Teachers rebel over atheism promotion/ Gov. K-12 schools incompatible with 1st Amendment

WorldNetDaily.com ^ | May 25, 2007 | Bob Unruh

[wintertime]

Some teachers in the Albemarle School District in Virginia are rebelling against their managers' orders to hand out to students as young as kindergarten a promotion for a summer camp that advocates for "Atheists, Freethinkers, Humanists, Brights, or whatever..."

A representative of the teachers talked to WND only on condition that a name and school not be used, and said such advertisements provided by the district to hand out to children violate the teachers' religious beliefs.

It was the same school district that WND earlier reported was distributing publicity about a "Pagan Christmas ritual" being held in the community.

[wintertime]

Ah...Another example of the unending and unresolvable incompatibility of Free Speech in police enforced, compulsory attendance, government schools!

When will the American public finally "get it"? Government schools and the First Amendment are utterly and totally incompatible! They can not coexist!

1) If the government respects First Amendment Rights then chaos reigns and the children can not learn and can even be physically endangered. Also, the children are subject ( against their will) to religious material and speech by the staff and other students that undermines their family religious traditions. For the government to force children into this unsafe, educationally insupportable, and religiously hostile environment is child abuse.

2)If the government tramples First Amendment Rights then the government is also guilty ( rightly so) of human rights violations and this too is child abuse.

In this specific case, if the government permits free speech, then the children, (who are compelled by threat of police action to be confined in government school), will be subjected against their will, and the will of their parents, to proselytizing by fliers advertising pagan, Christian, and other beliefs incompatible with family tradition.

If the government muzzles all students and their publications, then the government tramples the child's ( and indirectly the family's) right to free expression of religious belief and free speech in general.

This article merely outlines only one of thousands of decisions that government schools must make that favor the religious worldview of some of the government confined children, and actively undermine the family religious traditions of others. It is merely one illustration among many proving that government schools and the First Amendment can NOT coexist. It is axiomatic.

Disclaimer:

The above is a general criticism of the government schools and its incompatibility with the First Amendment. Hopefully, some nit wit of a teacher, who happens to work for a government school, or a parent who happens to use them, will not insist that I have **personally** called them a child abuser.

[nmh]

All that’s happening is that the leftist folks in public schools are EMBOLDENDED. They already have humanism, atheism (evolution) etc. in their curriculum - built in to it so they’re just pushing MORE of it more in the open.

Why the shock and outrage?

[mtbopfuyn]

Not all public schools are like this. Our district is wonderful. It’s all in where you choose to live. Too many who complain about public schooling are those very ones who sit on their backsides doing nothing to change them. They are also the ones who moved into the district without bothering to check out the local schools, so they have no right to whine now.

Here, we pray at football games. We have students’ family members who are serving overseas pictures and articles posted in the hallways. We have returning service members speak to the students and proudly display their unit flags. The vast majority of the teachers vote Republican and I’ve seen nothing that prevents them from stating their views to the classes. I’m on the campuses at least twice a week and I’ve yet to be confronted with a rainbow t-shirt and not once has Algore’s venture into the film industry been shown.

[nmh]

“The above is a general criticism of the government schools and its incompatibility with the First Amendment. Hopefully, some nit wit of a teacher, who happens to work for a government school, or a parent who happens to use them, will not insist that I have **personally** called them a child abuser.”

Nah, they’ll just imply that YOU don’t have the right to be critical of the public schools they LOVE. They’ll also tell you that it’s not happening to their school!

LOL! At the moment it’s BUILT IN to their curriculum.

[Gabz]

Hopefully, some nit wit of a teacher, who happens to work for a government school, or a parent who happens to use them, will not insist that I have **personally** called them a child abuser.

Your use of the phrase "nit wit" is a personal attack..........

[nmh]

Sure enough!

Like clock work #3 pulls up!

[EQAndyBuzz]

“Here, we pray at football games. We have students’ family members who are serving overseas pictures and articles posted in the hallways. We have returning service members speak to the students and proudly display their unit flags. The vast majority of the teachers vote Republican and I’ve seen nothing that prevents them from stating their views to the classes. I’m on the campuses at least twice a week and I’ve yet to be confronted with a rainbow t-shirt and not once has Algore’s venture into the film industry been shown.”

I am assuming your kids are in NEISD?

[bannie]

We need more brave teachers like this one.

[Nervous Tick]

>> Here, we pray at football games. (etc)

I clicked on your nick to test my hypothesis of where you were from. I was right! Lone star state.

Went to a HS graduation for my wife’s niece in La Grange a few years ago. Very prayerful and inspirational. Went to a graduation for a loose-knit group of homeschoolers just last weekend. Ditto.

All is not lost...

[sageb1]

In all fairness, there are a few public schools left which buck the trend.

I do agree that we have to get the government out of education, however.

[fabian]

you have to be crazy to send your kids to public schools...or in very dire circumstances. They are places of little learning and much brainwashing...not to mention the drugs, cigarettes, etc...

[elfman2]

"Some teachers in the Albemarle School District in Virginia are rebelling against their managers' orders to hand out to students as young as kindergarten a promotion for a summer camp that advocates for "Atheists, Freethinkers, Humanists, Brights, or whatever...""

I don’t get it. Can they be ordered to hand out flyers that promote summer camps that advocate Christian values? If so, there should be no problem.

[Blue_Ridge_Mtn_Geek]

Dream on.

[raftguide]

My HS senior son attended the first semester of his senior year at a small Texas town west of Ft. Worth while living with his granddad. Then he moved back to his California school the second semester to graduate. I never saw him cry in his older teenage years until he had to leave that school! He absolutely despised his California HS education upon returning and stated that only Texas teachers knew how to teach. He said there were a reasonable number of students in the classes, and that the teachers were helpful, organized, and effective. They presented the material in a logical order and didn’t advance until everyone understood it. Too, the school was not afraid of guns and taught him marksmanship and how to care for guns. His conclusion was that California teachers don’t know how to teach—”they just give kids work and expect them to do it” he said.

I guess when schools can’t teach the basics they try and teach the political crap we keep hearing so much about, especially here in California. I wish we’d all band together and get rid of government run schools; our children are too valuable to trust to those idiots (generally speaking!)

[little jeremiah]

Later pingout.

[Gabz]

It’s all in where you choose to live. Too many who complain about public schooling are those very ones who sit on their backsides doing nothing to change them.

AMEN!!!!!

Not only did we move to another school district, we moved to a different school district in a different STATE. And we don't sit on our backsides, I not only attend school board meetings, but I have stood up and addressed the Board, and the County Council when I find the school board to be unresponsive.

Involved parents can and will make a difference, but they do need to be involved. My daughter's teacher doesn't bother calling or emailing me, she knows exactly what time she will see me pulling up every morning to drop my daughter off.

[Gabz]

Nah, they’ll just imply that YOU don’t have the right to be critical of the public schools they LOVE. They’ll also tell you that it’s not happening to their school!

Be as critical of public schools as you wish, I am very critical of the ones that deserve it. But not all do.

However, calling public school teachers and the parents of children in public schools that post on this forum "nit wits" is a personal attack, and is particularly offensive in a so-called "disclaimer" stating no personal attack is meant.

[Paperdoll]

And sadly, in Seattle, WA., there are schools which refuse to post our sacred documents in the hallways.....The Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights. These are now considered pollutants, while unrevised American History is also in near full eclipse. What are the people in Seattle doing about it?

[Fiji Hill]

I am assuming your kids are in NEISD?

Are you referring to the Northeast Independent School District in San Antonio, Texas?

[Gabz]

This is interesting........I’ve got to get ready for work, but will check back in when I get home.