders to cease “any activity that promotes or denigrates a particular religion” at the school.

The court’s majority found that while school officials unconstitutionally ordered Freshwater to remove his personal Bible from his desk, he “defied” proper orders to remove a religious-themed poster and books from his classroom.

What happened to the fact he harmed a student? And who the fuck cares that he did it "600" times before!!

High-court majority reaffirms Freshwater’s dismissal | The Columbus Dispatch