Welcome to ASFN Fan Forums! We're glad to have you here. Please feel free to browse the forum. We'd like to invite you to join our community; doing so will enable you to view additional forums and post with our other members.
Registered Members don't see these ads. Register now it's free!
Calif. teacher prohibited from giving Declaration of Independence
Updated: 5:02 p.m. ET Nov. 24, 2004
LOS ANGELES - A California teacher has been barred by his school from giving students documents from American history that refer to God — including the Declaration of Independence.
Steven Williams, a fifth-grade teacher at Stevens Creek School in the San Francisco Bay Area suburb of Cupertino, sued for discrimination on Monday, claiming he had been singled out for censorship by principal Patricia Vidmar because he is a Christian.
"It's a fact of American history that our founders were religious men, and to hide this fact from young fifth-graders in the name of political correctness is outrageous and shameful," said Williams' attorney, Terry Thompson.
"Williams wants to teach his students the true history of our country," he said. "There is nothing in the Establishment Clause (of the U.S. Constitution) that prohibits a teacher from showing students the Declaration of Independence."
Vidmar could not be reached for comment on the lawsuit, which was filed on Monday in U.S. District Court in San Jose and claims violations of Williams’ rights to free speech under the First Amendment.
Phyllis Vogel, assistant superintendent for Cupertino Unified School District, said the lawsuit had been forwarded to a staff attorney. She declined to comment further.
Other materials rejected Williams asserts in the lawsuit that since May he has been required to submit all of his lesson plans and supplemental handouts to Vidmar for approval, and that the principal will not permit him to use any that contain references to God or Christianity.
Among the materials she has rejected, according to Williams, are excerpts from the Declaration of Independence, George Washington's journal, John Adams' diary, Samuel Adams' "The Rights of the Colonists" and William Penn's "The Frame of Government of Pennsylvania."
"He hands out a lot of material and perhaps 5 to 10 percent refers to God and Christianity because that's what the founders wrote," said Thompson, a lawyer for the Alliance Defense Fund, which advocates for religious freedom. "The principal seems to be systematically censoring material that refers to Christianity, and it is pure discrimination."
In June, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the case of a California atheist who wanted the words "under God" struck from the Pledge of Allegiance as recited by schoolchildren. The appeals court in California had found that the phrase amounted to a violation of church and state separation.
Registered Members don't see these ads. Register now it's free!
You don't know that, from what I read it appears the teacher was using the class as an excuse to push religion. There is a difference.
I seriously doubt anybody could or should be barred from discussing in history class the motivations of the original settlers. That is history, as such I can;t belive it would be inappropriate.
That suggests rather more was going on here and that the teacher had a religious agenda rather than a historical one.
Steven Williams, a fifth-grade teacher at Stevens Creek School in the San Francisco Bay Area suburb of Cupertino, sued for discrimination on Monday, claiming he had been singled out for censorship by principal Patricia Vidmar because he is a Christian.
"
I missed the most likely meaning of this paragraph the first time I read it. I think the administrator wasn't saying don't mention the "founder's" religious references. It seems likely to me that the administrator was reacting to the teacher interjecting or pushing his own beliefs and supporting them with the documents. However, without more info, I can't say for sure.
"Declaration Of Independence Banned" - It's A Lie!
I don't have much time right now but I want to bring attention to this "news" story Declaration of Independence Banned at Calif School:
A California teacher has been barred by his school from giving students documents from American history that refer to God -- including the Declaration of Independence.
Steven Williams, a fifth-grade teacher at Stevens Creek School in the San Francisco Bay area suburb of Cupertino, sued for discrimination on Monday, claiming he had been singled out for censorship by principal Patricia Vidmar because he is a Christian.
Summary (inferred) - the teacher was forcing his students to listen to and read "Christian Nation" propaganda. The school asked him to stop. The teacher is suing the school with the help of a right-wing "Christian Law" organization, the Alliance Defense Fund. (Also see this.)
The school did not "ban the Declaration of Independence" -- that is just a lie. This story is like when you hear that a man was "arrested for praying" and you find out he was kneeling in the middle of a busy intersection at rush hour and refused to move.
This is the BIG STORY today, on Rush, and Drudge, and the rest of the Usual Suspects. And it is a carefully planned and carefully timed lie.
The story is timed for this afternoon so that it cannot be refuted until Monday.
It is timed to cause fights and hatred at family Thanksgiving dinners across the country.
It is part of a strategy to reinforce a "conventional wisdom" notion that "liberals" are "going too far" with their demands of separation of church and state.
People For the American Way has a web page about the Alliance Defense Fund. From PFAW:
ADF's Founders:
Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ
Larry Burkett, founder of Christian Financial Concepts
Rev. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family
Rev. D. James Kennedy, founder of Coral Ridge Ministries
Marlin Maddoux, President of International Christian Media
Don Wildmon, founder of American Family Association
(And 25+ other ministries)
President and General Counsel: Alan Sears
Date of founding: 1994
Finances: $15,411,093 (2001 budget)
And note this:
ADF defines itself by its ability to strategize and coordinate with lawyers all over the United States.
[. . .]
ADF also defends the right of Christians to 'share the gospel' in workplaces and public schools, claiming that any efforts to curb proselytizing at work and school are anti-Christian.
