Death Penalty

[BmorePat87]

(09-05-2015, 09:29 AM)bfine32 Wrote:

• A New York middle school indefinitely suspended a student for wearing rosary beads for religious reasons in violation of a dress code. The student sued, and after the court issued an injunction, the case was settled, with the school clearing the student’s record and paying nearly $25,000 in damages, fees, and costs.
  

Their dress code prohibits gang symbols. The district had issues with gangs using rosaries. It was a bad policy and rightfully overturned, but the school wasn't discriminating against the student because of his religion.

• Quote:A public school in Hawaii invited parents to include messages to their children in the yearbook but refused to include one parent’s encouraging Bible quote. The principal ultimately agreed to include the Bible quote in the yearbook.

  
  
  

A government school was worried about whether or not they could include a religious message in something they publish but decided to risk it and include it? Sounds like no one's religious freedoms were infringed upon, though the school did set itself up for some trouble if anyone had an issue with a bible verse. 

Quote:The principal of a public school in Indiana withheld permission for a student to pass out religious flyers to other students that contained an e-mail address and website where students could submit prayer requests, although other students had been allowed to pass out flyers with secular content. The superintendent ultimately granted approval for the student to pass out the religious flyers.

• A principal was worried about whether or not they could permit a student to promote religion in school and deferred the issue to their superior who decided that it was ok because the school wasn't promoting it? Sounds like no one had freedoms infringed upon.
  
  
  

  Quote:A student at a public middle school in New York delivered notes with encouraging Bible verses to a few other students, but the principal told her that, due to complaints from parents, she could not pass out personalized religious notes in the future. After the ACLJ intervened, the student’s mother received a letter from the superintendent informing her that her daughter’s First Amendment rights would be respected in the future.

• A principal was worried about whether or not they could permit a student to promote religion in school and had parents complain that it was going on? Sounds like the principal made a decision based on the concerns of the parents who felt religion was being forced on their kids through the school. I agree with the superintendent that it was ok because it reflects the action of the student and not the school. 
  
  
  

  Quote:A student was told that he could not use the Bible as a historical reference for a writing project on Roman history, although he was eventually permitted to do so.

• This has nothing to do with religion. The Bible is a pretty poor historical reference. I disagree with this decision. 
  
  
  

  Quote:A student at a public elementary school wrote a short poem in her journal that included the line, “Love is the earth that God made.” Her teacher crossed out that line and said that discussion of God was not allowed in class. After the student’s father shared a letter from the ACLJ with the teacher, she explained that she had believed that any discussion of religion in a public school classroom was prohibited.

• The teacher was worried about what content could be included in class. Sounds like it was all fixed and she now knows that this won't get her in trouble if she permits students to write freely on religion.
  
  
  

  Quote:A high school student wanted to drop a music class that required him to sing songs that conflicted with his faith. The principal told the student that he would not allow him to drop the class because he wanted the student to learn “tolerance.” The principal ultimately allowed him to drop the class.

• He was allowed to drop the class. The principal reversed the decision. The kid then explained why he felt the class conflicted with his beliefs and the principal then allowed him to drop the class. Sounds like the principal respected his religion once he understood that it was really a religious decision.
  
  
  
  
  

  Quote:The principal of a public school in New York City caused an uproar by refusing to allow kindergarten students to perform “God Bless the USA” at their graduation ceremony.[43] The students had been rehearsing the song for several months, but the principal pulled the song shortly before the event due to a concern about “offending other cultures.”

  
  
  

So the principal decided to not promote religion, thus respecting all religions equally?






The problem with most of these is that they involve schools trying to enact policies that ensure that the school is not promoting one religion over another. In cases where it was determined that the policy actually violated a student's rights and that the school did not have to worry about being seen as promoting religion, the correct decision was made. 

I'm going to assume here, but I imagine people would have HUGE issues if these bible verses were replaced with the Quran.