Diatha Harris remains on the job teaching in Cumberland County Schools in North Carolina while a second teacher in the same school district has been accused of preaching their political beliefs to school children.
If you remember Diatha Harris is the teacher in the Cumberland County Schools in North Carolina who belittled and embarrassed a student on camera about her being a supporter of Obama. The portion of the video, which was filmed by a Swedish film company ended up on YouTube.
In the video, as an example of Harris victimizing a McCain student, the teacher tells the young girl that the person she is picking for president has said that US troops will be staying in Iraq, a "senseless war", for another hundred years if need be. She then tells the student "So that means your daddy is going to be in the military for another hundred years." In the video the student can be seen biting her lip and nearly in tears.
Superintendent William Harrison of the Cumberland County Schools stated that he was “shocked when I saw the clip of an interaction between a Cumberland County Schools teacher and her students as posted on YouTube.” In an interview with WTVD, Harrison stated, “I was particularly uncomfortable with the level of uneasiness felt by our students depicted in this video.”
Harris claims she was the victim of selective video editing and stated that she had recently apologized for her actions to the student and family, although the incident happened late last Spring.
Superintendent William Harrison of the Cumberland County Schools, has completed his investigation of the incident regarding Harris belittling a McCain student supporter on video however, the details weren’t released according to a school district spokeswoman.
The school system’s policy on political activity [PDF] stipulates, “Under no circumstances are assemblies, school classes, or students to be used in partisan political activities during the school day.” The school system asked a lawyer to determine what disciplinary action it could take in the case of Harris.
Harris has retained a lawyer to fight to keep her job, according to a school district spokeswoman. Harris remains on the job and continues to be allowed to teach, despite violating school policy in that she imparted her political persuasion on her students. She has only 3 more years to retirement.
But now a second teacher within the same school system has accusations of the same. Parent Tenesia Jackson filed a complaint alleging that Melissa Smith, a teacher at Mac Williams Middle School, made disparaging comments about President-elect Barack Obama on Nov. 6, a school district spokeswoman has said.
In the complaint, Jackson said that her 11-year-old daughter and other students in Smith’s social studies class had talked about their excitement at Obama’s election. The complaint alleges that Smith told students not to be upset if their parents’ tax dollars went to “a 13-year-old girl for an abortion.” The spokeswoman said the complaint also accuses Smith of posing hypothetical questions, including: If you were a waitress, how would you feel if your customer gave your tip to a homeless person who had an Obama sign?
Superintendent Harrison and Principal Hancock are said to be investigating.
PREVIOUS POSTS:
Teacher Who Is Obama Supporter Belittles McCain Student on Camera [Abuse of Power] (11/06)
UPDATE on Diatha Harris, Teacher Who Belittled Fifth Grade McCain Supporter on Video [Hit the Road Diatha] (11/07)
UPDATE: N.C. Teacher Diatha Harris Blames Videographers For Making Her Look Bad. [Yea, RIGHT!] (11/10)
There’s a new website on the net and its from John Ziegler who is working on a film titled, “Media Malpractice… How Obama Got Elected”. Needless to say, after looking at the website, the video, and the statistics, all I can say is wow…… people are stupid…uninformed… uneducated. And I am NOT saying that all Obama voters are stupid, I’m simply saying some of them are, so don’t even go there…… The right to vote comes with an understood responsibility to be informed and to make educated decisions.
But for example, when asked which candidate said they had campaigned in 57 states, the answers were Palin and McCain when in fact it was said by Obama during a speech. [Video]
People had no clue as to who was the majority in congress, but they knew that Palin’s daughter was pregnant.
Additionally, the point of the video is to show how the media influenced the election so obviously there was some “education” however, it was more on gossip issues than on important facts and agenda.
BTW, before reading on, anyone want to buy oceanfront property for $100.00 an acre in Arizona?
From the website:
On Election day twelve Obama voters were interviewed extensively right after they voted to learn how the news media impacted their knowledge of what occurred during the campaign. These voters were chosen for their apparent intelligence/verbal abilities and willingness to express their opinions to a large audience. The rather shocking video below seeks to provide some insight into which information broke through the news media clutter and which did not.”
