Legendary Teacher Rafe Esquith Fired by Los Angeles Board of Education

Truly fucking ridiculous, at LAT, "Rafe Esquith fired: Former Teacher of the Year accused of inappropriately touching minors."

Also, "Teacher Rafe Esquith's misconduct investigation is a high-profile test for LAUSD's 'tiger team'." Right. "Tiger team."

And at EdWeek:

Jay Mathews, an education columnist for the Washington Post, is one of the teacher's high-profile defenders; he stated in a Thursday column that he doesn't think Esquith could ever be guilty of any of the "fuzzy" accusations.

"I have been in Esquith's classroom many times, seen his joyful multi-media plays, interviewed him for hours and talked to his wife, many of his students and educators he has mentored," Mathews said. "I have never detected a trace of improper behavior ... This is a classic witch hunt."