Jason Levin, Oregon Middle School Teacher, Under Investigation for Encouraging Crashing Tea Parties

Jason Levin has been suspended and placed on administrative leave.

Jason Levin, Conestoga Middle School (OR), teacher, under investigation for encouraging people on the Internet to crash tea party rallies.

As Tea Party mania sweeps across the U.S.A., Jason Levin, a media lab technology teacher at Conestoga Middle School in the Beaverton, OR., school district has come under fire for encouraging people on the Internet to "infiltrate" the tea party. He is currently under investigation by the school district because he crossed the line by using school property or time to work on his Web site. He created crashtheteaparty.org, which said it was part of a national movement to "dismantle and demolish the tea party by any nonviolent means necessary." According to Oregon Live, the website encourages tea party crashers should use misspelled protest signs, make wild claims during interviews or other actions that would damage public opinion of the party. That's just plain childish and wrong on so many levels.

According to Oregon Live, telephone calls have poured in to the school district Wednesday calling for his firing and questioning his ability to teach, spokeswoman Maureen Wheeler said. The reality is that he cannot be disciplined based on his political views. This isn't communist China or Russia, for that matter. He is entitled to free speech, but the act of using the school's computer and on work time to further his cause was wrong and he can be punished for that. His political views are one thing, but to resort to dirty underhanded tactics is terrible.

Oregon Live also reports that the state Teacher Standards and Practices Commission, which oversees teacher discipline, has also opened an investigation into Levin because "there was enough concern that there was some neglect of duty" on the part of Levin, said Melody Hanson, director of professional practices.

Let me echo the sentiments of Gail Rasmussen, president of the Oregon Education Association teachers union, who said the public outcry over Levin's case is troubling. It seems that teachers are not expected to have political views on the issues confronting our country. It's okay for someone on Wall Street to actively campaign for the candidate of their choice or even participate in the Tea Party movement, but a teacher should not voice their own opinions or beliefs. The only problem I have with his conduct is the fact that he was willing to stoop the lowest level to push his beliefs on others. The reality is, even teachers have political views.

To view Mr. Levin's profile, CLICK HERE.