Pre-calculus Substitute

[Wraitchel]

Here is the letter the ACLU sent to the Michigan Board of Education:
"Parents, not the public schools, are responsible for deciding when and whether their children receive religious education," said ACLU lawyer James Rodbard. "Public schools should create an environment where students of all faiths feel comfortable and they should protect children from religious coercion by school volunteers."

According to the letter, an outside volunteer, who is also a youth minister at the Hope Reform Church in South Haven, was permitted by South Haven Schools to come to the middle and high school during classroom hours and solicit students to participate in religious activities through the Hope Reform Church.

"We are extremely troubled," read the letter, "not only by the fact that the South Haven Schools are allowing select ministers to proselytize during school hours, but also that some school administrators are actively participating in these unconstitutional activities."

During one incident, the ACLU has learned that the youth minister and the South Haven High School Assistant Principal forced a student into an isolated room and attempted to pressure the student to pay for a church-based retreat that the student signed up for during school hours, but did not attend. During this ordeal, the student was not permitted to call his parents and in fact, his parents were never notified that he signed up for the church retreat.

In the letter, the ACLU of Michigan urged the superintendent "to assure that all students' constitutional rights are protected by putting an end to the unlawful practice of permitting and/or encouraging religious leaders to proselytize students at South Haven Schools."

[Ihateyoumike]

I just wanted to bring this thread back to see if VanReal had any follow up to this situation. I, for one, am interested in how this will play out. What that teacher did was wrong, and I hope is addressed.

[VanReal]

I had a stroke of bad luck that the day after I had my useless meeting with the Principal we had an ice day and then I had two meetings at work the following day.  I have written a letter to Humand Resources about the substitute and my instructions to my son to report to the office if she is allowed to sub in any of his other courses.  I copied the Principal as I had informed the main HR office in the letter of her lack of cooperation and flipant attitude towards my plea.  Dallas ISD is so big and has so many problems I think it will fall into "file 13" and never be seen nor hood of again.  My son is feeling better and jokes about it a bit now "oh, I got a job today maybe this was one of the "five things" that she predicted would happen, hehe".  I am glad he will be a senior next year, and sad that Dallas ISD is such a mess.

I am thinking about doing a public information request should I not get a response from the administrative office of the district.  I am going to request that subs work days and which classes she subbed in.  The information is not important, just asking for the information raises red flags to the district and usually inclines them to react (I know from experience).  I sincerely hope I don't have to go that far, but I've already been published in our local paper regarding the district's inept ability to manage their budget so they do know I am not exactly a wall-flower.