Posted on 11/24/2004 1:23:51 PM PST by West Coast Conservative
A California teacher has been barred by his school from giving students documents from American history that refer to God -- including the Declaration of Independence.
Steven Williams, a fifth-grade teacher at Stevens Creek School in the San Francisco Bay area suburb of Cupertino, sued for discrimination on Monday, claiming he had been singled out for censorship by principal Patricia Vidmar because he is a Christian.
"It's a fact of American history that our founders were religious men, and to hide this fact from young fifth-graders in the name of political correctness is outrageous and shameful," said Williams' attorney, Terry Thompson.
"Williams wants to teach his students the true history of our country," he said. "There is nothing in the Establishment Clause (of the U.S. Constitution) that prohibits a teacher from showing students the Declaration of Independence."
Vidmar could not be reached for comment on the lawsuit, which was filed on Monday in U.S. District Court in San Jose and claims violations of Williams rights to free speech under the First Amendment.
Phyllis Vogel, assistant superintendent for Cupertino Unified School District, said the lawsuit had been forwarded to a staff attorney. She declined to comment further.
Williams asserts in the lawsuit that since May he has been required to submit all of his lesson plans and supplemental handouts to Vidmar for approval, and that the principal will not permit him to use any that contain references to God or Christianity.
Among the materials she has rejected, according to Williams, are excerpts from the Declaration of Independence, George Washington's journal, John Adams' diary, Samuel Adams' "The Rights of the Colonists" and William Penn's "The Frame of Government of Pennsylvania."
"He hands out a lot of material and perhaps 5 to 10 percent refers to God and Christianity because that's what the founders wrote," said Thompson, a lawyer for the Alliance Defense Fund, which advocates for religious freedom. "The principal seems to be systematically censoring material that refers to Christianity and it is pure discrimination."
In June, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the case of a California atheist who wanted the words "under God" struck from the Pledge of Allegiance as recited by school children. The appeals court in California had found that the phrase amounted to a violation of church and state separation.
And the liberals are afraid of us???
You will be more than welcome
BREAKING: More shots fired in Civil War II. Film at 11.
I used to think such public schools simply provided horrendous education. Lately I have concluded that sending kids to such schools is deliberate child abuse.
. . . should probably come out of the dark from person or persons unknown -- but leave an indelible impression on the ideological allies of those targeted.
Where is Freedom of Speech???????
Seriously, though, my minister said Sunday a new history text book teaches that the Pilgrims at Thanksgiving were "thankful to the Indians" (though the text probably says Native Americans). The Pilgrims weren't thankful to God - no, no! - the Pilgrims were thankful to the "savages" (their words, not mine!)
Rush Limbaugh did an excellent piece on the radio about the Pilgrims, unbelievable information that was not taught to me when I went to school. Probably because 'God' being the primary reason was too politically correct.
http://journals.aol.com/kelztek/Kelztek/entries/283
While technically true, this sentence is so misleading it's funny. The SCOTUS refused to hear it, saying that the father didn't have standing, and didn't that basically nullify the 9th Circuits decision?
The more I see of this kind of BS, the happier I am that I don't have kids and don't have many years left on this planet.
LOL! Shall we move to Alabama where they removed the Ten Commandments away on a dolly?
BTTT
It's a world gone mad.....
These people are nuts. Glad I don't live there.
the ministry of truth strikes again!
This just in. The Declaration of Independence can now be found behind the counter in a plain brown wrapper at your local convenience store.
If libs have their way, the founding documents will need to be redacted like a leaked CIA memo before kids can read them.
Anyone out there doubt the importance of fightng the libs for EVERY judicial nomination? Sen Frist ... are you listening?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.