Kindergartener's stripper-mom in church-school flap

WorldNetDaily.com ^ | Thursday, May 16, 2002

[JohnHuang2]

A private Christian school and a kindergartener's mother who stripteases for a living are quickly becoming the focus of the latest debate on religious freedom.

Officials of Capital Christian School in Sacramento, Calif., discovered that what they thought had been a private meeting with a mother of a kindergartner who violated her commitment to school policy had become a news story on the local CBS affiliate KOVR.

The story first came to the attention of WorldNetDaily when WND columnist Rebecca Hagelin was invited Wednesday morning to discuss the issue on CNN's popular afternoon talk show "Talk Back Live." The only information circulating at the time was a brief description of a broadcast report filed by KOVR-TV which broke the story late Tuesday evening.

The summary blurb summed up the story this way: "A mother says her daughter is getting expelled from kindergarten because mom is a part-time stripper. This is about a five-year-old girl who attends Capital Christian School in Sacramento. But her mother says when the school found out she was an exotic dancer they told her she had one week to get her daughter out of their school."

Since the school's position was entirely absent from the report, Hagelin contacted the pastor of Capital Christian Church, the sponsoring church of the school. Senior Pastor Rick Cole was clearly disturbed by the events and reluctant to discuss details. Cole did, however, agree to provide certain facts about the case that had not been disclosed by the mother when she contacted the local television station about the situation.

Although Cole did not reveal the identity of the mother or child, WND subsequently learned their identities from KOVR-TV reporter George Franco, but has opted not to disclose the names to protect the child's privacy.

Hagelin reported the other side of the story during her appearance on CNN yesterday.

"By air time Wednesday afternoon, I had secured two interviews with pastor Cole from my car phone," she said. "His greatest concern and reluctance to speak came from his desire to protect the mother and her daughter." Given that only part of the story had become national news, she added, Cole thought it important provide the rest of the story.

Cole explained that recently school officials had become aware that the mother in question works as a part-time strip-teaser dancer at a local club. Since her occupation is in violation of an agreement with and commitment to the school philosophy that parents must sign before the children are admitted to school, school officials, including Cole met the mother.

Not wanting to divulge the personal and confidential details of the conversation with the mother, Cole only briefly outlined the details of the offer officials had made the mother -- which had been left out of previous news stories.

"The school offered to waive the last month's tuition for the student so the young girl could remain in school to the end of the year if the mother would quit her job as a strip-tease dancer. They also offered to support the mother and walk 'hand in hand' with her as she worked through the spiritual issues involved and sought to better her life," said Hagelin. "The pastor believed that the meeting had been well-received by the mother, but the next thing he knew he was getting calls from the local media. I found Pastor Cole to be clearly upset that his efforts to help a woman in a very bad situation were not successful."

As a requirement for admission, parents of prospective students must sign a "commitment" to support the philosophy of the school. That philosophy, in part, reads: "Emphasis is placed on learning about God and the truths of God's Word in relationship to man and his world; recognizing that the way to God comes through personal faith in Jesus Christ; and Christian maturity comes by application of the truths of the Bible in all areas of life." In signing the document, parents agree to maintain a "partnership" with the school "regarding the standards and criteria of a Christian learning structure that involves the entire family."

"Although school officials see the mother's job as a stripper as a clear violation of her signed commitment, automatic termination of the relationship was not an option for them," said Hagelin. "The pastor and school attempted to help the mother better her life, and offered her both financial, spiritual and emotional support."

In Hagelin's interview with the pastor, he described how the role of the school differed somewhat from that of the church. While the church has open arms to all who wish to attend, he discussed how essential parental commitment is to the success of a school of 1,200 students that seeks to provide both high academic and spiritual standards for each and every student, noted Hagelin.

Reporter George Franco of KOVR told Hagelin that the mother has retained legal counsel and is considering filing a motion for an immediate injunction to have the child remain in school while the mother continues to work as a stripper.

[Darkshadow]

Gee, I wonder how Pastor Voyeur found out about not only her stripping at the Club, much less how they found the website.

I did a Google search and found a list of potential sites
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&q=gold+club+centerfolds&btnG= Google+Search
One of them is bound to be the right one

[Harrison Bergeron]

"1Ti 2:9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array... "

So, did they expel the kids whose moms wear makeup and gold jewelry?

[hobbes1]

It's the first one.

[kjam22]

I don't remember the passage as "Suffer the children to come unto Me, unless their mothers are strippers."

Coming to Jesus is one thing. But that's not what we are talking about. We are talking about the church's responsibility to its members, the community, and to the head of the church. This question is not even difficult from a biblical aspect. Those who would ignore how the bible commands this church would instead insert their own ideas.

[hobbes1]

So, did they expel the kids whose moms wear makeup and gold jewelry?

Harlots All I say...Stone them Stone Them!

[kjam22]

First you reject old testament because it is Judaeo instead of Christian. Now you reject Paul who wrote the majority of the New Testament. Exactly which "christian" scriptures do you adhear to?

[Lord_Baltar]

You know what? My kid's non-religious private school will kick his butt out if I don't pay.

