Teacher's Bush remarks investigated
Some students protest teacher being put on leave

AURORA, Colorado (AP) -- About 150 high school students walked out of class to protest a decision to put a teacher on leave while administrators investigate remarks he made about President Bush in class, including that some people compare Bush to Adolf Hitler.
The protest came Thursday as school administrators began investigating whether Overland High School teacher Jay Bennish violated a policy requiring balancing viewpoints in the classroom, Cherry Creek School District spokeswoman Tustin Amole said.
"It was peaceful. The students yelled, but there was no fighting," Amole said. "Most of them did return to class." (Watch as students come to thier teacher's defense -- 1:20)
A telephone number listed for Bennish, who has been teaching social studies and American history at Overland since 2000, had been disconnected.
Sophomore Sean Allen recorded about 20 minutes of Bennish's class during a February 1 discussion about Bush's State of the Union speech and gave the recording to his father, who complained to the principal, Amole said.

-The Associated Press.