Posted on 03/07/2007 7:48:42 AM PST by csistrueblue
12 Washington State High School Students Suspended for Public Prayer Group
By Gudrun Schultz
VANCOUVER, Washington, March 6, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A number of students who formed an interdenominational prayer group at a Washington state high school were expelled by the administration last week over their refusal to hold a morning prayer session in a closed room, The Columbian reported March 2.
Twelve students at Heritage High School in Vancouver, WA, were suspended last Friday after continuing to meet for morning prayer in the commons area of the school, despite a faculty order that they stop causing physical "disruption" to student traffic with public prayer.
To express concerns, contact:
Heritage High School 7825 NE 130th Avenue, Vancouver, WA 98682
Phone: (360) 604-3400
Principal: Anne Sosky asosky@egreen.wednet.edu
It's the latter part that I'd have no problem with. But the former is a problem. If they're merely ~visible~ to other students, well, too bad. There shouldn't be a problem of them merely being in a public place, unless their little drum circle is in the middle of traffic.
It sounds like this group is putting themselves right in the middle of things, though. They went fishing for a confrontation and got one. My sympathy factor is low, so far.
As I suspected.
Shame on you!
Indeed. What's wrong with a closed room? We don't want the diaperheads to gain the right to shout "Allahu Akbar" in every high school cafeteria in the nation.
I agree with you.
I don't like the way Christians are singled out any more than anyone else, but they cannot form a prayer group in the hallway of a public school. They just can't do it. They were not asked to stop. They were asked to take it to a designated area and to clear the hallway.
Uh... what in the world...?
LOL. Little trigger-happy this morning are we?
The 'commons' area from another report was the school cafeteria. Bottom line is that the school had no right to prohibit this activity or denying the requested organization and meeting of a prayer club during non-school times. This has been well established through court proceedings over the past several years.
The $64,000 question is not whether the prayerful students were told to move, but whether the administration has allowed other groups to assemble in the same area.
Come on everyone, this country was founded on Christianity, and we have the freedom on religion and the free exercise thereof. The muslims can do their praying anywhere they want. To a true conservative, what in the world do we have to argue about? This is why our country and government is in such a mess, so many are afraid to stand up for what they believe. Caving at every liberal wish. If God is in your life and you want to pray at a restaurant or school, or on the street, you should not be punished for it. Some of you better go back and read you "Bill of Rights".
Everyone using that entrance walks by them and observes them and there is no traffic flow disruption or issues of praying inside the school.
These Vancouver kids surely are not less wimpy about bad weather than Connecticut kids, are they?
Agreed. My sympathy factor for people trying to run a school these days is growing. :~)
>>Raper's suit has no mentions of medical problems involving her now 2-year-old daughter.<<
Absolutely! They should not be "looking for a fight" The problem is not what they were doing, the problem is they were blocking traffic when they were doing it.
Of course, that is assuming the blocking traffic thing is true.
That Is the appropriate question. I will note however that it is the same group of posters here on FR that would be raising hell if the Muslins had requested a closed area for their prayer.
To be completely correct, they were asked to use a "closed" room. The closing of the room likely is part of the issue, as well.
A co-ed masturbation seminar would be ok tho??
shee-it
Amendment I
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.
after continuing to meet for morning prayer in the commons area of the school,
Commons area is not a hallway, it's a lunchroom type enviroment.
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