Guest guest Posted September 25, 2007 Report Share Posted September 25, 2007 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/southsouthwest/chi-vegan_25sep25,0,4593641.story By Jeff Long | Tribune staff reporter September 25, 2007 Dave Warwak said he wouldn't return to the classroom unless Fox River Grove Middle School served only lunches free of animal products, but with meat still on the menu, school officials on Monday fired the art teacher."We are not going to go vegan at this time," said Pat Hughes, president of the Fox River Grove School District 3 School Board.The board, which voted 7-0 to fire Warwak, said in a prepared statement that he told pupils not to tell their parents, teachers or the school's principal what he was teaching and that he repeatedly refused to answer questions from school officials on that subject. The statement also said Warwak converted his art classes into classes on veganism and animal rights.Warwak, who spoke on his own behalf, chastised administrators for hiding from pupils what he called the truth about healthy eating habits."You are ruining my world and eating my friends," he said.Steve Beyer, whose 13-year-old son was one of Warwak's pupils, told the board that the teacher was supposed to "teach art, not use his classroom as a platform for his vegan ideas."Warwak, 44, of Williams Bay, Wis., was asked to leave school grounds on Sept. 4 because he refused to stop talking about the benefits of a meatless diet and the humane treatment of animals, he said.Warwak said posters in the school cafeteria that promoted milk were of particular concern to him. He called pupils' meal choices in school "poison," and said that he would not return as long as the school menu remained the same.Warwak taught at the school for eight years and said his annual salary was $55,000. The district, he said, should be training teachers about "humane education."Warwak, a former fishing guide, said he became a vegan in January. Earlier this year, he gave his 8th-grade pupils a book, "The Food Revolution," by John Robbins, subtitled, "How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and the World."His efforts gained praise from animal rights groups. Hempress "The More You Know, The Less You Need" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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