Letter: Fired teacher's selfie was just poor judgment

After an evening of watching the TV series “Tudors,” about King Henry VIII’s violent treatment of some of his wives and enemies, I never thought I’d awaken to read a modern-day condemnation in a letter in Newsday [“Fired teacher should blame herself,” April 3].

A teacher was fired after a student got a copy of a selfie photo of the woman barechested. She says she texted it to a teacher she was dating, and doesn’t know how the photo got farther than that.

The consequences: She’s fired, and negative judgments race out of the stalls. Her career is in jeopardy or ruined. She is traumatized.

The public statements so far tell me only that she made a mistake in judgment. This mistake does not warrant the consequences cited above. Laughter about this event is to be expected maybe from students, but not from mature and educated people.

As a society, are we completely unforgiving? Do we chop off heads for the crime of poor judgment?

Tim Mailloux,

  Oceanside

President is lax about security

Supporters of President Donald Trump cried, “Lock her up! Lock her up!” They alleged that Hillary Clinton’s emails risked the security of the United States.

But where is their outrage about the president when he discusses national security information in public view at Mar-a-Lago, uses an unsecured cellphone, discloses classified information to Russians in the Oval Office, grants security clearances against the advice of his personnel office, and meets with adversaries without other government officials in the room?

Now we read that a woman carrying two Chinese passports and a device containing computer malware was arrested after she was admitted to Mar-a-Lago [“Woman allegedly got into Mar-a-Lago,” News, April 3]. Where is their concern now about our nation’s security?

Jeff Goldschmidt,

  Stony Brook

We’re in a new era for personal space

Years ago, my work as a union president included visits to both Albany and Mineola to lobby legislators and attend political functions. I got to know many elected officials and other politicians well, and it was not unusual to be greeted by them with warmth — perhaps even a hug or a kiss.

I thought nothing of these gestures, both because I did not perceive any nefarious intent, but also because it was a very different time. Today, a few of these men and women still might greet me this way because we’ve known each other well and for a long time, and both feel comfortable with such gestures. With individuals whom I do not know so well, our professional relationship requires a less familiar and more formal greeting appropriate for the occasion.

Joe Biden and other men, particularly from his generation, must accept the fact that we are indeed in a different era, one in which personal boundaries must be recognized and respected. Standards for what constitutes acceptable public behavior, especially toward women, have evolved. Effective leadership and true professionalism require an acknowledgment of these facts and an appropriate adjustment in behavior.

Frances S. Hilliard,

  Hicksville

Editor’s note: The writer is a past president of the Nassau Community College Federation of Teachers.

State Ed Dept. needs to get with the times

In an article on students taking state-required proficiency exams on computers, you reported that an educator stated that computer-based testing will prepare the students for life in the 21st century [“LI testing goes digital,” News, March 31].

It should be noted that students in grades three through eight have spent their entire lives in the 21st century. Wednesday’s Newsday reported on a glitch in computer-based testing in grade schools, including a statewide suspension of digital tests [“Digital test failure,” News].

It seems to me that students are much better prepared for life in the 21st century than the state Education Department is.

Stanley Kalemaris,

  Melville

Comparison of weapons falls short

A letter writer defends the immunity granted to gunmakers by Congress by comparing guns with other potentially deadly objects [“Don’t repeal law on gunmaker immunity,” March 31]. But how can he possibly equate knives, baseball bats and carpenters’ hammers with semi-automatic weapons?

Many of the instances of horrific mass carnage that have taken place in our schools, places of worship, concert venues, etc., could not have been inflicted with these household objects, which are primarily created for cutting, sports or construction.

AK-47s and other semi-automatic weapons are not made for hunting deer. Yes, they are used for defense and deterrence, but they are primarily weapons of war, manufactured and bought for killing many people quickly.

Roberta Mandell,

  East Northport