Click Here

Ex-Enloe Teacher Wants Reprimand Expunged

Robert Escamilla, former Enloe teacher

A Wake County teacher who was reassigned to an alternative high school after he invited a controversial Christian speaker to his class testified for more than four hours Monday before a grievance committee in his effort to get a 12-page reprimand removed from his employment file.

A number of students also testified on behalf of former Enloe High School social studies teacher Robert Escamilla, and dozens more rallied Monday afternoon outside of the Wake County Public School System's main office in support of the popular teacher.

"I think what's been done to me is wrong," Escamilla said Monday. "I got singled out."

Escamilla was suspended with pay in March after Kamil Solomon, head of Kamil International Ministries Organization, handed out pamphlets critical of Islam and titled, “Why Women Should Not Marry Muslims.”

Wake County school officials said Escamilla crossed a line and that the speaker was unacceptable.

Escamilla and his attorney, Billy Strickland, said the school system and Superintendent Del Burns unfairly attacked his 18-year employment record.

"After we got the first paperwork back from Dr. Burns, it was like, 'Oh no, it's not about the speaker. It's mostly about your performance as a teacher,'" Strickland said.

Escamilla's personnel file is confidential unless he decides to release it. He declined to do so, saying he did not want to affect the school board's deliberations.

That has left the system with little to say about the matter.

"We stand behind the fact that this is about a lot more to this story than a single speaker or a single incident," Wake County schools spokesman Michael Evans said.

Jaime Zea, who testified on behalf of Escamilla, said he is part of the file because his parents once complained that the teacher joked about the Hispanic student being deported.

"It was nothing more than a joke," Zea said. "Mr. Escamilla was very apologetic."

"They were trying to take the incident from two years ago and use it against him in this new case, which, I think, is completely unfair," Zea said.

The school board will discuss the case in a closed session on Tuesday. It has 10 days to make a decision.



149 Comments


Golo

Welcome to GOLO, where WRAL.com visitors can comment on stories and create profile pages, blogs and photo galleries.

You must be a registered WRAL.com user to use these tools. Click here to register or log in.

View Comments View Comments

Report It
Send us your news photos, videos, tips and story ideas.
Submit Videos Submit Photos Submit Reports
  1. APTOPIX Austria Weather
    Photos of the week

    The snow-covered Wilder Kaiser, part of the Alps, is reflected in Lake Schwarzsee in Austria. It's among the best photos taken by Associated Press…

  2. The Last Kiss
    Photos: Your veterans

    WRAL viewers share pictures of their veterans in their lives.

  3. BRITAIN_ELTON__JOHN
    The week in entertainment

    A look at the top entertainment headlines this week through the lenses of Associated Press photographers.

  4. People_Mo_Nique
    Entertainment: Winners and losers

    A look at the winners and losers this week in the entertainment world.

  5. Raleigh fall colors 11/5/09_02
    Photos: Raleigh fall colors

    Watch the leaves change colors throughout the fall at 10 iconic locations in Raleigh.

Click Here