Posted on 12/01/2007 7:38:47 AM PST by DogByte6RER
Teacher's comments lead to complaint
By: JENNIFER KABBANY - For The Californian
TEMECULA -- A Temecula Valley High School student has decided to opt for an independent study program rather than finish out the semester on campus because of her teacher's derogatory comments about Christians, the girl's attorney said Friday.
Attorney Bob Tyler said 17-year-old junior Brittney Cowles became very upset Thursday after her creative writing teacher allegedly called local Christian parents "crazy" and "prejudiced" for keeping their children home from school to protest a new state law that some parents contend promotes a homosexual agenda in public schools.
The teacher's alleged rant went on for about a half-hour, prompting Brittney to tears and causing her to leave the classroom, Tyler said.
Tyler faxed a demand letter to the Temecula Valley Unified School District on Friday morning asking for immediate sanctions against the teacher, stating Brittney felt intimated by the educator and distressed by what she said.
He also said the teacher's comments were extremely hostile toward Christians and their faith, and that they violated the federal establishment clause, which calls on public agencies to be secular and not advance or disapprove of any religion.
The end result of a meeting between Tyler, Brittney, her mother and Temecula Valley High School Principal Rani Goyal on Friday afternoon was that Brittney would finish the semester, which ends in January, through an independent study program, Tyler said.
He said it remains to be seen whether she will return to the high school, which she has attended since her freshman year.
The demand letter was addressed to Superintendent Carol Leighty, school board President Stewart Morris and Goyal. Leighty and Morris were at a daylong, out-of-town conference Friday and could not be reached for comment.
Goyal, in an e-mail on behalf of herself and the teacher, declined to comment.
"We were informed Ö at 9:35 this morning of the allegation and are in the early stages of the investigation into the comments made in the classroom," Goyal stated. "As this is in reference to a personnel matter, we have no comment."
In an interview Friday, Brittney said the incident has been very upsetting.
"Yesterday was a breaking point for me," she said.
Brittney, who has fibromyalgia, said she has drawn on her Christian faith for strength as she has tried to cope with the disease, and hearing her beliefs bashed was more than she could bear.
According to Brittney, her teacher called evangelical parents "crazy," "narrow-minded," "prejudiced," "promoters of hate" and "out of control."
Brittney claims that her teacher went on to say that if any of her students were involved in the protest, she would "get revenge in some way or another."
Brittney also contends her teacher said young Christians are being "brain-washed by overbearing parents who shove their beliefs down everyone's throats."
Apparently, the teacher's comments sparked a discussion among the other students in class, a mix of about 35 from all grade levels, many of whom voiced their support by reiterating their educator's points, Brittney said.
Brittney said she felt persecuted for her morals and beliefs, and that something inside her told her she had to do something. She said she finally raised her hand and asked to go outside, and the request was granted.
As she walked out, Brittney said her teacher asked her if she was offended, and she replied that she was. Asked how, Brittney said she didn't appreciate her religion being ridiculed, and burst into tears on her way out the door.
Brittney went to the nurse's office and was picked up by her mother a short time later. Her mother, Cynthia Tarpy, said she called her church's youth pastor because she wanted to find someone to counsel Brittney and help calm her down.
Their youth pastor ended up referring the two to Tyler, who runs a conservative public interest law firm in Murrieta and agreed to represent them free of charge.
Coincidentally, Tyler also filed a lawsuit in federal court earlier this week challenging the validity of the new law that had prompted the parent protest and subsequent classroom comments.
"This teacher went so far beyond the bounds that there is no excuse," Tyler said. "We want to see some action by the school district. We want to give the school district an opportunity to make things right, to decry and condemn this teacher's actions."
Tarpy said she is proud of her daughter.
"She has always been the squeaky wheel, the one who debates her teachers on evolution," she said. "I want her voice to be heard. She is a brave girl."
I wonder what Muslim parents think of the new rules.
I agree.
Another angle that has to be considered is that this child was prepared by her church for persecution. Jesus prepared His deciples for persecution so they wouldn't 'stumble'. The church needs to resurrect such teachings, because it's going to get much, much worse.
This teacher is in some serious need of some discipline, and I’m sure it’s in the pipe.
