Teacher Ousted for Promoting Vegan Lifestyle

September 12, 2007 — 

A Fox River Grove Middle School art teacher said he was ousted from the classroom Wednesday for teaching students about the benefits of a vegan lifestyle and the dangers of eating meat.

Dave Warwak, 44 and an art teacher in the northwestern Illinois suburban school, said District 3 Superintendent Jacqueline Krause and Middle School Principal Tim Mahaffy told him that he was being insubordinate and needed to leave after he refused Wednesday to stop sharing his viewpoints about animal cruelty and veganism in the classroom.

Warwak distributed copies of the book "The Food Revolution," which promotes the health benefits of veganism, to several eighth-graders and provided excerpts to school officials.

Krause said Wednesday that Warwak still was employed with the district, but declined to comment further because the issue involved personnel.

Warwak, who became a vegan in January, said he encouraged students to do Internet research about animal cruelty in raising livestock and how hormone manipulation and other factory-farming practices could negatively affect human health. Warwak said he distributed the materials after the school's cafeteria supervisor declined to take down posters advocating the health benefits of drinking milk, which Warwak contends contributes to obesity.

In a letter supporting Warwak, PETA offered the school district care packages that include a vegetarian starter kit, a book on veganism and a DVD expose on factory farming.

[Ed. Note: Interestingly the public comments to this story were overwhelmingly in favor of the actions of the Superintendent and school Principal.]