From the Zogby Poll.
Demographics
■ 512 Obama Voters polled 11/13/08 – 11/15/08 (+/- 4.4 points) ■ 97.1% were High School Graduates or Higher, 55% were College Graduates
Results to 12 simple multiple choice questions.
■ 57.4% could NOT correctly say which party controls congress (50% chance by guessing)
■ 81.8% could NOT correctly say Joe Biden quit a previous campaign because of plagiarism (25% change by guessing)
■ 82.6% could NOT correctly say that Barack Obama won his first election by getting opponents kicked off the ballot. (25% chance by guessing)
■ 88.4% could NOT correctly say that Obama said his policies would likely bankrupt the coal industry and make energy rates skyrocket. (25% by guessing)
■ 56.1% could NOT correctly say Obama started his political career at the home of two former members of the Weather Underground (25% chance by guessing).
■ 86.3% COULD identify Sarah Palin as the person who spent $150,000 in clothes.
■ 93.8% COULD identify Sarah Palin as the one with a pregnant teenage daughter.
■ 86.9% THOUGHT that Sarah Palin said she could see Russia from her “house”, even though it was Tina Fey who said the statement on an episode of Saturday Night Live.
■ Only 2.4% got at least 11 correct.
■ Only 0.5% got all of them correct ( And one answer was “given” away that was technically not Palin, but actually Tina Fey.”
I am so tired of some people whining in California. And I want to address those of you in the "alternative" lifestyle that voted "No" on Prop 8. I want you to read something very very closely. CA Prop 8 was PASSED in a vote of 52.3% to 47.7%. If you missed that, let me summarize....
YOU LOST
Now get over it! The vote was put up, and Prop. 8 was passed, which means that a marriage is known only as a man and a woman. Not a man and a man. Not a woman and a woman. But no, you want it YOUR way, totally ignoring what the population wants, and how our Constitution is set up for elections.
See the little graphic to the left? The areas that are in green are those who voted that a marriage is only between a man and a woman. That means the citizens of CA voted, and determined that a marriage is NOT a man and a man, or a woman and a woman.
How many different ways can I say it before you get it through your thick skulls and let it sink into your brains? YOU LOST. But no, you want to be sore losers and whine and cry and moan and groan that you are being picked on. Umm, vote. Hello? How can it not be fair? Everyone has the freedom to vote, and obviously a larger percentage feels differently than you do. GET OVER IT.
Last time I checked, the Bible said that a man lying with another man was a sin. Last time I checked it said a marriage was between a man and a woman. The last time I checked, there was noting in our Constitution about same sex marriages as a right. So, it was up to the citizens of CA to decide and they did, and you still think your rights are being discriminated against, and want to go against our Nations' and CA's Constitution, and let a court decide, wasting more and more money on the issue.
It's been 10 days since Election Day, and you are STILL whining and acting like a crazy mob, attacking people, boycotting businesses, and acting just plain stupid. So obviously you don't believe in our Nation's Constitution, and you don't believe in the CA Constitution, and obviously think that what the majority wants isn't important, and all that matters, is what you want. Well too damn bad. Didn't your parents always tell you that life isn't fair and you don't always get what you want?
Here's an update on Diatha Harris, the teacher from North Carolina who belittled a young girl who is a McCain supporter. Diatha Harris of Fayetteville teaches fifth grade at Mary McArthur A+ Elementary School in Cumberland County near Fort Bragg, an Army base. The teacher, states that the video is edited to show her as a person she is not, stating now that she has received "nasty" phone calls to her home, and implies that she is the victim in all of this. And testifies to her personality with "I give them whatever I have, 100% every day", while in tears.
A Swedish-language Finnish documentary who was documenting about the upcoming election, included a visit to the North Carolina school and Harris' classroom. In the video that was taken, Harris, a black teacher, takes it upon herself to victimize, belittle and embarrass a young white female student who states she and her parents support McCain.