"Strategize and coordinate." Sounds like what's happening with this story, planted on Rush and Drudge, in time for the holiday. I hope that other bloggers can pick up on this. I suspect many of us are going to miss how important this is -- how big of an effect this is going to have on things we care about. This story is designed as ammunition for family conversations tomorrow.
As I write this, O'Reilly is on the air on FOX saying "Another ruling by an activist judge that puts us all in danger." That's an exact quote. It isn't about this story, but it reinforces it: Yet more "liberals' who are "going too far."
See the forest. See how this stuff works!
Update - I have a more few pre-holiday minutes to spend on this... To be clear about this story, the school said the teacher could not use handouts that included quotes from the Declaration and other documents. A San Mateo Times story (where I live) says,
"She then prevented Williams from giving students several handouts including:
- Excerpts from the Declaration of Independence with references to "God," "Creator," and "Supreme Judge."
And from the Alliance's press release,
Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund filed suit yesterday against the Cupertino Union School District for prohibiting a teacher from providing supplemental handouts to students about American history because the historical documents contain some references to God and religion. [emphasis added]
Supplemental handouts, huh? I wonder where he got those from?
That's all this is. The rest is strategic disinformation -- agitprop.
And for the Right's spin on the story -- how's suing for saying "Merry Christmas?"
Update II - Digby's on it too. And the blogosphere is picking it up: Atrios, Daou Report. Now Blue Lemur, Liberal Oasis, Information Clearing House, First Draft, APJ, archy, different strings, Homeschool, Brilliant at Breakfast, Kidding on the Square, What It Is Today, Vegacura, The Peking Duck, Scoobie Davis, Mouse Words, pquesblog, Akkams Razor, Grinblog, Agblog, Steve Gilliard, Exile on Main Street, Off the Cuff, Mahablog, skippy, Julia at American Street, culture kitchen, the 23rd monkey, Majikthise (settle down, Richard), An old soul. We might just get the major media involved and beat this lie down before it does too much damage!
Update III Too late. Damage done. Drudge has posted the phone number of the principal of the school.
The word '"inferred" after 'Summary' has been added.
Truest comment, spotted at Blue Lemur: "2 years from now, the right-wingers will still be talking about that story like it was true."
ATHENS, Ga. -- A high school principal apologized Monday for reading a poem called "The New School Prayer" over the school's intercom, which brought complaints from some parents who said it violated the principle of separation of church and state.
Tommy Craft said he wanted not to promote religion but to provoke thought and discussion among students about the changing political climate in school when he read the poem the Tuesday before the Thanksgiving break.
"I apologized to them today in another statement," Craft said. "I said that there was no attempt to individualize or to bring ridicule on any particular person with the poem."
The poem, which has circulated on the Internet since at least 1992, is written in the rhyming style of the children's prayer that begins "Now I lay me down to sleep." It refers to prayer not being allowed in school, although students can "dress like freaks, and pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks" or "elect a pregnant Senior Queen."
The poem mentions the ability to get condoms and birth control, as well as study "witchcraft, vampires and totem poles."
"But the Ten Commandments are not allowed, no word of God must reach this crowd," the poem says.
Some parents have complained to both Craft and the Clarke County School Superintendent Lewis Holloway.
"Basically, I found the poem offensive, but even if I didn't, I still would believe it crossed the line between church and state," said Ginger Smith, whose daughter is a junior at Cedar Shoals High School.
Holloway said the district had received "several calls" from people who were upset about the poem. He would not discuss any action taken against Craft.
It will really be interesting to see how the courts view this case - if this is indeed a a dispute over the separation of church and state or that the teacher is some religious quawk.
This is a history class (not as black/white as a science class). I wonder if the other teachers have similar restrictions and if this teacher presents "history" in such a way to get historical documents banned.
It will really be interesting to see how the courts view this case - if this is indeed a a dispute over the separation of church and state or that the teacher is some religious quawk.
This is a history class (not as black/white as a science class). I wonder if the other teachers have similar restrictions and if this teacher presents "history" in such a way to get historical documents banned.
It will also be really interesting to see how BIM interprets what you meant when you wrote "quawk".
Seriously, though, I don't think enough information has come out about this case. I'll try to follow it and post more information if I see it.
As a future history teacher this is rediculous. I don't like religion in government BUT!! These are important historical documents. Pure BS. Take it to the supreme court.
__________________
Originally Posted by HeavyB3
I wasn't serious in my post.. I don't really give a crap.
As a future history teacher this is rediculous. I don't like religion in government BUT!! These are important historical documents. Pure BS. Take it to the supreme court.
Just curious. Is there really anyway to seperate religious beliefs of the forefathers when teaching kids about historical documents (i.e. consitution)?
Just curious. Is there really anyway to seperate religious beliefs of the forefathers when teaching kids about historical documents (i.e. consitution)?
Yes, you can. The problem is if you selectively pick only the documents (or portions thereof) that fit your particular agenda (This is true of anything) without presenting documents, etc that would contradict you.
Or in other words, standard operating procedure for the Bush Admin
The presence of references to God does not necessarily make a text religious doctrine. Many of our founding documents reference God as a source or a demonstration of inaliable rights, but the documents are not necessarily proscriptive in a religious sense. Choosing small symbolism as the battlefield is a waste of time, and probably just alienates opponents further for the big battles.
Tetris Champion!
Linear Mode