That said, this fragile flower that needed to be counseled and calmed afterwards is going to have a very difficult time in life. By 17, she should be beyond being so emotinally labile.
Not hardly. A half hour rant in a public school class?
To fire this teacher would stop nothing. Wake up, folks, probably 90+ % of the teachers in the schools are of the same bent = and they do, across this country, downgrade conservative students that don't adhere to the liberal views.
One example: My grandson, when in middle school, was assigned a classroom assignment to write an essay on Che Guevara. My grandson wrote the truth.
He was ridiculed and given a low mark because the essays were supposed to show what a hero he was....just one little example of what he went through...
But in the case of this girl = insult to injury, she has to take the class OUTSIDE of the school??? How about putting the teacher OUT of the school as a warning to the other teachers like her that they'd best pull back a bit on their communist indoctrination.
Bottom line, folks - don't bother trying to correct the public schools, aka, government indoctrination camps. The libs/Socialists/Communists are following Hitler's/Stalin's method of indoctrinating the youth = the only answer is to get your kids OUT...
Get them into Church schools = get your churches to start schools, they are built for it: have classrooms, kitchen/bath facilities, "auditoriums", etc - making ideal small neighborhood schools kids can walk too, eliminating the long bus rides and giving them more fresh air/sunshine time....
Homeschooling is also ideal = much easier than many think - 2 -2/12 hours a day. Most every community has excellent home school associations - worth it to at least check it out...and other private schools.
It's up to us parents to save our kids - who will soon be the movers and shakers of the country...as will, shudder, the public school kids = which is where you get teachers like this cretin.
Get enough kids OUT of the public schools and they will collapse from lack of $$$ - Then they will be gone or have to go back to the original purpose of educating rather than indoctrinating.
Do not wast your time and money fighting the public schools - use your time and money in opening the alternative, small neighborhood schools.
Come on guys!! You are acting almost as bad as crazies in Sudan!
Words, Smords!
http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00397/SNN0105B_682_397890a.jpg
Yep - her own fault - yep
NOT
It isn't easy to be the lone voice trapped in a hostile, environment, being denigrated by the authority figure with no backup from the others in the class who should have stood up for her and their own values - there must have been a few others who held Christian values. AT least she had the guts to speak up - The others were "emotionally labile"
Why is "the teacher" not identified?
Everyone else is, including a minor.
Who is this reporter trying to protect from scorn by the populace at large? And why? Hmmmm?
Bullshit - the girl was threatened!
The teacher abused her position of authority and used (by the liberal's own definition) "Hate Speech".
You can have you say to the Principal of TVHS at rgoyal@tvusd.k12.ca.us
I'm sure the Principal would like to know you are watching to see what they are going to do...
I think we all know what would happen if this teacher had made the same sort of bigoted remark about a racial minority group or about homosexuals...
I never said it was her fault. As a matter of fact, I prefaced the entire thing with a comment that the teacher in question needs to be disciplined.
My comment was directed towards her being so upset that her mother had to seek outside help to calm her down. I don't know about yours, but in my family over reactions are frowned upon. That's all I meant.
“Out of control”. Exactly how would you control them, oh un-named teacher who somehow kept her name out of this, unlike the minor child?
[But the reaction in ths case seems more “liberal” than conservative. ]
Maybe. But then again, perhaps we shall see if this legislative tool...
[Current California law makes it illegal for schools to offer instruction or an activity that "reflects adversely upon persons" because of their race, sex, color, creed, handicap, national origin or ancestry.
...is a sword that cuts both ways.
Sure sounds like this teacher "promotes a discriminatory bias." in their classroom.
I'm surprised they didn't publish Brittney's home address and phone number.
Almost all newspapers are leftie symps.
I see it that way too.
Brittney probably belongs to a local Christian Church. Tyler belongs to and/or represents that Church. The teacher threatened retaliation against those persons or groups.
[The teacher's alleged rant went on for about a half-hour,]
Something touched a raw nerve ehh?
The legislation which prompted the church reaction, which prompted the teacher's rant, could well be the best thing to happen to California private schools since forced bussing in the 70's.
To think, all that effort wasted supporting vouchers - when all the voters in CA had to do was outlaw "mom" and "dad".
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