The Cache County art teacher wanted to integrate lessons with other subjects, such as history and science, to develop his students’ visual thinking skills and explore more drawing, painting and sculpture work.
But Rueda’s hopes for his kindergarten through sixth graders were shattered in early December, he said, after a police investigation into a classroom-pornography complaint resulted in his firing from the Hyrum school – a decision he believes was partly motivated by the region’s conservative, Mormon values.
“I think there is a sense of entitlement,” Rueda said. “You add up the factors of living in a very conservative community, as it is in Hyrum, with the understanding that there is a huge influence from religious ideals, which can impact subjects that speak about any liberal point of view.