In the video, the teacher tells the young girl that the person she is picking for president has said that US troops will be staying in Iraq, a "senseless war", for another hundred years if need be. She then tells the student "So that means your daddy is going to be in the military for another hundred years."
Later, the teacher said in response to her actions in the video to an Asheville, NC reporter that "I wasn't necessarily pulling for one person or the other." She added "If I was pulling for just one person then I would have never said the other person's name." At the end of the segment, Harris can be seen wearing an Obama button multiple times.
NOVEMBER 07, 2008
The superintendent of the school where Diatha Harris works made an official announcement regarding Harris' schoolroom actions on the CCS Web site stating that "I was shocked when I saw the clip of an interaction between a Cumberland County Schools teacher and her students as posted on YouTube."
Additionally, the superintendent also posted a video on YouTube while stating the official announcement.
So a bit more about Harris. WRAL had an interview with Harris, the teacher who has been been teaching for 27 years and has been with the Cumberland County Schools for four years, said Friday:
"...that the comments that appeared on the video were taken out of context and were edited to make her look bad. She said she does regret the comment she made to Cathy.
"I was wrong for saying that. I was truly wrong for saying that, but I would do nothing on this Earth to hurt this child," Harris said, adding that she fears the comment could end her career.
Harris said the video is "only portraying one side of all the events that went on in that classroom" and that she made similar suggestions and comments about Obama. ...
Cathy's mother, Angela Moore, said neither she nor her daughter were upset by Harris' comments.
"I don't necessarily think she is beating her options onto the students," Moore said. "That is her opinion just as everyone else."
Moore said the video is portraying Harris "to be someone she is not."
NOVEMBER 08, 2007
In a November 8th article from the Citizen-Times, an Asheville NC newspaper, from the city where Harris once worked, the headline reads "Students defend former Asheville teacher on hot seat."
But the parents of that student, and the student herself, said Friday that teacher Diatha Harris did nothing wrong.
"She is usually messing around," said Cathy Thompson, who was in Harris' fifth-grade class in May when a Swedish film crew visited for a documentary on American politics. "When she said that, I knew she was messing around." ...
... Harris turns to Cathy Thompson and asks her to speak up about her choice because her father is n the military.
Cathy is shown biting her lip and looking upset. She remained silent. ...
Cathy Thompson said Friday she wasn't upset at the time. Her parents, Angela Moore and Army Staff Sgt. Robert Thompson, also said they weren't mad at the teacher.
Moore said her daughter never mentioned feelings as if she was being picked on.
"Mrs. Harris is always active with the children like that," Moore said. "I have sat in her class when my Cathy was a student, and she was very active with the children. She tries to get them involved with everything."
Robert Thompson said when he first watched the clip on Friday, he understood why some would see it as Harris trying to change his daughter's mind.
But after hearing Harris' side and talking with his daughter, he now things Harris is "getting a rough deal." ...
The Thompson family, along with other parents who visited Harris at her home in Fayetteville, said they don't want Harris punished.
"There should be no repercussions at all," Thompson said. "There was no harm done to anybody." ...
Harris on Friday said she regrets making the comment about her student's father. She said she was not intending to advocate for one candidate over another.
"I called the parents, and I apologized," she said. "And apologized to Cathy. If I could take anything back from that video, it would be that statement. I should not have said that."
NOVEMBER 09, 2008
WRAL news in North Carolina interviewed Harris and Cathy. In the below video Cathy plainly states that what Harris said to her emotionally shocked her: "I was gonna start to cry because I was nervous cause I was worried about my dad when he was in Iraq."
Harris on the other hand is trying to portray herself as a victim since she has received "nasty" phone calls to her home and to the school district, in tears: "I give them whatever I have, 100% ever day." Harris contends that the video was edited to make her look bad. [NOTE: What part of editing could make the statement of "So that means your daddy is going to be in the military for another hundred years" could make her look bad, other than herself? Maybe someone needs to take responsibility for her own words.]
Believe it or not Angela Moore, Cathy's mother, defends Harris saying: "It's portraying Ms. Harris as being someone she is not."
