Posted by Tina
Patrick McLaw, an eighth grade level teacher in Maryland, has been placed on leave and, according to a local news report, “taken in for an emergency medical evaluation.”
What did this 23 year old middle school teacher do to warrant such a radical response from the school district? Did he rape a student, take all his clothing off and sprint through the quad, or send under-aged students naked pictures of himself via Twitter? Nope, ‘fraid not. This language-arts teacher, supposedly of questionable character and sanity, had the audacity to write a novel…under a pseudonym!
That’s right, the teach penned and published works of fiction!
Unless more information soon comes to light, this man’s only “mistake” was in setting the novel in a familiar setting, a school, and choosing to write about a timely theme…school shootings…at a time when common sense and adult reasoning powers are in short supply.
Police officers searched his home for weapons and bomb making materials but apparently found nothing more than writing materials.
Jeffrey Goldberg has the sketchy details of this story in his article, “In Maryland, a Soviet-Style Punishment for a Novelist” in The Atlantic
Okay Jack and maybe Chris, I need some professional input. Do the authorities have probable cause in this case or does Mr. McLaw have a slam-dunk lawsuit going for him?
Holy cow. It’s hard to be sure without actually reading the book and knowing the man’s history–did the school have reason to believe it was more of a manifesto than a novel?–but unless there’s more here, the school is engaging in an egregious violation of their employee’s freedom, not to mention being incredibly stupid.
I agree Chris. The article mentions that the authorities were not talking in detail. This story may just blow over without our ever hearing the outcome. But if it is as bad as it looks on the surface I think the teacher will have good reason to bring a suit.
The Maryland school district taxpayers can look forward to increased taxes in order to pay for the stupidity of their school district’s decision-makers.
Good point J.
Or maybe the teacher will decide to wash his hands of the whole thing, turn his back on the system, and go to work at a charter school until he can support himself through his writing! Lets hope he takes the high road and is satisfied to expose the idiocy.
If they invaded him for no reason it needs to be addressed. The secrecy of it is alarming.
I see there is an update but no one can trust it
UPDATE (September 2, 2:51 p.m.): According to The Los Angeles Times, a law enforcement official is saying that McLaw drew the attention of authorities not because of his books, but because of a “a four-page letter to officials in Dorchester County.” The report goes on to say, “Those concerns brought together authorities from multiple jurisdictions, including health authorities.”
We will have to wait and keep up with story
We really need to call back the patriot act and NDAA. privacy and protection for all citizens needs to be addressed.
We are not a free country, law enforcement is out of control.
I support fighting this if there was no real threat.