Tennessee School District Sued Over Ties to Evangelistic Crusade

FOX News via AP | 5/12/03 | Unknown

[Blood of Tyrants]

MAYNARDVILLE, Tenn. — Every year, hundreds of Union County students take a field trip for the soul. Children are excused from class, loaded onto school buses with teachers and sent to a three-day Christian revival.

"I am going to ask you a question," an evangelical leader recently yelled to a sea of students ready for their field trip. "If you are glad to be here, say amen!"

With the ardor of a pep rally, the students shouted back: "AAAA-men!"

Not everyone is so enthusiastic.

Fourteen-year-old India Tracy said she was harassed and attacked by classmates for nearly three years after she declined to attend Baptist Pastor Gary Beeler's annual crusade because of her family's pagan religion.

Her family has filed a federal lawsuit against Union County schools, claiming the crusade, prayers over the loudspeaker, a Christmas nativity play, a Bible handout and other proselytizing activities in the rural school system have become so pervasive they are a threat to safety and religious liberty.

Union County officials say the system is neutral when it comes to religious activities, pointing out that the crusade is voluntary, teachers chaperone on their own time and school buses are operated by private contractors.

"We do not endorse, promote or prohibit it," said school spokesman Wayne Goforth.

District officials say the crusade, now in its sixth year, is like any other field trip, with parental permission required to let the children attend for two hours a day over three days. On the crusade's final day this year, April 30, more than 1,300 of the school system's 3,000 students attended.

"All local boards of education have the authority to allow students to voluntarily attend these types of events," said Christy Ballard, legal counsel to the Tennessee Department of Education.

But, she added, "it is very clear in the statute that they can't harass a student or coerce them to participate ... and, of course, they can't be school-sponsored."

Charles Haynes, a senior scholar at the Freedom Forum's First Amendment Center in Arlington, Va., said school officials and Christian leaders in Union County need a "crash course on the meaning of the First Amendment -- especially the part that separates church from state."

Beeler, 63, who lives and preaches in Union County, said he has been contacted by communities around the country wanting to set up similar crusades, and sees nothing wrong with children getting time off from school to attend them.

"The principals, the teachers, the bus drivers all have told us that they have less behavior problems after this crusade than they do before. So that tells us the positive effect," he said.

India said she was called "Satan worshipper" and accused of eating babies when it was revealed she was a pagan. She said she was taunted, found slurs painted over her locker and was injured when classmates assaulted her and slammed her head into the locker.

The lawsuit said school officials took no disciplinary action. In a May 2 legal response, school officials said they acted appropriately, denied the attacks happened, or said they were unaware of them.

Paganism is an ancient religious tradition that embraces kinship with nature, positive morality and the idea that there is both a female and male side of Deity.

After Christmas break in early 2002, India said three boys chased her down a hall at Horace Maynard Middle School, grabbed her by the neck and said, "You better change your religion or we'll change it for you."

She broke free and fled into the girls' bathroom. A teacher stopped the boys from following her, the lawsuit said.

"That was pretty much the last straw because she was terrified," said India's father, Greg Tracy.

The Tracys took India out of school on Feb. 26, 2002.

A straight-A student, she belonged to the leadership-service organization Beta Club, chess club, and band. She was the only girl on the middle school football team.

Now she takes Internet courses at home and hopes to transfer to a public school in Knoxville, 25 miles away.

"When was it too hard? I don't know," India said. "On a couple of occasions it was too hard and then it got easier and then it started getting bad again and I would come home bawling my eyes out."

[AppyPappy]

I would have problems believing that ANY 14 year-old isn't harassed. Geeky kids who draw attention to themselves get harassed. It probably has nothing to do with the subject at hand. And 14 year-old girls are partial to hyperbole. I think the little goosestepper can't stand to see others having a good time.

[Pete]

This article is extremely bias. The entire article is written in support of the lawsuit. The only exception is this single sentence where in a legal response, the school denies the charges.

In a May 2 legal response, school officials said they acted appropriately, denied the attacks happened, or said they were unaware of them.

Here is another example of the bias contained in this article.

Paganism is an ancient religious tradition that embraces kinship with nature, positive morality and the idea that there is both a female and male side of Deity.

Here we have everything the PC crowd loves - environmental worship, good feelings and feminism. Note that this definition of 'Paganism' is chosen to suit the author's agenda. Also note the irony in the fact that environmental worship, good feelings (e.g self-esteem) and feminism are precisely what is currently taught in public schools. According to this author's chosen definitions, such teachings should be banned due to religious concerns (i.e Paganism).

[Zavien Doombringer]

She should be fully protected to practice her pagan religion as she see's fit, as long as it doesn't cause physical harm to another person.

I don't think you see the point. She is allowed to practice her "religion". Acording to the law, the Schools can encourage it.

If one entire religion is disallowed because one child is 'uncomfortable' then ALL religons should be banned.

Why should all religions be banned because ONE person is uncomfortable? That ONE person needs to get a grip! "The needs of the many out weigh the needs of the one". Tell me why make 1300 people uncomfortable because of 1 complaint?

