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Taunton second-grader suspended over drawing of Jesus
Taunton Gazette ^ | Dec. 15, 2009

Posted on 12/15/2009 6:50:21 AM PST by Alistair Stratford IV

Taunton second-grader suspended over drawing of Jesus

Father angered by forced psychological evaluation of boy, 8

By Gerry Tuoti, Staff Writer GateHouse News Service Posted Dec 14, 2009 @ 10:20 PM

Taunton —

A Taunton father is outraged after his 8-year-old son was sent home from school and required to undergo a psychological evaluation after drawing a stick-figure picture of Jesus Christ on the cross.

The father said he got a call earlier this month from Maxham Elementary School informing him that his son, a second-grade student, had created a violent drawing. The image in question depicted a crucified Jesus with Xs covering his eyes to signify that he had died on the cross. The boy wrote his name above the cross.

“As far as I’m concerned, they’re violating his religion,” the incredulous father said.

He requested that his name and his son’s name be withheld from publication to protect the boy.

The student drew the picture shortly after taking a family trip to see the Christmas display at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette, a Christian retreat site in Attleboro. He made the drawing in class after his teacher asked the children to sketch something that reminded them of Christmas, the father said.

“I think what happened is that because he put Xs in the eyes of Jesus, the teacher was alarmed and they told the parents they thought it was violent,” said Toni Saunders, an educational consultant with the Associated Advocacy Center.

Saunders is working with the boy’s parents after a mutual acquaintance referred them to her.

“When I got that call, I was so appalled that I had to do something,” Saunders said.

“They weren’t looking at the fact that this is an 8-year-old child with special needs,” she added. “They made him leave school, and they recommended that a psychiatrist do an evaluation.”

The school, in fact, required the evaluation before the boy could return, the father said.

Maxham School principal Rebecca Couet referred all questions on the matter to the superintendent’s office.

Superintendent Julie Hackett said district policy prevents her from discussing a “confidential matter regarding a student.”

“Generally speaking, we have safety protocols in place,” Hackett said. “If a situation warrants it, we ask for outside safety evaluations if we have particular concerns about a child’s safety. We followed all the protocols in our system.”

Hackett refused to specifically discuss the student’s drawing or the school’s reaction to it.

The father was flabbergasted when he learned his son had to undergo an evaluation.

“When she told me he needed to be psychologically evaluated, I thought she was playing,” he said.

The man said his son, who gets specialized reading and speech instruction at school, has never shown any tendency toward violence.

“He’s never been suspended,” he said. “He’s 8 years old. They overreacted.”

The boy made the drawing and was sent home from school on Dec. 2. He went for the psychological evaluation — at his parents’ expense — the next day and was cleared to return to school the following Monday after the psychological evaluation found nothing to indicate that he posed a threat to himself or others.

The boy, however, was traumatized by the incident, which made going back to school very difficult, the father said. School administrators have approved the father’s request to have the boy transferred to another elementary school in the district.

This is not the first time in recent years that a Taunton student has been sent home over a drawing. In June 2008, fifth-grade student Cullen Smithson was suspended from Mulcahey Middle School for a day after creating a stick figure drawing that appeared to depict him shooting his teacher and a classmate.

The Mulcahey teacher also contacted the police to take out charges in the 2008 incident.

gtuoti@tauntongazette.com


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events; US: Massachusetts
KEYWORDS: 1stamendment; antichristian; firstamendment; publicschools; schools; waronchristmas; waronchristmas2009
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To: Alistair Stratford IV

psych evaluation for thinking Christ has something to do with Christmas?

oh boy.

Soviet tactics?


21 posted on 12/15/2009 7:07:12 AM PST by GeronL (Join the Palin Beer Summit Putsch!!)
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To: Alistair Stratford IV

From another thread...

The “Christmas” part of the program...

From the FoxNews article...

Indiana School Removes ‘Allah’ From Holiday Show After Protests

But when it came time to perform the “Christian” part of Christmas, children were assigned to say:

“I didn’t know there was a little boy at the manger. What child is this?
I’m not sure if there was a little boy or not.
Then why did you paint one on your nativity window?
I just thought if there was a little boy, I’d like to know exactly what he (sic) say.

Read more: http://www.foxnewsradio.com/2009/12/14/public-schoo-kids-singing-to-allah/#ixzz0ZiZlXBhV

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2407561/posts?page=12#12


22 posted on 12/15/2009 7:08:30 AM PST by Tennessee Nana
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To: Alistair Stratford IV

Boston Herald just picked up the story. Picture of the drawing at link: http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1219085


23 posted on 12/15/2009 7:09:44 AM PST by fullchroma (Obama: GET OUT OF MY DOCTOR'S OFFICE!)
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To: GeronL

Hard to draw a picture of Christ on the cross without showing violence. Ummm...it WAS violent.


