Warwak Still in Town, Still Meeting with Kids
Despite his dismissal from Fox River Grove School District 3 last fall, former teacher Dave Warwak is still setting up secret meetings with some of his former students in Fox River Grove and is still distributing literature to them.
The latest incident happened May 23 outside the McDonald's restaurant. Notifications were sent by Warwak to students over the Internet. At the meeting, he distributed copies of a self-published book more than 700 pages long titled, "Peep Show for Children Only." The book includes photos of several of his former students. The photos were published by Warwak without permission.
Police were notified and have reviewed the material. Warwak has not been charged with a crime, though civil litigation is still possible.
posted by Steve Pickering @ 11:32 AM
5 comments
5 Comments:
Vegan book has fans
Kelly Mahoney
Fox River Grove, IL - Not every family is offended by Dave Warwak's "Peep Show for Children Only."
The self-published manifesto is a several-hundred-page book detailing Warwak's dismissal as an art teacher at District 3's Fox River Grove Middle School.
Eileen Christofi of Florida sent in this photo of her son, a 10-year-old vegan, enjoying the book. She said they read it like a bed time story and have owned various copies of the book for about six weeks.
Warkwak is a vegan, meaning he does not consume any meat products, and the board said in his dismissal proceedings he stopped teaching art and only taught about his beliefs while telling children to keep the class a secret.
The book caused a stir with parents after it was discovered children were pictured in the book without permission.
FRGMS students received the book after they met Warwak at McDonald's after school. Warwak said he gave 15 to 20 students the book and that he's moved about 100 copies of the book so far.
The copy students received was 740 pages and was a draft. The copy available for purchase at $29.95 is about 480.
http://www.nwherald.com/blogs/caryblog/blog.php?id=3181
Meat eating information
Fox River Grove parents, your school system is actively keeping gravely serious information from you and your children. People deserve all the information so they can choose wisely about things such as living an extra 10 to 12 years or never having to worry about many cancers, heart attacks or strokes.
I am simply offering information and have not forced food or beliefs down people’s throats. Imagine if just saying or writing something could force people to change.
It is not a “personal choice” when you are eating my friends and you are ruining my world. My tax money subsidizes your “personal choice.” When you made your “personal choice,” did you ask the animal if you could confine, torture, and murder him or her? When you made your “personal choice,” did you ask me if I mind all your pollution and devastation? Just because we personally make selfish choices does not make them “personal choices.”
Humane education reinforced with a vegan school lunch will end school shootings and create a generation that cares. When children see that adults care enough to change, they will care in turn. This is too serious of an issue to leave alone just because some wish to eat unimpeded.
http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2008/06/21/opinion/letters/doc485dbfa4c0f0f465862684.txt
Men's Deaths In Their Fifties Can Be Prevented
Milk on Trial as Cornell Expert Testifies at Fired Teacher's Hearing
By Martha Rosenberg
Jun 23, 2008
Chicago, IL -- The life expectancy of National Football League players might have as much to do with teaching art as the factory farming fired middle school teacher Dave Warwak is accused of teaching.
But it formed the backbone of Cornell University Professor Emeritus Dr. T. Colin Campbell's testimony at the Board of Education hearing into the middle school teacher's dismissal in Fox River Grove, IL, population 5,000, in April.
NFL players are only expected to live to 56 because "they are dying of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and diet related illnesses," testified Campbell in defense of Warwak's classroom charge that animal foods will shorten lives.
Campbell, Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry, is author, with son Thomas M. Campbell II, of the 2005 nutrition bestseller, The China Study, which links premature death and many diseases to diet and was called the "Grand Prix of Epidemiology" by the New York Times.
After reading The China Study, the Kansas City Chiefs' Tony Gonzalez dropped animal products from his diet. testified Campbell, and "this past season he broke the all-time record for the most catches, the most touchdown passes and the most yards gained of any NFL tight end in the history of the National Football League."
The China Study also converted Minnesota Twins pitcher Pat Neshek to an animal free diet says a June ESPN report which also cites vegan diets of Detroit Lion Desmond Howard, Miami Dolphin Ricky Williams, former St. Louis Ram D'Marco Farr, Milwaukee Brewer Prince Fielder and Atlanta Hawk Salim Stoudamire.
Forty-five year old middle school art teacher Dave Warwak was dismissed last fall from the District 3 school system where he had taught for eight years for, "turning his classroom into a forum on veganism," abandoning the art curriculum and asking students to keep it a secret from their parents according to school board documents.
What began as a simple be-kind-to-animals project approved by administrators who even participated--marshmallow Easter "Peeps" were made into "pets" to be cared for--got out of hand when Warwak put the "pets" in cages, pots and pans and between slices of bread.
"The problem was when it turned into a PETA advertisement and it was against the school lunch program," testified Fox River Grove Middle School Principal Tim Mahaffy at the Illinois Board of Education's three day closed hearings into Warwak's dismissal conducted at the Fox River Grove City Hall in April.
Despite hearing officer Barry Simon's repeated admonishments that the case was not about whether veganism, "is right or wrong or good or bad," feeding children animal products was the 300 pound Peep in the room as Warwak, acting pro se, questioned Mahaffy.
Q: Would you say the school lunch goes against humane education?
A: I disagree. I don't see the connection.
Q: The humane education says be nice to all things; the school lunch says, well, not animals?
Robert E. Riley (counsel for District 3): Objection. Arguing with the witness.
Q: Does the school promote meat and dairy one-sided or do they allow other viewpoints on it?
A: The school is committed to following both the State and federal guidelines for serving school lunches.
