A silent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday puts the weight of the nation's highest court behind what Ohio's high court already found: that former Mount Vernon Middle School teacher John Freshwater was rightly fired in 2008 for refusing a direct order to remove religious materials from his science classroom.

A silent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday puts the weight of the nation�s highest court behind what Ohio�s high court already found: that former Mount Vernon Middle School teacher John Freshwater was rightly fired in 2008 for refusing a direct order to remove religious materials from his science classroom.

This puts a merciful end to Freshwater�s slog through an administrative appeal that dragged out over two years and cost the district�s taxpayers nearly $1 million, followed by an unsuccessful appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court and on to the nation�s high court.

The U.S. Supreme Court issued no comment in upholding the state court ruling that Freshwater showed �blatant insubordination� by refusing to remove religious texts, posters and other items from his room.

That�s a narrow legal justification for removing Freshwater from the classroom, but the more-important issue is that Freshwater�s insistence on inserting his Christian beliefs into his teaching of science was grossly improper and shortchanged students. He questioned the theory of evolution � the foundation of modern biological science � and suggested that the faith-based idea of creationism is a valid alternative.

It�s wrong for a public-school teacher to use his position to proselytize on behalf of his faith. And it�s wrong for a science teacher to undermine his students� understanding of science.