Reply #89: Some kids that chose not to participate in religious activities are harassed.

[Breeze54]

http://www.atheists.org/publicschools/seattle.html

Students in some states/public school districts who chose to opt out of religious activities are
marginalized, insulted and harassed; in some cases, threats and physical violence have been used
against those students and their families.

For example:

• In DeKalb County, Alabama, for instance, there have been recurrent problems involving student religious expression over a school public address system, in class rooms and at athletic events. Federal Judge Ira DeMent, who overturned Alabama's school prayer law, has had to admonish and warn Christian administrators that continued opposition to the guidelines he affirmed in his rulings could result in further legal action. The court has had to actually field "monitors" in these schools to insure that the First Amendment is recognized and to serve as information resources for any students, teachers or administrators who have questions. Unfortunately, not all public officials have cooperated with Judge DeMent. Alabama Governor Fob James has spoken favorably of those students and administrators who "resist" the court's order, and Attorney General Pryor has actively distorted the meaning of the guidelines. And in late July, 1998, a finding by one of the court-appointed monitors, Rev. Chriss Doss, a Baptist minister and educator at Samford University in Birmingham, raised questions about the involvement of a high school principal (Gary Carlyle, Sylvania High School) in encouraging students to join in reading "The Lord's Prayer" at a May 26 graduation ceremony, an activity that contravened the Federal court order pertaining to the separation of church and state.

• In 1996 the Washington State Attorney General issued a ruling that officially sponsored prayer at public high school graduation ceremonies was unconstitutional after two students, one an Atheist and the other a Baptist, filed suit to stop the prayers.

• In New York, a teacher was recently dismissed for allegedly leading her sixth-grade students in prayer and healing services. While she gave students who did not wish to engage in this activity the "option" of spending time on a classroom computer instead, her actions were nevertheless highly inappropriate and she was dismissed. Her case is on appeal.

• In Jackson, Mississippi, the local school superintendent was the target of gunfire after suspending a principal in Jackson for allowing Christian prayers to be read over the school's public address system.

• Again, in Mississippi, Lisa Herdahl's son was required to wear a football helmet, or musical headphones, or leave the room because he refused to participate in organized religious rituals with the majoritarian sect (Baptist). He was Lutheran.

• In Oklahoma, Ms. Jo Ann Bell, a mother and homemaker, was assaulted in a parking lot and her home burned down after she protested school-sponsored religious activity.

• In Dunn, N.C., Laurey and Rick Wyble received harassing phone calls, were called "communists", and were driven from their home for protesting sectarian bible classes in their son's public elementary school.

• In Columbia, S.C., Henry Jordan, a state school board member, and member of the Christian Coalition, proposed the posting of a version of the Ten Commandments in the public schools. When asked about the sensitivities of minority religions to his suggestion, he remarked, "Screw the Buddhists and kill the Muslims - and put that in the minutes!"

• Attempts by Christian-oriented groups such as Family Friendly Libraries to limit our children's access to library and internet resources continue unabated. They are entitled to impose such limits on their own children, but are they not legally empowered to make such choices for our children as well.

• In May of this year the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon went to court on behalf of an Atheist family from Portland, to prevent the Portland School District from actively participating in the recruitment of Cub Scouts at Harvey Scott Elementary School. The suit was filed on behalf of Nancy Powell and her son, Remington Powell, who was in the second grade.

After-school staff assisted Cub Scout recruiters in placing wrist bands on students that urged them to join Cub Scout Pack 16.

The suit argued that the recruitment of students to join the Cub Scouts during school hours and on school property is unconstitutional because the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts are required by the Boy Scouts of America to refuse membership to boys who do not "profess a belief in God, recognize an obligation to God and declare a duty to God."

In most school districts throughout the country, proper limits concerning the expression of religious beliefs by students are generally (but not always) observed.

If there is a lesson here, though, it is this:

Our public schools are considered not educational centers, but a locus for "culture war" battles waged by certain sectarian groups who seek to introduce prayer, religious proselytizing or inappropriate religious content into the public school curricula (such as "creationism," " bible history") and other extracurricular activities (such as sporting events, graduation ceremonies and other school- sponsored presentations).

In his letter of release of the guidelines on these issues dated August 10, 1995, Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley wrote:

"At the same time, schools may not endorse religious activity or doctrine, nor may they coerce participation in religious activity. Among other things, of course, school administrators and teachers may not organize or encourage prayer exercises in the classrooms. And the right of religious expression in school does not include the right to have a 'captive audience' listen, or to compel other students to participate. School officials should not permit student religious speech to turn into religious harassment aimed at a student or a small group of students. Students do not have the right to make repeated invitations to other students to participate in religious activity in the face of a request to stop."

American Atheists has found that in many parts of the country, this admonition is simply ignored or circumvented; there are no independent enforcement mechanisms available to the victims of this harassment in public schools.