Student Sues Wisconsin School After Getting a Zero for Religious Drawing

Fox News ^ | 4/1/08 | staff

[AnalogReigns]

See the text Lucas Cranach the elder (Luther's painter) inserted "Let he that is without sin, throw the first stone."

[rollo tomasi]

I can’t draw worth a darn so I got an ‘A’ in art class by tracing album covers (And on leaf of a fern). This looks like free hand and meets the criteria. I bet the John 3:16 set the teacher off.

[AnalogReigns]

Note I said TEXT not merely religious themes, as evidently it was the text the teacher objected to. I’ve been to Europe too...as far as I know text put within paintings is relatively rare, but, occasionally it is there.

[teddyballgame]

“But it sounds like the teacher was ready to squelch any artistic reference to Christianity so that NOBODY would be offended in the class.”

Yeah, demons O.K., Jesus - not. I’m sick of these “educators”, bullying their way around the school. They think they can spew their nonsense without repurcussion and when somebody expresses a view they don’t like they’re all over it. How can you have all these other religous symbolism in the school (from the article) a Buddha, Hindu figures etc., but a drawing of a cross “offends” someone. Please.

[WOBBLY BOB]

put the cross in a jar of urine and he’d get federal funding, too!

[teddyballgame]

So if he took “John 3:16” off he would have gotten an ‘A’? Somehow I don’t think so.

[teddyballgame]

Probably why the Sistine Chapel has no text. Michealangelo must have had a similar experience with his art teacher.

[purpleraine]

Here’s a good case for the ACLU to spend some of their government money on.

[Kryptonite]

Agreed. That’s why these lawsuits have to be funded and pushed, all the way to the SCOTUS.

Much work to be done to undo the trampling of the free exercise clause of the 1st Amendment, and the composition of the SCOTUS right now is adequate to get the job done.

[Old Professer]

What are you going to do with the other half? (How did you get them past Customs?)

[Cyber Liberty]

That kid’s got talent. The teacher’s a moron.

[Kieri]

"His teacher, Julie Millin, asked him to remove the reference to the Bible, saying students were making remarks about it. He refused, and she gave him a zero on the project."

Critique of the student's art skills aside, if he hadn't put the reference to John 3:16 on the piece he could've been blasted for drawing an image associated with the KKK! The reference puts it into proper context and avoids anti-semitic, racist accusations. It's not the greatest way to convey a message as art but it certainly helps when so many people want to jump to the wrong conclusions.

[teddyballgame]

I’d love to. There are some beautiful paintings there.

[PLMerite]

“...asked him to remove the reference to the Bible, saying students were making remarks about it.”

Since when do other students get input on your project?

[messierhunter]

"Later that day, assistant principal Cale Jackson told the boy his religious expression infringed on other students' rights."

This is a scary road to head down. If religious expression infringes on others' rights, in other words, if we have a right from religious expression then we do not have a right to religious expression in public at all. I've argued vehemently before with individuals who insist that you don't even have the right to bow your head and pray silently during school hours, such as before a test or competition, and it always stems from this starting point. In high school I once witnessed a classmate have his right of religious expression severely infringed upon when a temporary instructor demanded he remove a cross (just a cross, no blood, no body) that was set as his background on his computer screen. We were doing our science projects and he had to bring his computer from home to complete his project, it was his property and the instructor didn't care. If I had known then what I know now about the right of religious expression, even at school, I would have stood up for him until either the instructor backed down or suspended me. As it stood, public school had "taught" me that we had no right to free religious expression on school property. I'm saddened to think how many other students are led astray and think the same thing I thought. Kudos to this kid for standing up to the teacher.

[vpintheak]

There needs to be a precedent set after this one is said and done too. We are not going to take it.

[teddyballgame]

“Later that day, assistant principal Cale Jackson told the boy his religious expression infringed on other students’ rights.”

So I guess they’ll be taking down the Buddhist and Hindu figurine and taking down the demonic masks. I guess teachers or students can’t wear a cross around their neck. This is absurd! It’s selective outrage pure and simple. The attack on Christianity continues. My daughter use to play the saxaphone at the “Winter Recess” . They can’t even call it a “Christmas Recital”. Things are getting waaaaay out of hand.

[SkyDancer]

If he had drawn the Cross in some sort of nasty thing, then it'd been OK - like one art exhibit that featured a cross in a jar of urine .... glad I was home schooled.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

Unbelievable. I'm happy to see the boy has a stepfather who is willing to pursue this with him.

From the article...

"The lawsuit also alleges school officials allow other religious items and artwork to be displayed on campus.

A Buddha and Hindu figurines are on display in a social studies classroom, the lawsuit claims, adding the teacher passionately teaches Hindu principles to students.

In addition, a replica of Michaelangelo's "The Creation of Man" is displayed at the school's entrance, a picture of a six-limbed Hindu deity is in the school's hallway and a drawing of a robed sorcerer hangs on a hallway bulletin board.

Drawings of Medusa, the Grim Reaper with a scythe and a being with a horned head and protruding tongue hang in the art room and demonic masks are displayed in the metals room, the lawsuit alleges..."

Liberals lie.

[Will88]

As things have developed over the past few decades, there’s little doubt that religion and religious students are seriously discriminated against.

Religion can be described as a particular individual’s belief system. Well, even atheists have belief systems, though there’s no specific system subscribed to by millions as with Christianity. But people with all sorts of other belief systems are given access to public school students for speeches, and to hand out material, advocate causes, etc.

There’s a couple of ways to end this rank discrimination against Christians: allow Christianity to be presented as other belief systems, or allow no belief systems to be presented in public schools. In that latter case, the teaching of values would be restricted to the teaching of the US Constitution and basic law that affects all citizens, and the school’s code of conduct for students.

I think there have been some attempts to have secular humanism declared a religion. I agree, that and several other belief systems should be declared to be religions, and treated the same as Christianity.

My thought is that no belief system should be taught in schools other than those reflected in the U. S. Constitution and U. S. law. I also think this kid is being discriminated against as things now stand, and hope he wins a suit and settlement against this school.