Teacher storms Moses Lake High School
Teacher storms Moses Lake High School
MOSES LAKE — A suspended science teacher exploded through the doors of the Moses Lake High School cafeteria Wednesday morning.
Lyman, who began teaching in the fall, has been on paid administrative leave for 50 days stemming from a comment about Brigham Young University that left some students offended.
"When (school officials) approached him, he jumped on a chair and started initiating a riot in our school commons," Principal Dave Balcom said.
Lyman was yelling about how he was treated unfairly by the school district while using obscenities, he added.
"Unfortunately it led to us having to remove him," he said.
Seconds later he was carried out of the building by four school officials clutching his arms and legs.
"They forcibly carried me from the building," Lyman said later in a phone interview.
He was taken to the sidewalk where he was greeted by a Moses Lake police officer and escorted off campus.
"We had to keep our school safe," Balcom said.
Later he came back to the school to continue protesting on the city sidewalk for part of the afternoon. He is protesting because he has not received the terms of his dismissal in writing, Lyman claims.
Charges for criminal trespass in the second degree and disorderly conduct are going to be filed with the prosecutor's office against Lyman, Capt. Jim Jenkins said.
He was not arrested, he was released to his home.
"I was barred from every school building in the district," Lyman said.
Previous to Wednesday's event, he claimed he never engaged in actions to lead the school district to believe trespassing him was necessary.
Balcom said they were unsure of his actions but could see he was not leaving the school peacefully. He said he believes Lyman overstepped boundaries when he incited the students and disrupted the learning environment.
Immediately after Lyman left, Balcom held an emergency staff meeting to inform them about some details regarding Lyman's paid administrative leave and how to handle the incident as it related to the students.
"I'm hurt, I'm mad, I'm all that," Balcom said. "We have class to teach, let's get on with it."
The incident serves as a real life civics lesson for students regarding the first amendment, he said. Lyman has rights, he has the right to free speech and the right to protest on public property but he has to do that within the perimeters of the law, Balcom said.
"He's trespassing, he's disorderly, he's abusive to school administrators," Balcom said. "He's breaking the law."
He hopes his students see the difference, he added.
"I feel bad for the kids, they had to experience that," Balcom added. "This should not happen in a public school."
Balcom confirmed he has never had an experience like the Wednesday incident in the time he has been at the high school.
Lyman said he fears his actions may have put his leave at risk.
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