[Blood of Tyrants]

I have figured it out. That clown was reading from his copy of the socialist USSR Constitution where there IS a 'seperation of church and state' clause.

[jimt]

And, of course, you'd have no problem with you kids being "encouraged" to go on a pilgrammage to Mecca for 3 days, right?

Or attending a three-day Satanist Mass. After all, religious expression is appropriate everywhere, anytime.

[AppyPappy]

As long as it is voluntary, why would I care?

[Michael.SF.]

Are you suggesting that it's okay for students to assault one another over religious differences? I disapprove of this whole situation - and I'm an evangelical Christian - because it promotes the mob mentality that is already too much a part of schooling.

These are two different problems:

Harrassment - No child should be harrassed because of her parents or her own beliefs and tolerance needs to be taught to those who are harrassing her.

The Field Trip - Since this is voluntary and the school does not fund it, then there should be no reason to object to the trip. In this case the Pagan's need to be tolerant of the other children's right to express their own religious beliefs.

The parents of the girl are placing the blame on the field trip, which they object to, and are not owning up to the fact that their own bizarre beliefs may be having a negative effect on their own child.

Why did they need to let others know that they are Pagans? Probable answer: they are more interested in their 'cause' (either promoting Paganism or stopping the field trip), then they are in their own childs welfare.

[Belial]

Sending kids to a Christian revival for a field trip is just plain bizarre.

[Zavien Doombringer]

I believe the Federalist Papers may clear up this confusion.
Thomas Jeferson was an advocate for the freedom of religion and wanted to make sure that government would not have any control over man's covictions to worship God, or a deity. He did quote, a separation of church and state should be maintained, only in defence of freedom to worship, not for the government to be Atheistic. Religion plays an important role in our government and with out religion, our laws would be morally corrupt. Our Constitution was based on the premise of a Supreme Godhead that truth and justice will be judged by Him (God).

[Kuksool]

{Why should all religions be banned because ONE person is uncomfortable? That ONE person needs to get a grip!}

According to the rules of political correctness, liberals have a right not to be offended.

[stainlessbanner]

Let's keep this in perspective:

• Parental permission required
• Voluntary
• 2 hours over 3 days

If India and her parents were so against this activity, why give her permission to participate in a voluntary activity? I'm sure she could have stayed in a classroom and done homework or read her beloved pagan books.

I agree with you, TennBob - This is a setup - they are after money.

[AppyPappy]

No more bizarre then sending them to a Native American ceremony or an anti-drug rally.

[Blood of Tyrants]

You apparently didn't get the sarcastic tone of my post. I'll use the </sarcasm> symbol the next time.

This is just another blatant attempt to stick the federal government in where it doesn't belong. You have freedom of religon, not freedom FROM religion. Teachers shouldn't be proselitizing but neither should they be prohibited from saying a silent prayer or wearing religions symbols.

[joesnuffy]

Fourteen-year-old India Tracy said she was harassed and attacked by classmates for nearly three years after she declined to attend Baptist Pastor Gary Beeler's annual crusade because of her family's pagan religion.

She was the only girl on the middle school football team.

And of course by her report she was harrassed for her satanic religious beliefs alone? Yeah right!

[Zavien Doombringer]

Sending kids to a Christian revival for a field trip is just plain bizarre.

No, that isn't bizarre to those that are accustomed to it. Teaching a homosexual and Alternative lifestyle is. Changing the truth of God into a lie is not only bizarre (confusion) but an abomination, yet the schools make that mandatory!

[Blood of Tyrants]

Where exactly do you see it that teachers and principals are encouraging the children to go? Where do you see it that it was the government sponsoring ANY of the activities?

[Zavien Doombringer]

Ah, sarcasm...I love it! I agree, teachers shouldn't proselitizing,(coaxing people from one church to thiers) but expressing faith isn't proselitizing. I agree also there isn't a freedom from religion. Atheists don't even relize that Atheism is a "religion". Atheists proclaim there isn't a God, yet they believe they are incharge of themselves. Only when they realize they aren't in control of thier environment, does thier "natural instinct" to call on God kick in!

[Blood of Tyrants]

You mean ALLOWING them to go with their parent's permission? How DARE they!

[Belial]

No more bizarre then sending them to a Native American ceremony or an anti-drug rally.

No, it's totally different.

Native American ceremonies are mostly a matter of history, in no small part thanks to the earlier efforts of zealous Christians. The purpose of exposing kids to this is to give them an awareness of a culture most are not familiar with. It's certainly not to tell them to pray to the rain god or affirm his existence. Can you say the same about the Christian revival?

An anti-drug rally, while still retaining elements of propaganda, is essentially sending a health message to kids. And that kind of thing is necessary and useful to some degree.

The bottom line here is these Christians, like fundamentalists of any religion, want EVERYONE to convert to their set of beliefs. In case you've forgotten your history, there are reasons we have limited the reach of these fanatics.