On the WRAL web site, there is a poll regarding Harris actions. An overwhelming 935 (95%) out of 981 total votes (as of this writing) viewed Harris' actions in negative light. A total of 767 votes (78%) view Harris' actions as negative based on expressing support or disdain for a particular candidate. A total of 168 votes (17%) view that Harris should have never broached the subject with fifth-graders. And only 46 votes (5%) see absolutely no problem with Harris' actions.
In a separate video titled "Web Only: Teacher Discusses" (Very Slow Loading) on the WRAL web site Harris defends herself saying "They are only portraying one side of all the events that went on in that classroom" and that the "video is one sided" and that whoever put the video on YouTube edited the video to make her look bad. [Note: The entire video can be seen HERE. The specific that needs to be watched is from 13:30 ~ 22:00. The YouTube video is from about 19:00. Judge for yourself.]
Harris does admit in the video below that there is one thing that she said she wishes she could take back. That is the statement about Cathy's father being in the Army for the next 100 years. Harris states she has apologized for that statement which is about 6 months later after she made the statement, not around the time she made the statement in May of 2008, after the world sees the video.
Additionally Harris states that the reason she is speaking out is because she doesn't want "people lying on me, and my character tarnished as a teacher."
Hindsight is always 20-20 when people find something out that you have done wrong. Tell me, would Cathy and her family have gotten an apology IF this video had not made it on the Internet? Even murders say "If I knew then what I now now, I wouldn't have done it!" Drunk drivers who are in accidents say "If I knew this was going to happen, I wouldn't have driven drunk." Once a person is busted, they always say they are sorry and shouldn't have done it. They never say it before. The fact is, you can't change the past.
And I always love how people try to put the responsibility of their actions on someone else. Harris states in the video below that the videographers asked them to talk about the election, thus its their fault she acted the way she did, and she is in no way responsible for her own actions. The videographers made her do it.
Personally I don't care if the video is edited to one sided, it still does NOT condone the words and actions of a teacher to push a student to cry because of her beliefs. And again, it is not appropriate to use the words "Jesus" and "Lord" in a classroom. That is a violation of church and state. Harris' words of "Oh Lord" and "Oh Jesus" when Cathy states she is a McCain supporter, is NOT appropriate in the use of words, and in the reaction to Cathy being a McCain supporter.
Let me again ask you the question. Do you think Harris would have apologized IF this had not made the news? And if this was a white McCain teacher browbeating a black Obama supporter, what do you think would happen?
Harris should be terminated. PERIOD.
PREVIOUS POSTS:
Teacher Who Is Obama Supporter Belittles McCain Student on Camera [Abuse of Power] (11/06)
Update on Diantha Harris, Teacher Who Belittled Fifth Grade McCain Supporter on Video [Hit the Road Diantha] (11/07)
EDIT: This post was edited to correctly spell Harris’ first name. The Swedish film company misspelled her name as Diantha. The correct spelling is Diatha.
Am update on Diatha Harris, the teacher in North Carolina who belittles and embarrasses a white fifth grade girl who's father is in the military, when the girl states she supports McCain. Harris stated to the little girl that "...the person you are picking for president said that our troops will stay in Iraq for another hundred years if they need to. So that means your daddy is going to be in the military for another hundred years."
The superintendent of the school where Diatha Harris works, has made an official announcement regarding Harris' actions on the CCS Web site.
CCS Headline News - Superintendent's Response to YouTube
I was shocked when I saw the clip of an interaction between a Cumberland County Schools teacher and her students as posted on YouTube. While neutral discussion of the political process is appropriate, at no time, particularly with elementary students, should a teacher infuse his/her political views into the discussion. Most disconcerting was the military slant that made its way into this discussion. We are a military community, serving over 15,000 military students and their families. We value the sacrifices, not only of the military parents but also those of their families.
We believe that military children are our children, military spouses are many of our employees, and military service men and women are our heroes. We proudly serve our military children and have received national awards for our support of military families.
I was particularly disturbed to see the uncomfortable position in which our children were placed due to the inappropriate actions of one of our teachers. Please be assured that the actions exhibited in this video are not consistent with the vision of the CCS. Moreover, the actions of one teacher do not represent the 7000 employees in our organization.
