Ex-Enloe Teacher Wants Reprimand Expunged

Raleigh, N.C. — 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.

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Latest Comments

The teacher rightly sees that there is a challenge to Christian influence in the schools, the community and in the nation's future, but he is wrong that he is in the majority of thought, the majority of will, and that he can stop that in this way. Most people are NOT religious in fact, but only want to take the easy way to every thing.

djofraleigh
October 16, 2007 7:35 p.m.

haggis basher: serves them right! More power to your young lady's friends for doing that exact thing. I wish more people would stand up to these arrogant, bible thumping people and let them know they are violating our rights too.

ptahandatum
October 16, 2007 3:23 p.m.

pleshy - perhaps I am confusing things a bit; it was late, and there's not much space to write. However, I am responding to those who think there's so much anti-CHristian bias in policies and laws, when IMHO there has been too much Christian bias. I haven't challenged your posts on what's legal, but surely you can see that in a town where most people have the same religious beliefs, they can and often do legally make laws that support those beliefs-thus making state/fed laws to correct this bias necessary? Currently, biblical bias shows in a primary arguement against gambling; Blue Laws; "don't ask don't tell" military rules that are upheld; anti-gay marriage laws; laws deciding who has legal sex and how; abstinence-only teachings in public schools; many state and federal holidays; allowing health-care workers to enforce their religion on the public by denying contraception - look at the effort it took to allow a religious woman to swear on her holy book (not a bible) here??

TB in Raleigh
October 16, 2007 2:15 p.m.

"http://media.www.dailytarheel.com/media/storage/paper885/news/2007/09/11/University/Evangelists.Escorted.Off.Campus-2960602.shtml" Yeah those nice folks were at NC State brickyard a while ago calling the women names etc. One of my Daughters friends responded by burning a bible in front of them! Treat fire with fire!

haggis basher
October 16, 2007 12:55 p.m.

Religion can't be FAIRLY taught in a PUBLIC school. Kids need ethics, including religion, but it is not fair to force Christianity on children who have different backgrounds.

Anyone who wants to raise their child in an atmosphere of religious zeal should enroll them in a Christian, Muslim, or other specific school with that emphasis.

I would hope that most of you would simply like for your kids to get a good enough education to survive in this competitive world and have the parenting skills to teach them religion at home.

Justin T.
October 16, 2007 12:47 p.m.