Posted on 01/07/2014 1:51:42 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Parents are threatening legal action against a Southern California school district after their six-year-old son was told he could not pass out candy canes with religious messages taped to them because "Jesus is not allowed in school."
Isaiah Martinez, a six-year-old student at Merced Elementary School in West Covina, Calif., arrived to school on Dec. 13, planning to pass out candy canes with religious messages to his fellow students in celebration of the upcoming Christmas season. After the boy's teacher consulted with the school principal, he reportedly told the student that he could not pass out the religious messages because "Jesus is not allowed in school." The boy was still allowed to pass out the candy canes, but the teacher reportedly threw the religious-themed messages in the trash.
The messages, which were written on tiny slips of paper and attached to each candy cane, told of the legend of the candy cane and how it was created. The messages said that each detail of the peppermint-flavored candy is meant to represent the birth, ministry, and death of Jesus Christ. Martinez had reportedly learned of the candy cane legend from his sister, who helped him create the messages and attach them to each holiday candy.
"I pray that this symbol will again be used to witness to the Wonder of Jesus and His Great Love that came down at Christmas and remains the ultimate and dominant force in the universe today," the message included with each candy cane reportedly read.
The Martinez family is now being represented by Robert Tyler, general counsel for Advocates for Faith & Freedom, a nonprofit group that seeks to protect religious liberty. Tyler said in a recent letter to the West Covina Unified School District that Isaiah's family demands a written apology, as well as the implementation of a school policy that protects students from experiencing "hostility" from school staff regarding religious affiliation. The proposed policy would also require teachers and other school officials to be trained on the First Amendment rights of their students at least once a year. If the school district does not respond by Jan. 13, Advocates for Faith and Freedom will be forced to take legal action, the letter concludes.
"The pendulum has swung so far in the opposite direction that public schools are becoming a place of hostility toward Christian and other religiously-based worldviews," Tyler said in a news release discussing Martinez's case. "It's time to push the pendulum back in the right direction where kids can experience true tolerance without religiously motivated hostility from their teachers and school officials."
Tyler added in the statement that his nonprofit group has received a surge of phone calls from parents across the country who say their students are victims of religious bullying, not by fellow students but rather by teachers and school officials.
After his parents addressed the incident with the school, Martinez was reportedly allowed to hand out the candy canes, equipped with the religious messages, days later outside of school property.
Superintendent Debra Kaplan said in a statement that the district is still in the process of investigating Martinez's claims.
"The District's overriding concern was and is to honor and respect the beliefs of all students in matters of religion. To that end, the District strives to maintain neutrality in matters of religion, and to observe students' rights of expression, in a manner that does not conflict with the rights of other students," Kaplan said. "During the holiday season, and particularly when young elementary students are involved, this can require difficult balancing."
Kaplan added that the issue is still being investigated, and the district will respond to Tyler's letter "in a manner consistent with our policies and the rights of all students of the district."
A similar incident took place in 2003, when a school principal in the Plano Independent School District in Texas prevented a third-grade student from passing out candy-cane shaped pens including a similar message detailing how the origins on the candy cane symbolize the life of Jesus Christ. Parents filed a lawsuit against the school district for violating the boy's First Amendment rights to religious freedom, and the case is still winding its way through courts.
In another recent case, a 10-year-old student at Lucy Elementary School near Nashville, Tenn. was forced to throw out her school assignment after she described God as her idol. The teacher reportedly told her she could not write about God in school, and made her take her assignment off school property. The girl's second choice of Michael Jackson as an idol was approved by the teacher. The Shelby School District has since apologized for the incident, saying the teacher and school officials had been confused about how to handle the situation.
“Take a box of Korans to school...”
My kid brought a box of Korans to school and was told the “flesh” colored ones were racist!
Oh, wait.
There is real spiritual battle being waged in this generation and its getting fiercer. The Devils time gets shorter every day.
I don’t agree. I think its part of sharing what is important to the person not an attack on what someone else believes. If necessary it can give a teacher opportunities to celebrate the diversity of beliefs and how important beliefs are in some people’s lives so that tolerance is encouraged.
How come the minor child is named but not the adult (I presume) public school teacher?
