Scotch eggs branded junk food and confiscated from children's packed lunches

By Dan Hyde, Consumer Affairs Editor

(Telegraph) They were created almost 300 years ago by Fortnum & Mason as a pocket-sized snack for aristocrats travelling by horse-drawn carriage.

But now the scotch egg has been labelled a junk food and is being removed from children's lunch boxes by schoolteachers.

The traditional dish – a hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage meat and coated in breadcrumbs – is seen as too unhealthy to be part of a balanced diet at Cherry Tree Primary School in Colchester.

The school has taken the unusual step of asking teachers to look through pupils' lunch boxes and remove items that are deemed inappropriate.

Along with Peperami sausages, scotch eggs are being confiscating until the end of the day, at which point the teacher replaces the item, adding an explanatory note for parents... (continued)

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• Scotch eggs branded junk food and confiscated from children's packed lunches

Court order allows teachers to observe Good Friday

Associated Press

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (March 31, 2015) - Public school teachers in Cranston, Rhode Island, will be allowed to observe Good Friday despite objections from the city's school department.

A court order issued Friday says teachers may take the day off as long as they submit a request no later than April 1. The order says the school department can neither discipline teachers for requesting the day off nor deduct their pay.

About 200 teachers contacted their union earlier this month to report that they were being prevented from observing Good Friday. They filed a lawsuit March 16.

Attorney Kevin Daley says the order temporarily allows the teachers to observe Good Friday. He says a full hearing will determine whether the teachers can observe the holiday going forward.

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• AP Court order allows teachers to observe Good Friday

Starbucks Serves Satanic Coffee to Catholic Schoolteacher

The '666' symbol and the inverted pentagram are often associated with the Antichrist

By Maria Tadeo

(The Independent) Starbucks has apologised for serving a Louisiana Catholic teacher two drinks drizzled with '666' and a Satanic symbol.

Schoolteacher Megan K. Pinion used social media to vent her anger, posting a photograph of the "Satanic" drinks accompanied by a long post explaining the situation on Starbucks' Facebook page.

"This is how my coffee was served to me. I unfortunately can’t give the young man’s name who served it because I was so appalled that I could not bring myself to look at him,” she wrote.

"The star is almost okay because it is in your Starbucks logo, the 666, however was quite offensive. I am in no way judging his beliefs or dis-meriting his beautiful artwork, I am however judging his lack of professionalism and respect for others."

She added: "I am a teacher in the public school system and if I were to present a child of atheist of pagan believers with a Christian art project I could be sued in a heartbeat.

"I am of Catholic faith and would love to share my beliefs daily. Fortunately I have enough common sense to present myself with professionalism and follow and ethics code. Perhaps that could be suggested to that particular location."

The number '666' is often associated with the Antichrist and is used to invoke the devil in Satanic rituals. The inverted five-point star- sometimes known as the 'Seal of Satan' - is also used by devil-worshipers.

The fear of the '666' is known as Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia and causes people to become nervous and agitated. Famously, President Ronald Reagan changed the address of his Bel Air mansion on 666 St. Cloud Road to 668 St Cloud to avoid 'the mark of the Beast'.

A spokesperson for Starbucks said the coffee giant apologised to Ms Pinion after seeing her post on Facebook and is investigating the issue.

The Starbucks barista who served the 'Satanic' drinks has not been identified.

Link:

• Starbucks Serves Satanic Coffee to Catholic Schoolteacher

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• No Joke: Walmart Coffee Tastes As Good As Starbucks

Bishop O'Connell Students Protest Firing of History Teacher - UPDATED

(WJLA) The firing of a beloved teacher at Bishop O'Connell High School in Arlington has sparked an uprising, and on Thursday, nearly 150 students made their voices heard in support of former teacher John Harrison.

Harrison says he was fired to bring in two younger, less-expensive replacements, and he plans to file an age discrimination lawsuit. The former Army infantry officer who earned a Purple Heart in Vietnam became an extremely successful trial lawyer, but his dream was always to be a high school Social Studies teacher.

That dream was realized, then came to a sudden end.

"I've always wanted to be a high school history teacher and that's all I want to be until I can't work anymore," Harrison said. "It was hard to describe how much fun it was to go to work in the morning."

He says that the way he and other teachers were treated by what he calls an "autocratic" principal is outrageous. It led to a vocal protest by dozens of Bishop O'Connell students and Facebook pages numbering thousands of supporters.

"Part of the reason I'm going to college is because of Mr. Harrison," student Armando Ouilando said. "It was one class that I went home and shared what I learned that day."

In response, Bishop O'Connell officials said they could not discuss individual personnel matters. In a statement, they said that they understand the difficulty of change, but they acknowledge that change must occur so that the school can flourish.

Harrison said he has not encouraged the students to rise against the school's administration; then again, he hasn't tried to quell it, either, saying that the latter would go against everything he has taught his students.

Link:

• Bishop O'Connell Students Protest Firing of History Teacher

UPDATE:   The following e-mails were sent by Kevin Di Gregory, Chairman of the Board of Governors of Bishop O'Connell High School:

1.

From: O'Connell Board of Governors <board@bishopoconnell.org>
Sent: Friday, 20 April 2012 4:25 AM
Subject: A Message from the O'Connell Board of Governors

Dear Families, Alumni and Friends,

According to Diocesan policy, the school administration is not at liberty to discuss individual personnel situations.

The Office of Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Arlington and the Board of Governors of Bishop Denis J. O'Connell High School fully and completely support the school's administration as it continues its effort to create the best possible educational environment for all of its students.

We understand the difficulty of change, but acknowledge that change must occur so that the school can flourish and move forward in meeting present and future educational needs.

With thanks for the tremendous support that the O’Connell community has always provided for our students, we ask that this community now join forces to shape an even greater future.
Sincerely,

Kevin Di Gregory
Chairman, Board of Governors of Bishop O'Connell High School

2.

From: O'Connell Board of Governors <board@bishopoconnell.org>
Date: 20 April 2012 9:32:06 AM AEST
Subject: Clarification - Message from the O'Connell Board of Governors

Dear Alumni,

We apologize for any confusion that our earlier e-mail may have caused. You may or may not have heard about a staffing situation that has recently arisen at Bishop O'Connell High School, and about which the school has been receiving numerous inquiries. The Board of Governors of the Bishop O'Connell in conjunction with the Office of Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Arlington has released the following statement (which appeared in our previous e-mail):

According to Diocesan policy, the school administration is not at liberty to discuss individual personnel situations.

The Office of Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Arlington and the Board of Governors of Bishop Denis J. O'Connell High School fully and completely support the school's administration as it continues its effort to create the best possible educational environment for all of its students.

We understand the difficulty of change, but acknowledge that change must occur so that the school can flourish and move forward in meeting present and future educational needs.

With thanks for the tremendous support that the O’Connell community has always provided for our students, we ask that this community now join forces to shape an even greater future.

Sincerely,

Kevin Di Gregory
Chairman, Board of Governors of Bishop O'Connell High School