Once the video was brought to my attention, I immediately launched an investigation. Personnel laws prevent me from releasing information regarding individual employees and personnel action taken. I can assure you that upon completion of the investigation, I will take appropriate action.
Dr. William Harrison CCS' Superintendent
Let us just hope that sensitivity training with a slap on the wrist isn't what Harrison is planning for Harris. This monster of a woman should be terminated, and her teaching certification revoked based upon abusive behavior.
What also disturbs me with her video, is the way she speaks. First she does not speak proper English, and no I am not talking about her accent. Remember my family is from the south since the early 1700s. She does not speak clearly, she uses slang words, and does not use proper formations of sentences. This "class" is not about learning education, it is about learning to "conform" through intimidation, ridicule, belittling, alienation and abuse. Education is not about forcing a child to change what they believe, it is about encouraging a child to form an educated opinion about something.
Secondly, it disturbs me for a teacher to use words such as "lord" and "Jesus" in a school environment. School is not a church, and this is defined by Federal Law. If you wish to use the defense of she is a Christian woman, well, her actions show anything but being a Christian woman.
But what disturbs me most of all is not Harris' actions, its the lack of reaction in the news. Searching via Yahoo or Google results in very very few hits on this topic, mostly by bloggers, but no news hits.
I am interested in seeing how the teachers' union reacts also.
Personally this is what I would be saying to Harris:
"Woah Woman, oh woman, don't treat me so mean, You're the meanest old woman that I've ever seen.
Hit the road Diatha and don't you come back no more, no more, no more, no more....."
Teaching is a tremendous responsibility. How a child is treated in school forms much of their personality for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately a teacher in North Carolina showed the children in her class that it's acceptable to abuse someone over their beliefs.
Diantha Harris of Fayetteville teaches fifth grade at Mary McArthur A+ Elementary School in Cumberland County near Fort Bragg, an Army base. Many of the students that go to the school have parents in the military.
A Swedish-language Finnish documentary included a visit to Harris' classroom. In the video, Harris takes it upon her self to victimize, belittle, and embarrass a white female student who states that she and her parents support McCain, while black children are praised when they say they support Obama. If nothing else that has happened thanks to Obama has outraged you, this should.
THE STORY
Harris is seen asking her class whom they support in the upcoming presidential election. One student says, "Obama." Harris encourages her class to speak up. "And if you are pulling for John McCain, that's fine, say him as well," she says. [Note her tone when she says this.]
One lone John Mcain supporter speaks up, a young girl. Harris's reply is "Oh lord, John McCain," Harris says on the film. "Oh Jesus."[As if this poor little girl has lost her way.] She then asks the young girl why she is pulling for John McCain. The girl says because her parents are voting for him. She asks one male black student why he is supporting Obama. He shrugs his shoulders and replies that he wants a black president.
Another student tells Harris she is supporting Obama because he'll make good changes to the country. "Now can you tell me just a little bit more, like what type of changes?," she asks the student. The student says "like not having a fight between Iraq and having soldiers killed." Harris nods her head in approval. "So in other words Barack is going to end that war in Iraq," she says. She then asks the class what they know about the war.
She picks out the little girl who previous said McCain to speak up because her father was in the military. Harris addresses the young girl, "Now talk to me, because your dad's in the military!" The young girl looks down and bites her lip. Harris then yells, "Talk!" to the girl. The girl remains quiet."Its a senseless war," Harris says on the film while staring directly at Kathy. "And by the way Kathy, the person you are picking for president said that our troops will stay in Iraq for another hundred years if they need to." At this point Kathy's eyes begin to well up and the other children laugh. "So that means your daddy is going to be in the military for another hundred years," she tells the child.
THE VIDEO
HARRIS' TAKE ON THE INCIDENT
Harris, in an interview today with the Asheville Citizen-Times, said that's not true. Harris said that she wasn't advocating for one candidate over the other and that the footage of her lesson is heavily edited. [Note: The entire video can be seen HERE. The specific that needs to be watched is from 13:30 ~ 22:00. The YouTube video is from about 19:00. Judge for yourself.]
