[Patriot62]

Notice this quote by Caprice Hollins "the committee is open to concerns about whether the needs of other students, such as Jews or Buddhists, are being accommodated".

Hmmmmm. Any other major faith system missing from her comments about accomodations?

[EagleUSA]

Sick pandering liberal bastards. Now let me tell ya how I really feel about these anti-Christian scum of academia.

[xpertskir]

"Adherents must face in the direction of Mecca"

Is this to say that muslims are naturally good navigators?

[Shimmer128]

Don't look at me, I'm against federal interference in education at all.

[brownsfan]

"...educators often struggle with how to accommodate students without disrupting class."

Here's a thought, don't accomodate!
Public schools should be for the masses, not tailored for the minority.
For example, school hours 8-4 Monday through Friday. Try to be there. If you can't, then you lose. If you can't be there often enough, you won't pass.
Don't like it? Go to a muslim school.

Case closed, money saved.

[taxesareforever]

Muslim appeasement. Many are turning this country over to the muslims.

[Wuli]

Liberal lies.

When, in the past, did they ever, by request or voluntarily, try to address the religiuous concerns of Christians and Jews - in public education. Never.

The "left" has decided, deliberately, to make league with Muslims and this deliberate association is being done at every level in society and government throughout the "west".

It is 100% part and parcel of the left's attacks on our Judeo-Christian traditions, in every other way.

[PeterFinn]

"Any other major faith system missing from her comments about accomodations?"

Yeah, are the Santeria kids allowed to slaughter live chickens at lunch time for their mid-day sacrifice?

[mtbopfuyn]

Most school handbooks clearly state if a student is tardy or misses X days/classes, excused or unexcused, he will be required to 1) go to Saturday class, 2) go to summer school, or 3) not pass that year. Seems to me if that rule is good for one student it's good for them all, including Muslims. Also, most handbooks clearly state students are not allowed to leave school grounds with the exception of off campus lunch time.

[Unam Sanctam]

Catholics should demand the right to say the Angelus at noontime.

[MineralMan]

Pray without ceasing.
1 Thessalonians 5:17

This is the call of Christianity. Perhaps it could be used in this case to add Christian prayer to the list.

[The Great RJ]

No Christian would be allowed to leave school for prayers no matter what sect they were. This is hypocrisy of the first magnitude. If Muslims don't like staying in a secular school than let them go to a Muslim school or be home schooled just like thousands of Christain kids.

[viaveritasvita]

I thot this was an interesting tidbit. What do y'all think this means??? v3


>>>American Civil Liberties Union of Washington spokesman Doug Honig said a series of U.S. Supreme Court cases justifies the Seattle district's efforts.<<<

[Rockingham]

This has the makings of a great religious freedom case, especially if Christian denominations make demands for similar accommodations and are denied.

Under settled US Supreme Court law, "release time" arrangements for prayer and instruction on school grounds are barred, and granting them on a Muslims only basis would be doubly wrong as violating both the Establishment clause and equal protection. If such a case is pressed, the Left and ACLU will be in a real quandary because their reflexive secularism and hostility to Christianity will collide with their desire to cater to Muslims.

If release time is permitted by the Supreme Court, the net result will be a return to religious observance and instruction in most public schools, provided that all faiths are given reasonable accommodation. Since Christians are the majority, this would have dramatic consequences within a generation by fostering school-based religious instruction on a near par with other classes.

[Thom Pain]

Ever see a Lib with a screaming child? (Most of 'em actually, but that's another story for another time)

What do they do? ......They give the brat some candy to try to get the child to settle down and behave (called appeasement)

Ever see that work for more than a few minutes? Nope, me either. (Also note how these same children grow up to be totally disoriented by "real life" and totally unequipped to cope. And don't even think about how they then "raise" their kids.)

Sound like Seattle's approach to this problem?

[DustyMoment]

In Islam, prayer five times per day is obligatory.

I believe this is not true. I just finished working with a group of Muslim Algerian military students and they neither prayed 5 times per day, nor did they take half of Friday off for mandatory prayer.

Methinks the muzzie students just want to get out of school early on Fridays. I also notice that the schools make no such accommodations for ANY other religion, except for certain religious holidays.

And, if this is a biggie, wait for Ramadan and Eid!!

[Lewite]

If you would like to read a great article about Islam-Mecca-Saudi Arabia, go to yourarmstoisrael.org and select "sermon notes" and pull up "The Final End Time Beast".

[Horatio Gates]

A resonse from Dr Hollins regarding my inquiry about this matter:

Dear Mr. (fill in the blank), I have been receiving a lot of emails in response to my request for educators to participate on a committee to address the issue of accommodating prayer in schools. I hope this response will address your questions and concerns, as well as provide clarity regarding the purpose and goals of this committee. As you may be aware, we have a growing number of Muslim students attending Seattle Public Schools. This has generated a lot of questions from teachers about understanding the unique needs of our Muslim students. These questions range from the age students start to pray, differences in requirements for boys vs. girls, time of day prayer occurs, legal issues of prayer in school, and more. Some school leaders and staff have done a successful job in addressing this situation, and others are still working to figure out the best way to do so.

In response to the need for information from school staff as well as concerns from the community, we decided to form a committee. Our goal is to provide information to assist staff in knowing their Muslim students and to be supportive of the religious diversity in our schools. It is our hopes to provide them with knowledge about Muslim students and their need to pray at specific times of the day so that you they make educated decisions about what to do when this situation arises for them, as well as to explore specific religious accommodation needs for students from all religious communities.

To clear up any confusion, we are not trying to bring organized prayer into the schools, but are trying to find ways to meet the religious requirements of our students. The decision around prayer in schools is a federal issue. As a public educational institution we are not allowed to endorse any particular religion (i.e. leading students in prayer), and neither are we allowed to refuse a student the right to practice their religion. The U.S. Department of Education states that, “…the First Amendment forbids religious activity that is sponsored by the government but protects religious activity that is initiated by private individuals such as students”. We are not the only district struggling with these issues. Districts across the country are wrestling with how to address the growing number of Muslim students in their schools. The purpose of this committee is to address the issue rather than ignore it and to assist staff in responding to the needs of our diverse students, staff and families as we continue to strive towards a culture where everyone feels valued and welcomed.

Warm regards,

Caprice Hollins, Psy.D.

Director of Equity & Race Relations
Seattle Public Schools

[kittymyrib]

Christians are such wimps. The Christian kids ought to leave at the same time as the Muslims and go to their churches to pray, returning "when the school day is almost over." What's fair for the goose is fair for the gander.

[Mopp4]

In Islam, prayer five times per day is obligatory

Not to mention the obligatory lopping off of the heads of infidels. How are they going to accomodate that ????

[theDentist]

Any other major faith system missing from her comments about accomodations?

None that she can think of.