Teaching Student Expelled

The New York Sun says a grad student was deemed unfit to teach and kicked out of his program after he expressed skepticism about multicultural education and support for corporal punishment in the classroom.

With the backing of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, Scott McConnell is now suing Le Moyne College of Syracuse, N.Y., for violation of his First Amendment rights.

As part of a class devoted to promoting "inclusive classrooms," McConnell wrote a paper saying: "I do not feel that multicultural education has a philosophical place or standing in an American classroom, especially one that I will teach. I also feel that corporal punishment has a place in the classroom and should be implemented when needed."

He got an A on the paper, but it was forwarded to the director of the graduate education program, Cathy Leogrande, who subsequently expelled him from the Master's program.

"I have grave concerns regarding the mismatch between your personal beliefs regarding teaching and learning and the Le Moyne College program goals," Leogrande said.