Teaching religious beliefs gets Sparta public teacher reprimanded
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[A Sparta school teacher has been disciplined for expressing her views on homosexuality in the classroom.
Brenda Ogilvie, a sixth grade teacher, was taken to task in a March 1 letter from the Sparta District 140 Board of Education in which she was issued a warning to remedy the situation or face dismissal.
According to the board, Ogilvie broke the board's established standards, and that she had done so before.
In the letter, the board noted: "In preparing students for the writing portion of the ISAT test (Illinois Standards Achievement Test), you issued practice questions that asked students to write about sensitive political and sexual issues. These questions were not age appropriate for sixth grade students nor were they supported by the district's curriculum standards."
The board further noted that Ogilvie's actions may have also violated the Illinois Human Rights Act, as well as both the Illinois Constitution and the U.S. Constitution.
"The administrative staff has previously informed you of these deficiencies and has discussed their concerns with you in conferences. The Board of Education concluded that these deficiencies are sufficient reasons and cause for your dismissal as a teacher in this district if you do not correct and remediate them immediately…"