Of course Fox River Grove Middle School is paid to be one-sided.
Like 45,000 other public middle and high schools in the US and 60,000 elementary schools, it only receives reimbursement from the National School Lunch Program when it pushes milk and life-size Milk Mustache and "Body By Milk" posters adorn lunchroom walls.
This is the program that served children downer dairy cows, at risk for mad cow disease, until the January recall of Hallmark beef, observes Warwak in a recent memoir about his termination, Peep Show For Children Only, found on lulu.com.
Yet the pro dairy message on the school posters--which feature sports figures and popular musicians and arrive unsolicited from the National Dairy Council--is misleading and harmful testified Dr. T. Colin Campbell on the basis of decades of his National Institutes of Health-funded research.
"The consumption of dairy, especially at the younger ages, is a problem," said Campbell which includes health consequences like higher risks of prostate, uterine, breast and endometrial cancers, osteoporosis and a "threefold higher risk of colon cancer."
The health promises about strong bones and healthy bodies on the posters are written by a USDA dietary committee, said Campbell, whose members were found by a court to have conflicts of interests after refusing a Freedom of Information request.
"Six of the eleven members of the committee including the chair had an association with the dairy industry," said Campbell. "And the chair himself had taken more money without telling the public about it than he was allowed under the law."
The animal rich diet the Fox River Grove's District 3 defends to the point of firing a tenured teacher might mean kids won't live longer than the sports heroes they admire, summarized Campbell.
Arbitrator Simon has yet to make a ruling about Warwak--or the posters.
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/06/24/9846/
Legal fees racking up for FRG SD#3 vs. Vegan Teacher
Well over $125,000 at this time and climbing
Before voting, Board member Knar asked the members to look at the financial report (pg. 12) under Board of Education, legal fees, which are currently budgeted at $78,000 – the original budgeted amount was $25,000. Mr. Knar wanted to know how that number could change, why we changed the original number, and from where the money would come.
Dr. Krause stated that throughout the year slight adjustments are made within the same budgeted bracket. There are rare times when there is no money to move but we do have to meet the expense. Dr. Krause responded that as in past practice the line item was increased to meet the substantial increase in legal fees. The increased amount is likely to be covered by positive balances from other line items in the education fund. If this is not sufficient, some money would come from surplus. This is the reason an amended budget is submitted to the State at the end of the school year.
Dr. Mahaffy stated that the administration reviews all the amounts for each line item. This is done internally as we review the track record of individual accounts.
Dr. Krause again stated that the district does not spend every dime in every line item. Therefore, we may be able to locate the $60,000 to cover the increase in legal fees. In addition to legal fees, we also spent more on substitute teachers but less on regular teachers this year.
http://www.dist3.org/board/boardmin/07-08/BOARDMIN-4-28-08.pdf
"Public Hearing for FINAL AMENDED 2007-2008 Budget"
http://www.dist3.org/board/agenda.pdf
Board Minutes from 28 April 2008
http://dist3.org/board/boardmin/07-08/BOARDMIN-4-28-08.pdf
It is expensive hiding the truth
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/06/24/9846/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vegan teacher legal battle cost school over $78,000
K West
June 29, 2008
Fox River Grove, IL – Dave Warwak, the tenured middle school teacher in Illinois who was fired last fall for incorporating veganism in his art lessons, is costing his former school district a great deal more than dinnertime anguish.
Warwak, who filed an appeal with the Illinois State Board of Education last October for wrongful termination said of the hearings that lasted over 30 hours, “it is expensive hiding the truth” and noted, “those figures are from April before the hearings and are much higher now.”
According to Fox River Grove SD 3 Meeting Minutes, Board member Steve Knar asked to look at legal fees, which are currently budgeted at $78,000 – the original budgeted amount was $25,000. Knar wanted to know how that number could change, why we changed the original number, and from where the money would come.
District superintendant Jackie Krause stated, “the line item was increased to meet the substantial increase in legal fees. The increased amount is likely to be covered by positive balances from other line items in the education fund. If this is not sufficient, some money would come from surplus.”
Meanwhile, in the midst of the school’s legal and financial woes, Warwak has published a book, “Peep Show For Children Only” which includes actual transcripts from the hearings.
Warwak’s 487-page manifesto is getting him into trouble with parents. Criticisms stemmed from a meeting Warwak arranged with his former students at a McDonalds to distribute copies of his book. When asked why he felt it necessary to give his book to the children, Warwak explained, “the book was written for my friends so they wouldn’t end up like their parents – why wouldn’t I give them copies?” Warwak further explains, “making the transcripts public shines light on the proceedings that were closed to the public. The meat-eaters would like to keep veganism a secret from the public, especially the children.”
Fox River Grove police became involved when news of Warwak’s meeting spread. Police visited several children’s homes and confiscated their books as evidence.
Police claim to have recovered six books but could not charge Warwak with any crime.
First Assistant State’s Attorney Tom Carroll said, “while we certainly do not condone what he did – we don’t think it was appropriate – ... we are unable to charge Mr. Warwak with violation of any criminal statute.”
Warwak said there was nothing inappropriate about distributing information on veganism, the practice of not eating any animal products, and countered, “I can’t condone what they are doing, nor do I think it is appropriate for the school to serve children recalled beef. And with all the school shootings that happened and the climate of schools today, something has to change. So I offer solutions in my book - Humane Education is what’s needed – that is what is missing in schools today.”
No verdict has been announced in the proceedings that officially closed June 3rd. Hearing officer Barry Simon could not be reached for comment.
http://newsblaze.com/story/20080629091300tsop.nb/topstory.html
Post a Comment
<< Home