"Whether this teacher intended it to be a joke, something he found online, it’s simply inappropriate and outrageous." – Stephanie Anderson
A West Geauga Schools teacher has been placed on leave pending results of an investigation after reportedly showing an offensive slide in an 11th grade AP government class.
During the presentation, which was about voter eligibility, the teacher allegedly showed an image with a mugshot of what appears to be a convicted felon on one side and a picture of animated character Dora the Explorer looking beat up and battered on the other side.
The image has sparked controversy between concerned parents of students in the district and those in support of social studies teacher Wesley Rogge’s teaching methods.
While Superintendent Richard Markwardt would not name the teacher in question, many students and parents have done so via Facebook and Twitter, several of them expressing support of Rogge and even creating a GoFundMe account for him, as well as the hash tags #FreeRogge and #Roggestays.
However, the district has received several complaints from parents about the image.
“I was outraged,” Stephanie Anderson, who has a son in Rogge’s class, told Fox 8 News Nov. 14. “Whether this teacher intended it to be a joke, something he found online, it’s simply inappropriate and outrageous. Seeing that white supremacists juxtaposed with a brown-skinned child who has a superimposed black eye, blood coming from her mouth with the offense of illegal border crossing and resisting arrest with 666 666666 is 100 percent inappropriate.”
In a written statement, Markwardt told Fox 8 News Nov. 14 the district is investigating the “politically-insensitive slides allegedly contained in a teacher’s classroom presentation.”
The teacher has been placed on leave pending the results of the investigation, he said.
In an email Nov. 15 to the Geauga County Maple Leaf, Markwardt said the district was responding to concerns from several individuals that some instructional materials are inappropriate.
“When such allegations arise, they are investigated and dealt with appropriately. That is the case here,” he said.
In an email to parents of students in the school district, Markwardt said: “This week, media attention focused on the West Geauga Local School District as we investigated allegations of politically-offensive instructional material inappropriate for a high school environment. The material has been examined, the matter investigated and the issue is being resolved.
Former and current students of Rogge took to Twitter in support of him Nov. 14 and 15.
“I will stand by Mr. Rogge for the fact this man never forced his views on his classes and, most of all, he saved my life during my time @WestGHigh by always having time for students who were struggling and a listening ear. I am alive today because he cared about his students,” tweeted Sarah Graber.
Another student, @GrabinskiJulia, tweeted: “Just an honest, hardworking man trying to support his family and put his kid through college. He deserves nothing but the utmost respect, instead an individual student unaffected by this matter is singlehandedly trying to tear him down and ruin his career. We back you Rogge.”
One student is trying to coordinate a student walk out Nov. 18 in support of Rogge.
In an interview Nov. 15 with the Maple Leaf, Anderson said it has never been her intention for Rogge to be fired.
“That was never my intention. My intention, though, is to make sure that our classrooms are a place where children can come to learn without concern that they’re going to be ridiculed for their beliefs, or that they may be subject to images or conversations that are very clearly intended to elicit a specific response and that’s not a positive one,” she said. “I get being provocative, especially in AP government, I do, but there is a way that you can be provocative without ridiculing and alienating students.”
In her interview with Fox 8, Anderson said the classroom is no place for personal political beliefs.
“It’s not OK for either extreme,” she said. “So whether you are very liberal or very conservative at either end of the spectrum, imparting your views on your students in a non-educationally beneficial way is unacceptable.”
Anderson told the Maple Leaf she and other concerned parents only want Rogge and the school district to understand how upsetting the image might be to children and families.
“I want people to look at things with more of a critical eye,” she said. “I would really like to see Mr. Rogge be a part of the solution. I’m encouraged by the progress that West Geauga is making in terms of diversity and inclusion, and making sure students have a safe learning environment. I’m simply asking for their education to be free from ridicule. It’s not asking for special accommodations; it’s just asking people to have empathy and do the right thing.”
A email sent to Rogge’s school address seeking comment had not been replied to as of publication of this story.
