Atheist Group Alleges Violations At WCS
December 30, 2019 at 11:25 p.m.
By Amanda [email protected]
The letter reads: “My name is Troy Moss, and I’m the president of NIA, a nonprofit that fights state/church violations on a local level and defends the rights of atheists and other marginalized communities across Northern Indiana. We have over 100 members locally.”
Moss said that several concerned district parents contacted him to report several state/church violations.
“The first complaint received was that Mrs. Jacko read a book to her second-grade classroom pertaining to the candy cane representing Jesus and a shepherd’s crook and about Christmas being about the birth of Christ,” the letter states. “The second complaint was that Mrs. Shirley’s class read a book titled ‘The Crippled Lamb’ that is about a lamb that was left behind in a Bethlehem stable with a message about how God has a unique plan for everyone. Finally, the third complaint was that students watched a religious movie last year titled, ‘The Star,’ a Christian cartoon about the birth of Jesus.”
Moss said that Hoffert is certainly aware that public schools have a constitutional obligation to remain neutral toward religion.
“When district staff members read students stories about Jesus, teach students that God has a plan for them and tell students that Christmas is Jesus’s birthday, the district has unconstitutionally endorsed a religious message, specifically a Christian message. It is also a usurpation of paternal authority – parents have the right to direct the religious or nonreligious upbringing of their children, not public schools. School sponsorship of a religious message is impermissible ‘because it sends the ancillary message to ... nonadherents that they are outsiders, not full members of the political community and accompanying message to adherents that they are insiders, favored members of the political community.’” Moss cited that from case law in the year 2000 of Santa Fe Indep. Sch. Dist. v. Doe.
“While schools may have secular Christmas celebrations, Lincoln Elementary’s promotion of Christmas religious aspects marginalizes non-Christian parents and students. As the Supreme Court said in striking down a nativity display on public property, ‘confining the government’s own celebration of Christmas to the holiday’s secular aspects does not favor the religious beliefs of non-Christians over those of Christians. Rather, it simply permits the government to acknowledge the holiday without expressing an allegiance to Christan beliefs, an allegiance that would truly favor Christians over non-Christians,’” the letter reads, citing a 1989 case law of Cty. of Allegheny v. ACLU of Pittsburgh.
“A public school, and especially an elementary school whose students are very young, should be eager to set an example of tolerance and inclusion instead of forcing children whose parents may not want them exposed to religious teachings to sit through books and movies that indoctrinate them with Christian teachings,” Moss writes. He says that will alienate those non-Christian students, teachers and parents who religious beliefs are inconsistent with the message being promoted by the school.
Moss also says 24% of Americans are not religious, including 38% of younger Americans.
“We ask that Warsaw Schools protect the rights of conscience of all its students. We ask that Mrs. Jacko and Mrs. Shirley be reminded of their obligation to remain neutral toward religion while acting in their capacity as public school teachers, and we request assurances that they will not teach or otherwise promote the religious aspects of Christmas or teach any other religious lessons in the future. Please inform us in writing at your earlier convenience detailing the steps the district is taking to remedy these First Amendment violation complaints and to protect the rights of conscience of your students so we can notify our complainants that this matter has been resolved.”
When asked by the Times-Union if he was aware of the letter, Hoffert said he was not, but that when he receives it, he will look into the matter.
Hoffert said teachers are not in the building this week for winter break, so he has no comment on whether those incidents took place at Lincoln Elementary. Hoffert also said that if a written response is required, he will respond to the NIA directly.
NIA is located in South Bend and can be reached at www.NorthernIndianaAtheists.com.
The letter reads: “My name is Troy Moss, and I’m the president of NIA, a nonprofit that fights state/church violations on a local level and defends the rights of atheists and other marginalized communities across Northern Indiana. We have over 100 members locally.”
Moss said that several concerned district parents contacted him to report several state/church violations.
“The first complaint received was that Mrs. Jacko read a book to her second-grade classroom pertaining to the candy cane representing Jesus and a shepherd’s crook and about Christmas being about the birth of Christ,” the letter states. “The second complaint was that Mrs. Shirley’s class read a book titled ‘The Crippled Lamb’ that is about a lamb that was left behind in a Bethlehem stable with a message about how God has a unique plan for everyone. Finally, the third complaint was that students watched a religious movie last year titled, ‘The Star,’ a Christian cartoon about the birth of Jesus.”
Moss said that Hoffert is certainly aware that public schools have a constitutional obligation to remain neutral toward religion.
“When district staff members read students stories about Jesus, teach students that God has a plan for them and tell students that Christmas is Jesus’s birthday, the district has unconstitutionally endorsed a religious message, specifically a Christian message. It is also a usurpation of paternal authority – parents have the right to direct the religious or nonreligious upbringing of their children, not public schools. School sponsorship of a religious message is impermissible ‘because it sends the ancillary message to ... nonadherents that they are outsiders, not full members of the political community and accompanying message to adherents that they are insiders, favored members of the political community.’” Moss cited that from case law in the year 2000 of Santa Fe Indep. Sch. Dist. v. Doe.
“While schools may have secular Christmas celebrations, Lincoln Elementary’s promotion of Christmas religious aspects marginalizes non-Christian parents and students. As the Supreme Court said in striking down a nativity display on public property, ‘confining the government’s own celebration of Christmas to the holiday’s secular aspects does not favor the religious beliefs of non-Christians over those of Christians. Rather, it simply permits the government to acknowledge the holiday without expressing an allegiance to Christan beliefs, an allegiance that would truly favor Christians over non-Christians,’” the letter reads, citing a 1989 case law of Cty. of Allegheny v. ACLU of Pittsburgh.
“A public school, and especially an elementary school whose students are very young, should be eager to set an example of tolerance and inclusion instead of forcing children whose parents may not want them exposed to religious teachings to sit through books and movies that indoctrinate them with Christian teachings,” Moss writes. He says that will alienate those non-Christian students, teachers and parents who religious beliefs are inconsistent with the message being promoted by the school.
Moss also says 24% of Americans are not religious, including 38% of younger Americans.
“We ask that Warsaw Schools protect the rights of conscience of all its students. We ask that Mrs. Jacko and Mrs. Shirley be reminded of their obligation to remain neutral toward religion while acting in their capacity as public school teachers, and we request assurances that they will not teach or otherwise promote the religious aspects of Christmas or teach any other religious lessons in the future. Please inform us in writing at your earlier convenience detailing the steps the district is taking to remedy these First Amendment violation complaints and to protect the rights of conscience of your students so we can notify our complainants that this matter has been resolved.”
When asked by the Times-Union if he was aware of the letter, Hoffert said he was not, but that when he receives it, he will look into the matter.
Hoffert said teachers are not in the building this week for winter break, so he has no comment on whether those incidents took place at Lincoln Elementary. Hoffert also said that if a written response is required, he will respond to the NIA directly.
NIA is located in South Bend and can be reached at www.NorthernIndianaAtheists.com.
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