24 posted on 12/15/2009 7:11:44 AM PST by youturn (Conference, Christine!)
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To: fullchroma
Thanks for the link


25 posted on 12/15/2009 7:12:12 AM PST by DocRock (All they that TAKE the sword shall perish with the sword. Matthew 26:52 Gun grabbers beware.)
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To: DocRock

Here is a suggested punishment that could be rendered to the child by the school principle....Off With His Head!

Much more fitting to the current belief systems of the annointed.


26 posted on 12/15/2009 7:14:01 AM PST by gathersnomoss (General George Patton had it right.)
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To: stephenjohnbanker

It irritates the crap out of me when people expect us to know which state or even country this is in.


27 posted on 12/15/2009 7:14:37 AM PST by Suz in AZ
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To: Huck
Do kids still play that old word game Hangman, or does that get you expelled these days?

They can't play hangman anymore. Now when you lose the little stick figure has to go into a hearing with a panel of psychologists who then release him back onto the streets after a stern warning.

28 posted on 12/15/2009 7:19:59 AM PST by drangundsturm
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To: gathersnomoss
The Massachusetts Law of 1647 was our first law in this country requiring public education. It was The Massachusetts Law of 1647 also known as Ye Old Deluder Satan Act was written to teach children to read the Bible. Now the roll of the schools have completely reversed.
29 posted on 12/15/2009 7:21:19 AM PST by DocRock (All they that TAKE the sword shall perish with the sword. Matthew 26:52 Gun grabbers beware.)
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To: DocRock

Seems the Tea Party may have a new symbol.


30 posted on 12/15/2009 7:23:11 AM PST by Raycpa
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To: DocRock
The father should copyright the drawing and sell it on T-shirts with the caption “Banned In Obama’s America” or “Teacher's Hate Loves Greatest Act”, etc.
31 posted on 12/15/2009 7:26:23 AM PST by Dansong
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To: Suz in AZ

“It irritates the crap out of me when people expect us to know which state or even country this is in.”

Illiteracy is an even bigger problem these days ;-)


32 posted on 12/15/2009 7:27:05 AM PST by stephenjohnbanker (Support our troops, and vote out the RINO's!)
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To: Alistair Stratford IV
I was thinking he drew something like this.......


33 posted on 12/15/2009 7:28:59 AM PST by Lockbar (March toward the sound of the guns.)
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To: Tennessee Nana

Incredible


34 posted on 12/15/2009 7:31:23 AM PST by stephenjohnbanker (Support our troops, and vote out the RINO's!)
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To: Huck
Only if you put x's for eyes, apparently!
Image and video hosting by TinyPic
35 posted on 12/15/2009 7:33:00 AM PST by pillut48 ("Stand now. Stand together. Stand for what is right."-Gov.Sarah Palin, "Going Rogue")
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To: stephenjohnbanker

Yes


36 posted on 12/15/2009 7:33:22 AM PST by Alistair Stratford IV (Keep calm and carry on)
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To: Alistair Stratford IV

One wonders why home schooling is becoming more and more popular.

We sang Christmas Hymns along with the Santa Claus stuff.
We had presentations about the history of Silent Night, Holy Night. (I can still hear the 1st graders sliding up to the second syllable of “peace” at the Christmas assembly in the school auditorium)
We learned about the pagan tradition of Christmas trees and Yule logs. We sang “O Tannenbaum”.
We studied about Hanukkah with its menorah.
I don’t remember doing Passover, the Crucifixion and Resurrection, but we were out of school for a week and it was called Easter vacation.
Raised Catholic, we had Crucifixes with “Dead Jesus” around us pretty much everywhere, but I don’t recall seeing them at school.
We played “cowboys and Indians” and the Indians got massacred.
We played army and killed the Japs and the Krauts.
We played cops and robbers, both old west and modern, and the criminals were slaughtered.
We wrestled constantly, almost daily. Lots of bloody noses.

Golly Wally, no wonder I’m so racist, homophobic, nationalistic, and every other term the liberal label makers want to hang on Americans.


37 posted on 12/15/2009 7:35:50 AM PST by Blue Collar Christian ( What happened to my tag line?)
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To: Alistair Stratford IV

I grew up in Newton. Nothing about Massachusetts would surprise me.


38 posted on 12/15/2009 7:36:06 AM PST by stephenjohnbanker (Support our troops, and vote out the RINO's!)
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To: Tennessee Nana

I wonder how long this would continue if there were a few episodes of Theo van Gogh on some of these antichristians. Let them keep pushing and eventually they will get their backlash and it won’t be pretty.


39 posted on 12/15/2009 7:46:34 AM PST by soupbone1
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To: Alistair Stratford IV

Seems the witches won.


40 posted on 12/15/2009 7:50:49 AM PST by Raycpa
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