Posted on 01/06/2014 1:09:57 PM PST by BenLurkin
WEST COVINA (CBSLA.com) — Religious freedom advocates are calling on the West Covina Unified School District to adopt policy changes and issue a formal apology after an alleged incident involving bullying against a Christian student.
Advocates for Faith & Freedom, an Irvine-based nonprofit law firm, issued a letter Monday on behalf of Isaiah Martinez, a first grader at Merced Elementary School who took traditional candy canes as Christmas gifts for his teacher, Valerie Lu, and classmates on Dec. 13, 2013, according to attorney Robert Tyler.
Each candy cane came with a message attached that recited the history of the candy cane, including references to the candy as a symbol of Jesus Christ, according to the letter (PDF) dated Jan. 6.
Attorneys say when Martinez brought the candy canes to class, Lu took possession of the candy canes, 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 the messages in the trash, and returned the candy canes back to Martinez for delivery to his classmates, according to attorneys.
In a statement, Tyler said the actions of the school district were “hostile and intimidating”, and called on officials to adopt an official policy that expressly prohibits school officials – including teachers – from “adopting any action or from engaging in any expression that can reasonably be viewed by a religiously affiliated student as disapproval of the student’s religion or hostile toward the student’s religion.”
“Advocates for Faith & Freedom has experienced a surge in phone calls from students and their parents across the country who are victims of religiously motivated bullying; not bullying by other students, but bullying by teachers and school officials,” said Tyler. “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.”
In addition to policy changes, Tyler also called for the West Covina Unified School District to implement training for teachers and other school officials on the First Amendment, “particularly as it relates to the rights of students to express themselves with religious viewpoints”.
There was no immediate reaction to the letter from school district officials.
A statement on the school district’s website (PDF) states school “programs and activities shall be free from discrimination, including harassment, with respect to a student’s actual or perceived sex, ethnic group identification, race, national origin, religion” and other characteristics.
The article at the linked site has a link to a PDF file that includes the message.
How about “judge not”?
When did they acquire the right to destroy someone’s private property?
It’s “for the common good.”
Apparently this Principal has no trouble kissing a large cow in front of the kids because its for a “good cause”.
I do note that Snopes (unbiased purveyors of truth that they are) regard the origin story from Cologne, Germany as "false" because they can't prove it's true.
Better Question is....
What is it about Jesus that makes so many otherwise stable Right-Wingers become so unhinged?
Not only will he kiss a cow for a good cause, but he will train kids in good “moral” values thru......(wait for it)....recycling.
“It’s amazing how much the students have learned about recycling,” said Gordon Pfitzer, principal at Merced Elementary.”You can already see how a program like this instills important values in our children. I hope it inspires them to continue recycling at school and at home.”
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/students-read-write-and-recycle-150462625.html
Documentation File on taxpayer funded bullying by anti Religion bigots.
The candy cane was created to tell the story of Christ.
White symbolized the virgin birth and sinless life of Jesus.
It is a hard candy symbolizing Jesus as the Rock and foundation of the Church and the solidness of God keeping his promises.
It is made in the form of a J for the name of Jesus and as a staff representing the Good Shepherd
Red stripes....three small ones represent the scourging of Jesus and the large one, the blood shed by Christ on the cross. Red for blood.
Even the flavor had a meaning.
And just wait until they find out if you hold it horizontally it kinda sorta looks like a gun!
When are parents going to say, “Enough”? If one of my kid’s teachers did that, I would have that teacher served by a process server as fast as possible!
He asks you to live a most “unconventional” life in a world that has established “the conventional” so that the conventional benefits those of the world first and personally. As another poster said, “...evil does not like to be challenged - especially with a mirror that doesn’t reflect likeness but truth.”
At that point I would say ‘my children are not allowed in your indoctrination center.’
If citizens are allowed into school then Jesus is allowed in as well.
$10 says that at least one kid named 'Jesus' is required by law to be in that same school.
If they ever remake those stop motion type Christmas shows, the evil character that wants to ban Christmas would have to be played as a Democrat.
Webpage at school site for her sparse
http://mc-wcusd-ca.schoolloop.com/cms/page_view?d=x&piid=&vpid=1232370300278&no_controls=t
Mrs. Lu
Valerie Lu
Valerie Lu
YOUR NAME HERE
sample text
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