She said her comments of "Oh lord" and "Oh Jesus" were her way of engaging her students to spur discussion. [I thought any religious statements were not allowed in school by federal law?]
"I wasn't necessarily pulling for one person or the other," she said in a telephone interview from her home in Fayetteville. "If I was pulling for just one person then I would have never said the other person's name."
She said her comment to the child whose father was in the military was not meant to change the child's mind about supporting McCain. [Bullshit....]
At the end of the segment, Harris can be seen in her home wearing a Obama button. She was also filmed at a May "informance" at the school, which is a cross between a performance and an information presentation, wearing an Obama button while talking to kids about voting.
BTW, Harris and her now ex-husband, who was a former member of the Asheville City Schools Board of Education, were visited by George H.W. Bush in 1992. Here's the scoop.
NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT
On the McCainSpace website, a comment was left by ro4jands stating. "Happened here in PA at my daughter's school. She called Palin stupid and anyone who supported her was stupid."
And another comment, this time from K_D: "I heard a parent call in on a radio program this morning telling of a similar story concerning her daughter and a teacher."
Gee, must take a real person, a professional teacher, to bully young students.
THE INFO YOU NEED
This woman should be FIRED and her license taken away. What Christian woman belittles a little girl and lies to a little girl for stating her beliefs? Obviously this teacher is NOT a Christian woman for such an act. I applaud the girl for being so brave when her beliefs are obviously not the majority. And if there was a way for me to contact her parents I would tell the little girl I applaud her for stating what she believes. Do not EVER let anyone tell you how to think, that is your right and your freedom. And that I am sorry that she had to experience something like that from such a horrible person. And never EVER lower your head because your father is in the military. EVER. Your father is something to be proud of. This teacher is something to be ashamed of and someone to feel sorry for based on her actions.
If Harris is not at least suspended until a hearing, I would file for a restraining order against this woman if I were the parents of this little girl. First she belittles a girl, it does not matter what the topic is. Second, she brought religion into the classroom. I wonder how Harris' children feel knowing that their mother is a teacher who is abusing her position by belittling and embarrassing a young fifth grade girl for being brave enough to speak what she feels.
And I will be calling the school tomorrow to let the administration know that if that were my child, then Harris and the School Board would be getting a call from my attorney and the ACLU. I have NO TOLERANCE for the young and innocent being picked on when they had done nothing wrong but answered a question, forced to answer a question, by a horrible monster of a teacher.
Diantha Harris teaches 5th Grade at Mary McArthur A+ Elementary School, 3809 Village Drive, Fayetteville, NC, 28304.
Cumberland Schools Superintendent is William C. Harrison (910-678-2300)
Board of Elections in Fayetteville, NC is 910.678.7733 and the Director is Terri Robertson. Her email address is boardofelections@co.cumberland.nc.us .
![harris[4]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3ys7WkirivLUwonjIJ_EGv_zHsUpMWvTbmRlErlzYvOt3xIle4Tyd5Paj2XoPV55CmEVEv5piFvef5lVSGXcfk3S69bMxaQqVn8J9iq_jdDdNDmWTSps5lYNTiUugRNeqjPrzYZQjPkc/s1600-h/harris%5B4%5D%5B5%5D.jpg "harris[4]")
On Election day twelve Obama voters were interviewed extensively right after they voted to learn how the news media impacted their knowledge of what occurred during the campaign. These voters were chosen for their apparent intelligence/verbal abilities and willingness to express their opinions to a large audience. The rather shocking video below seeks to provide some insight into which information broke through the news media clutter and which did not.” 
![ccs_announcement[4]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_eYWMobhIZEsdhHFi4tXPazz74GBhC1tnjVZqM4uEAE7psMTE1mfPzMelEoPVMwp-BqOXK9E3IoRXvhFyeFHrFVChGpvYjB-5d9Da0w1b7mQ18pSxiWgq3yJVn_COQDrNwZIih8A02bB0/s1600-h/ccs_announcement%5B4%5D.jpg)
