Posted on 09/14/2011 3:46:31 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Poway Unified School District wins case against high school teacher
A teacher in the Poway Unified School District has been ordered by the U.S. Court of Appeals to remove two large banners that referred to "God" and the "Creator" from his classroom walls.
Brad Johnson, a teacher at Westview High School, had been directed by the district to remove two large banners which read “IN GOD WE TRUST,” “ONE NATION UNDER GOD,” “GOD BLESS AMERICA,” “GOD SHED HIS GRACE ON THEE” and “All men are created equal, they are endowed by their CREATOR.”
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals announced their unanimous decision on Tuesday, which overturned a previous ruling by a lower court. As a result of the court’s decision, Johnson must remove the banners. The judges said the constitution does not permit Johnson to speak freely in his role as a teacher about his views on God.
The opinion stated, "When Bradley Johnson, a high school calculus teacher, goes to work and performs the duties he is paid to perform, he speaks not as an individual, but as a public employee, and the school district is free to ‘take legitimate and appropriate steps to ensure that its message is neither garbled nor distorted.' "
Johnson is currently the faculty sponsor of the school's student Christian Club, court documents state. Johnson has taught for the district for over 30 years.
The district must wait for the court to tell them how to enforce the order. "We are pleased with the outcome after more than four years in the courts," PUSD Superintendent John Collins said.
No word on whether or not Johnson or his attorney will take their case to the next level.
“We acknowledge that the United States legal process has several levels of appeal, including the Supreme Court, but the district is hoping to move forward without further calls on our limited resources in defending this lawsuit brought against the district,” said PUSD Board president Penny Ranftle.
The battle over the banners started in January 2007, when the school district ordered Johnson to remove them. Johnson took them down but filed a lawsuit short afterward in federal court alleging the district had violated his constitutional rights. The lower court ruled the school district had created a limited public forum for teachers to express their views and ruled in favor of Johnson. On Tuesday, however, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the lower court’s ruling.
This isn't the first time the Poway Unified School District has been in court defending themselves over freedom of speech. In 2004, the school district was sued by a student who wore a t-shirt that read, "Homosexuality is Shameful. Be ashamed. Our school embraced what God has condemned." Tyler Chase Harper wore the t-shirt the day the school held an organized "Day of Silence" to protest the silencing of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people due to harassment, bias, and abuse in schools, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. The judge ruled Harper’s t-shirt “invaded the rights of other students.” The case also went to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals which upheld the ruling in favor of the district.
Harper was a student at Poway High School.
Really? Where we you when the teachers had their young students chanting about Obama?
The sentence from the article should read:
” the school district is free to ‘take legitimate and appropriate steps to ensure that its **GODLESS** message is neither garbled nor distorted.’ “
I commend this teacher for pushing the issue. Because of his efforts more parents and voters will now understand that government schools are not ( and never have been) religiously neutral. Government schools teach the religion of atheism!
This teacher will likely lose his job. I have nothing but contempt of the other teachers who go along to get along. They are evil. It is evil to teach children to think and reason godlessly.
Finally....There is only one possible solution that is respectful of the Constitution and freedom of conscience: COMPLETE SHUT DOWN OF GOVERNMENT SCHOOLING!
( Yeah! I am shouting. I am exasperated. )
None of the above. It's the free range asylum of CA.
He should pin up some dollar bills.
Sir, I can no more remove God from this classroom
than you can remove the sun from the sky.
None of the above. It's the free range asylum of CA.
I believe in God and no government, or ACLU, or the Godless left, or anyone for that matter can change my belief. I also know that this country was founded with God and Christian beliefs entwined in our constitution. In the past 30 years the liberal left, along with their ACLU, has managed to stifle anyone who expresses any belief in God. They wish they could do it to everyone, not just those in public places like schools. This country, thanks to the left is now divided as good versus evil and I think a storm is coming.
Having said all this, the really important thing is for everyone to get fired up and help Bama beat North Texas Saturday :D
And drop a few in the "TEACHERS" parking lot....on the soccer field, the baseball outfield.
CHRISTIANITY AND OTHER RELIGIONS ARE ALREADY ESTABLISHED. This is NOT a new country. The courts are insane.
This is not longer merry old england where the Anglican church reigned or France where the Popish religion reigned.
Do a google on the Byron school district and the courts approval of teaching Islam in the school district. What say you then?
Secular humanists take another swing at God with their badminton racquets by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
I wonder who will win in the end!
