A high-school teacher who was fired last spring for saying “Heil Hitler” while his arm seemed raised in a Nazi salute in class has gotten his job back at a private Quaker school in Manhattan, after an arbitrator ruled his misconduct did not warrant termination.
The dismissal of Benjamin Frisch, a popular math teacher who taught at Friends Seminary for 34 years, tore its community apart for months. Critics called his comment inexcusably offensive, but many students rallied to his defense and said he deserved another chance, with “Bring Ben Back” buttons, a petition and a sit-in at a park.
An independent arbitrator reviewed the case and determined that while Frisch’s conduct was inappropriate, termination was too severe a penalty for a 34-year veteran teacher with an otherwise strong record at the school.
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