Gay Student Teacher Reinstated By Oregon School District

What a month it's been for Seth Stambaugh, the 23-year-old graduate student at Lewis & Clark College in Oregon. In mid-September, Stambaugh was removed from his student teaching assignment at the Beaverton School District outside of Portland, after he answered a student's question about same-sex marriage. The student, a fourth-grader, asked Stambaugh if he was married, to which Stambaugh replied "No," saying that gay marriage was illegal in the state of Oregon because of a constitutional amendment.

That answer made its way back to a parent of another child in the district, who blew a gasket. The parent contacted the school, and urged them to kick Stambaugh out of the classroom. And that's exactly what the school district did, punishing Stambaugh for essentially answering a fourth grader's question with .... the truth. (Their official reason, for what it's worth, was that Stambaugh fostered inappropriate discussion inside the classroom.)

The district's action drew a strong rebuke, however, both from administrators at Lewis & Clark College, as well as students and parents in the district. The district's decision to remove Stambaugh also drew significant national attention, with more than 5,000 people contacting the Beaverton District to express outrage that a teacher could be removed from the classroom simply for answering a question about marriage.

Well, after a solid month of back and forth, this story has a happy ending. The Superintendent of the Beaverton School District announced yesterday that the district was wrong to remove Stambaugh from the classroom, and that by the end of the month, Stambaugh would be allowed to student teach again in the district. Talk about a solid victory in the face of injustice.

Stambaugh's lawyer, Luke Perriguey, told a local NBC television station that Stambaugh was happy that the school district had come around on this issue.

"Mr. Stambaugh is joyous beyond belief. He is celebrating privately with friends and family and will make a public statement to all media in the next few days," Perriguey said.

Earlier this week, Stambaugh did speak with reporters about his case, saying that his intention was never to provoke controversy in the classroom. All he wanted to do was be a good teacher, and pursue his lifelong dream of education children.

"It's the energy I get when I walk into a classroom. It's joyous beyond belief," said Stambaugh, about his desire to become a teacher, and why it was so painful to be removed from his student teaching assignment.

Looks like he'll get the chance to continue that dream. Given his passion for teaching, that can only mean wonderful things for the lucky fourth graders in the Beaverton School District.

Photo credit: KGW