I’m not terribly surprised that such things take place in fringe schools.
Back in the 1920’s and ‘30’s, no one would have been overly surprised to see Marxist-Leninism taught in most classrooms on the Lower East Side of NYC. But oddly enough, that did not violate rule #1, because that is what the school, as well as the parents, *wanted* them to teach. They would not even hire a teacher who was not a communist.
Likewise, in the US South, for many years students were taught about “The War of Northern Aggression”, and related subjects, along with a firm defense of segregation. That’s what the teachers were *hired* to teach. A “good” teacher would teach what they had been hired to teach, and in a manner that was expected.
So seriously, California? Their curriculum must include some of the most wacky subjects, such as Al Gore’s visions, extreme multiculturalism, political correctness, the current Democrat party platform, LGBT studies, etc.
And that is what they hire teachers to teach. If teachers teach something other than that, they may very well get fired.
The judges are Marxist trying to totally transform our nation into an atheist one.
This teacher was NOT discussing his views—These were the views in our Founding documents. Since when are our schools not to teach the truth...that is what they were supposed to be for....teaching children about their nation and their God-given rights.
These judges and Marxist elites like Bill Ayers and socialist John Dewey have been creating little moral relativists instead of absolutists. Our Constitution sets up the legal frame work for ONLY a people who believe in God-—for only then will we have Natural Rights.
They remove God and they can remove our inalienable rights-—that is the Marxist’s intent...destroy our schools and children’s knowledge of history and then they can tell the useful idiots whatever they want and their IQ will be so low they will actually believe their silly immoral lies, like Heather has two Mommies and homosexual sex can be moral and good and create men of “character”.....right!
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I used to have a set of McGuffey's Readers, gave them away, now I want them again. They are filled with references to God, godliness, and religious based morality. There is no such thing as values neutral teaching. If God is left out and cannot be mentioned in schools, then the atmosphere is secularist/atheistic, which is the other side (dark side) of the coin. There is no neutral ground.
Government may be able to forceably remove mention of God from this place or that, but Government cannot remove God! God, on the other hand, is completely capable of removing Government from His lands.
THE LAW IS THE LAW
So "if" the US government determines that it is against the law for the words "under God" to be on our money, then, so be it.
And "if" that same government decides that the "Ten Commandments" are not to be used in or on a government installation, then, so be it.
I say, "so be it," because I would like to be a law abiding US citizen.
I say, "so be it," because I would like to think that smarter people than I are in positions to make good decisions.
I would like to think that those people have the American public's best interests at heart.
BUT, YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE I'D LIKE?
Since we can't pray to God, can't Trust in God and cannot post His Commandments in Government buildings, I don't believe the Government (Federal, State and Local) and its employees should participate in the Easter and Christmas celebrations which honor the God that our government is eliminating from many facets of American life.
I'd like my mail delivered on Christmas, Good Friday, Thanksgiving & Easter. After all, it's just another day.
I'd like the" US Supreme Court to be in session on Christmas, Good Friday, Thanksgiving & Easter as well as Sundays." After all, it's just another day.
I'd like the Senate and the House of Representatives to not have to worry about getting home for the "Christmas Break." After all it's just another day.
I'm thinking that a lot of my taxpayer dollars could be saved, if all government offices & services would work on Christmas, Good Friday & Easter. It shouldn't cost any overtime since those would be just like any other day of the week to a government that is trying to be "politically correct."
In fact....
I think that our government should work on Sundays (initially set aside for worshipping God....) because, after all, our government says that it should be just another day....
What do you all think????
If this idea gets to enough people, maybe our elected officials will stop giving in to the "minority opinions" and begin, once again, to represent the "majority" of ALL of the American people.
SO BE IT...........
Please Dear Lord, Give us the help needed to keep you in our country! 'Amen' and 'Amen'
Do your children all agree with your position?
Meanwhile......
Carver Elementary school in San Diego is possibly going to allow Muslim students to pray in school.
According to Kevin Keenan, spokesperson for the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties, “Performing these prayers is widely—if not universally—recognized as one of the five essential ‘pillars’ of Islam. One of these prayer times will always fall during the school day at Carver when students are required by law to be at school.”
Would someone please explain to me why the ACLU, who has fought all-things Christian for decades, is not only okay with this but is calling everyone who doesn’t agree ‘intolerant’?
http://patriotupdate.com/articles/aclu-okay-with-prayer-in-public-schools-muslim-prayer-that-is
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