Very true, and many forget that it came about because the Church of England made everyone in the Colonies before the Revolution tithe to them, no matter what church one actually attended.
FoxNews:
The teacher, identified by the AFF as Valerie Lu, then consulted with the supervising principal who instructed her to prevent Isaiah from distributing the candy canes.
First grade page. Ms. Lu’s page on the school site is very sparse.
http://mc-wcusd-ca.schoolloop.com/cms/page_view?d=x&piid=&vpid=1232963694337
Attorneys say when Martinez brought the candy canes to class, Lu took possession of them and after conferring with school principal Gordon Pfitzer, told Martinez that “Jesus is not allowed in school.”
Lu, at the apparent direction of Pfitzer, then ripped the candy cane message from each candy cane, threw them in the trash and returned the candy canes back to Martinez for delivery to his classmates, according to attorneys.
Martinez’s sister, Alexandra Cantu, told CBS2’s Jeff Nguyen that her younger brother merely wanted to give the candy to his classmates.
“He was like, ‘Yeah, but my teacher took the letters off and threw them in the trash. And I had to give it to them without the letters,’” Cantu said.
The parents of the six year old are stupid. I would be FURIOUS if some non Catholic gave my kid some kind of wording. Can you imagine your child getting a candy cane with some Muslim crap on it. Think People!!!!!!! Of course that is why I DEMANDED that my kids go to Catholic School from Kindergarten through 12th grade. They can chose the college they want but under my roof Catholic School all the way.
RE: . Can you imagine your child getting a candy cane with some Muslim crap on it.
If it’s a message that simply tells my child why Islam is a good religion, why would I take offense?
My family is not so religiously insecure that I can’t take a message from someone in another religion and not learn to EVALUATE it.
If I disagree with what a Muslim says about his religion, I can TEACH MY CHILD ( Yes, because it is my responsibility ) and tell him why I believe it is incorrect.
Besides, there is nothing in the constitution that says you cannot share what you believe in with others.
Christians can share their faith with others, so can Jews, so can Buddhists, so can Muslims.
THAT IS A FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT.
And if one takes offense, tough luck, there is nothing in the constitution that guarantees that a message will not be offensive.
Tho I'm not religious, and y'all can call me sentimental, that was my first thought too .. poor little guy must've been so confused/disappointed d:^(
My family is not so religiously insecure that I can’t take a message from someone in another religion and not learn to EVALUATE it.
Your post is exactly what the liberals I know say. Exact wording. Stunning. I don’t give a flip about my children learning other fake religions. Another thing, you claim the poor peaceful Muslims will just provide positive wording that praises their horrid religion. I am very disappointed in your post and you are normally exceptional.
The First Amendment:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
This action WAS prohibiting free exercise...
The amendment says Congress is NOT allowed to MAKE a law stopping this expression....
That’s not merely mean, it’s cruel.
“public schools are becoming a place of hostility toward Christian and other religiously-based worldviews”
No. Just Christians. Everyone else can go nuts.
RE: Your post is exactly what the liberals I know say. Exact wording. Stunning.
Agreement with a liberal one ONE issue does not make one a liberal.
Look Hitler believes the sun rises in the east, I do too, what follows? I am a Nazi?
Is this the stunning logic you want to follow now?
RE: you claim the poor peaceful Muslims will just provide positive wording that praises their horrid religion. I am very disappointed in your post and you are normally exceptional.
I gather you must live in some place in the USA with NO MUSLIMS.
well, I have news for you pal, I live and work in places where there really are peaceful Muslims.
And no, I am not blind to the fact that there are violent Muslims out there and that the Koran contains violent passages that many Muslims take literally.
But I am similarly not blind to the fact that there are over a billion muslims in this planet, from moderate places like Turkey, Indonesia and Malaysia to more extremist places in the Mideast.
I don’t tar and feather every Muslim I see as extremists and jihadists. I take them on an individual basis.
And oh yeah, as a Christian, I am more than capable to show them where their religion is wrong and to teach my kids the same.
If you have the truth on your side, what are you afraid of?
and in the other he is a female impersonator in Vegas
same here. How could an adult who is trained do something like that to crush this little fella. Teacher and admin needs to be horse whipped
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