First you bitch about religious schools pushing vouchers then you attack the school for asking for tuition. It's a real hoot to get a look at the "MYOB" crowd when the masks come off. You don't like fundamentalist Christians, I get it. I'm not one so you're not hurting my feelings.

Is the pastor right? What difference does it make? It's legal, just like building a fence around a lake to obscure the view. It's not your school, it's not your kid, it's not your money. MYOFB.

MYOFB, Wow, nice senitment, considering that's exactly what I'm telling the Fundis to do.

No, I'm not bashing the Private Schools for charging Admission, ah, Tuition. I am Bashing them for running around like PIs in "the Cloth" Spying on the off Campus Activities of Non Students. I'm bashing Pastor Voyeur and his closeted band of Web Surfers for actively going around checking out Strip Club Web Sites looking for sin. I'm bashing on Holier Than Thou, self righteous blowhards turning their noses at a young single mother doing the best she can to support her child, and see to it that she can afford the overpriced education Pastor Busy Body and Crew were supposed to be providing. When they weren't out cruising Strip Clubs, or surfing the websites, of course.

I'm bashing Private Christian Schools, that continually pontificate about how they need Federal Money in Vouchers (which in most cases would still leave the Parents owing 1000s for little Johnny or Janey to attend. That part usually gets left out), yet they want to skirt rules and such about this sort of High Minded Spying for Jesus, and voyueristic prying into the private lives of the Parents.

As long as it's not the 4-5 year old stripping, it's Pastor Busy Body that needs to MHOFB. Maybe if he and his Staff would spend more time doing their Jobs, ah, like Preaching and Teaching, and less time cruising Strip Club Websites, maybe they could save a few bucks and cut the Tuition Price just a tad...

[Hemingway's Ghost]

You're not arguing that you don't understand the sin of rebellion are you?

I'm not a christoholic, so quite frankly I could care less. My reaction was due to the phrase itself, which sounds highly incongruent (xsmommy) on FR.

[flyervet]

My morality? And what is that?

I don't know about all your morals but clearly stripping for a living goes against them.

A bad diet doesn't have to be immoral to be a bad diet.

But even a bad diet is better than no diet, right?

She has a bad job, a rotten job, one she doesn't need to have -- she's a pretty woman and unfraid of the public, she could be a receptionist, any number of things -- a real estate agent even.

Not necessarily. As I'm sure you know, there are an enormous number of qualified people who have found themselves looking for a job since the Clinton recession came to town. Competition for jobs is now more fierce than at any time in the past several years. I am assuming this woman, like most other strippers, has little education and few office skills. Add to that the burden of having a "tainted" past and she starts her job search with a number of strikes against her. As I asked another poster on this thread, would you employ a stripper with few skills and little or no education over dozens of qualified applicants with no such job history? The last person I asked this question of refused to answer. Silence on this issue speaks volumes.

To bring up another aspect ... Does being a stripper help her at all in finding a decent man to help her raise her child -- to marry? Doesn't the child deserve a father?

First of all, you don't know that the child doesn't have a father, and you don't know that marriage will get her step-father interested in replacing her father. Secondly, while that's certainly a worthy goal, I think we can both agree that women shouldn't simply wait around, hoping for Mr. Right to show up. This woman has a child to provide for, whether she is married or not.

[hobbes1]

The School is affiliated with the church. the Pastor was clear in pointing that out.There is a difference which you are blurring.

But you raise an interesting point. Responsibilty. Deos the headmaster not have a responsibility to handle things in such a way to prevent the school from being cast in an extraordinarily negative light ? (like letting the kid finish the Last 3 weeks, and not allowing her back...)

But instead he handled this like he did the Valedictorian inciident...With ZERO common sense.

[kjam22]

I'm always amazed at people who have a 3rd grade knowledge of the bible... yet feel qualified to instruct pastors and churches as to their biblical christian responsibility.

[SkyPilot]

QUESTION: John-- what happens when you put out a thread with the title "Stripper" in it?

ANSWER: About 600 replies.

[hobbes1]

No, this is not a church it is a school.

[flyervet]

I do agree with you on that point. Private schools have the right to set their own standards for students, no matter how petty, arbitrary, and hypocritcaln those standards are. Still, I think the school should have allowed the girl to finish the school year, considering she herself has done nothing wrong.

[Harrison Bergeron]

"Coming to Jesus is one thing. But that's not what we are talking about."

AFAIC, there really is nothing else to talk about but "Coming to Jesus." Everything else is just the lawyerly pharasaic doctrine that Jesus preached against. Sweet irony that one of the minority on this thread making exactly the same point is a lawyer.

[kjam22]

Letting her finish the 3 weeks and not come back might have been a wise idea. Maybe it keeps the church out of the press. Maybe it doesn't. Maybe the woman goes public next September. I think it's a mute issue. Because we don't know what the future might have held. But I think we both agree that this child isn't in school because of the choices of her mother.

[kjam22]

The 4 gospels are probably reasonably accurate with not too much historical pollution. After that, its anybody's guess as to what is made up in order to support the basic social order.

LOL