Teaching Assistant In Trouble Over Religion

thecarolinachannel.com ^ | 5/05/04 | WYFF

[4everontheRight]

An Anderson County District 4 teaching assistant says she is on paid leave because of her Christian views.

Jean Byce spoke to parents and teachers at a meeting Wednesday night. She said it all started as a result of typical classroom behavior at La France Elementary.

"In a school in a community like ours, where 99 percent of the people are Christians, children talk about Jesus a lot," Byce said. "A student sang a song to me and asked me a question about Jesus being in heaven forever and believing in Jesus and going to heaven, and asked if I believed that, and I said 'Yes.'"

Byce said that comment upset the parents of another child, who complained to the school district. Byce admitted it wasn't the first time she had been reprimanded for her Christian views.

"His parents were already upset because of another incident in which I told the children what the Christian fish symbol was and how it originated," she said. "Unfortunately, the people at the district level and the attorneys for our district see this as a violation of the law and as insubordination on my part."

District 4 Superintendent Dr. Gary Burgess said, "She has been placed on paid adminstrative leave. We are investigating and I cannot comment further at this time."

The parent who brought the concerns to the district, John Cummings, said, "This is a district matter between the district and its employee. If people want the truth they will contact the district."

Byce said she'll stand up for her job, but she doesn't want the battle to be bitter.

"We want to be Christlike about this, that we're not angry with anybody. We're not upset with anybody," Byce said.

Byce said the district offered her a transfer to another school, but she intends to appeal her forced leave.

[4everontheRight]

One parent - one parent!!!

[Tijeras_Slim]

Maybe she should have chanted the Muslim call to prayer 5 times a day... that wuold have been OK. < /s>

[Babsig]

Greenville talk radio station WORD is discussing this right now. Unbelievable. She needs to get a good Christian lawyer and sue the district. I did my student teaching in a large Greenville high school back in 90. I taught history. As extra credit, the students could read the book of John. Half the class signed off that they did. I bet I couldn't do that now.

[Goreknowshowtocheat]

"This is outrageous! Rumsfield should resign. Powell should resign, the pubbies should crawl in a hole". John Kerry

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

And, who among the christians will support her? It is time for Bible-believing people to say, act and enforce that we are not going to take this any more. Problem is, may not be enough Bible-believing people left to organize.

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

If the teacher had made a comment about her sexual perversions, then her job would have been protected. How low is that? Prayer is coercive, perverse sex talk is not. "Me and my lesbian lover" is fine for a teacher to say. "I believe in Jesus and Heaven" is not. How backwards is that?

[The Mayor]

La France Elementary. with that name it doesn't suprise me.....

One parent! makes me sick.

[4everontheRight]

Babsig..
I am in the upstate and heard the teacher on WORD this morning as well. I heard Lisa Rollins (radio host) state that she had heard that this teacher was banned from walking on campus!

[The Brush]

If this was a Muslim teacher the Left would be throwing money at her right now while demanding that Bush apologize to the Arab world on National TV.

[ladylib]

The article did say 99% of the children are Christian. Perhaps the teacher could start a Christian school. I would bet that close to 99% of the children would be interested in attending.

The sad thing about public schools is that they can't address the spiritual needs of kids, so they discuss things such as homosexuality, transgendered lifestyles, abortion rights -- everything under the sun except what kids really want to talk about, such as Why am I here? What is the purpose of life?

The Southern Baptists want to start a movement to remove Christian kids from public schools. It might take hold.

[OpusatFR]

They can't force her to leave her beliefs on the pavement outside the school. She answered a question from a child honestly, was not preaching.

[pctech]

Just another example of how corrupt this country is becoming. The time is close at hand folks.......

[Mamzelle]

Nothing about this counts as proselytizing--she was asked a question that she couldn't answer any other way but "yes"--

And getting in trouble for explaining all those fish on people's cars?

Anderson, South Carolina.

[Sender]

...asked if I believed that, and I said 'Yes.'

Alternative answers:

...asked if I believed that, and I said 'No.' Now the teacher would be lying to her students, but administration would be happy at this answer.

...asked if I believed that, and I said 'I cannot discuss this subject with you.' What kind of message does this send to students when a question of interest and curiosity cannot be mentioned?

I think that all the other parents of kids in that classroom should immediately take their kids out and keep them home until this is settled. Then they should flood into the principal's office and demand that the atheist parent's child be removed from the school, or none of the kids will return. Alternatively, if administration is willing to apologize to the teacher and to all the other parents and agree to drop this stupid pandering, everyone would come back.

[4everontheRight]

Are we the only ones who see the connection between the downward spiral of this country and the removal of prayer form school????

[sr4402]

Blessed are you when you are persecuted for my name sake.

May the Lord Bless her and multiply her outreach a thousand fold because she stood up. May the Lord defend her and give her extra grace.

May sin be sin at that school board. May they stumble and fall in their politically correct decisions.

[stainlessbanner]

bump

[Starwolf]

I have to reply to the one parent part.

I have been jousting with my daughter's high school on a couple of issues. I have some support from inside the school as well. One of the issues was was brought up at a staff meeting. A staff member reportedly quipped "its just one parent and he has a history of complaints". Another followed with "yes, but he has been right every time". In they end things did change.

Many parents see complaining to be fruitless or place their child at risk for retaliation. If they get one complaint, smart administrators know that there are other people concerned who did not. So, yes, action should be taken if something is wrong, even on the basis of one complaint.

That said, the complaint in this instance should have been found groundless and closed.

[Constitution Day]

United States of the Offended.