By Steve Gunn
EAGnews.org

ROGERSVILLE, Ala. – Usually when you hear about K-12 teachers using classrooms as bully pulpits for their personal political beliefs, the students are being showered with liberal anti-American philosophy.

That type of thing has no place in public schools, as we’ve said a million times.

MORE NEWS: From Classroom to Consulate Chef: Culinary Student Lands Dream Job at U.S. Embassy in Paris

Well, fair is fair. A conservative Alabama teacher’s recent rant about Michelle Obama and homosexuals, which was recorded by a student, was as unacceptable as any tirade coming from a Marxist teacher.

The incident began with a discussion of the lower-calorie school lunches that are being served nationwide, as part of the First Lady’s effort to fight child obesity, according to a report on Mashable.com.

But Lauderdale High School teacher (and head football coach) Bob Grisham turned heads in his classroom when he referred to Mrs. Obama as “fat butt Michelle Obama” and said “and look, look at her. She looks likes she weighs 185 or 190. She’s overweight.”

When the subject turned to the general state of the nation and world, Grisham focused his negative comments on homosexuals.

“I don’t believe in queers,” he was recorded as saying. “I don’t like queers. I don’t … I don’t hate them as a person, but what they do is wrong, it’s an abomination against God. I don’t like being around queers.”

The school board will consider how to react to Grisham’s statements in a meeting within the next few weeks, according to the news report.

MORE NEWS: Know These Before Moving From Cyprus To The UK

If Grisham had any sensitivity at all, he would have realized that there were probably at least a few gay students in his classroom, listening to him go on about how awful they are.  It’s not a teacher’s job to express hatred or disrespect toward students, regardless of their lifestyle.

Public school teachers may be passionate people who care about the world and have strong opinions about many different issues. Those are good qualities for educators to have. But they must understand that they are not being paid to share their beliefs with students or attempt to skew their attitudes about any particular subject.

All public schools should have firm policies that prohibit teachers from politicking or ranting about personal opinions in classrooms. Those who can’t control themselves, especially after a warning or two, should be shown the door.