Supreme Court Refuses Case; Mom Can't Read Bible to Class
WASHINGTON -- The United States Supreme Court has announced its refusal to hear the case of a Pennsylvania mother who was forbidden from reading a passage from Psalms as part of an "All About Me" kindergarten classroom program intended to spotlight her son and his favorite book, the Bible. In challenging a ruling by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, Rutherford Institute attorneys had argued that the appellate court's decision gives school officials too much discretion to discriminate against religious expression in violation of the First Amendment.
"By refusing to hear Mrs. Busch's case, the U.S. Supreme Court has endorsed the kind of hostility toward religion that should never be found in an American public school," stated John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute. "If these acts of censorship and discrimination are allowed to continue, there will be absolutely no freedom for religious people in public schools in this country."
The case began in October 2004, when Donna Busch accepted an invitation to visit her son Wesley's kindergarten classroom at Culbertson Elementary School in Newtown Square, Penn., and read an excerpt of Wesley's favorite book to his classmates. Wesley's teacher had invited Mrs. Busch because Wesley was the featured student of "All About Me," a school program intended to feature a particular student during the week and emphasize that student's personal characteristics, preferences and personality in classroom activities.
One activity made available to featured students during "All About Me" is the opportunity to have the child's parent read aloud from his or her favorite book. Wesley, a Christian, had chosen the Bible as his favorite book, and Mrs. Busch planned to read an excerpt from Psalm 118. However, on the day of the reading, Wesley's teacher directed Mrs. Busch not to read the passage until the principal had determined if it could be read to the class. When Principal Thomas Cook was summoned, he informed Mrs. Busch that she could not read from the Bible in the classroom because it was against the law and the reading would violate the "separation of church and state." Mrs. Busch was then told to read from another book.
In filing suit against the Marple Newtown school district in May 2005, Institute attorneys alleged that the reading incident was just one example of the school's efforts to suppress the right of Christians to freely express their religious beliefs. For example, although Mrs. Busch was not permitted to read from the Bible, another parent was allowed to read a book about Judaism, teach the class the dreidel game, and display a menorah in celebration of Hanukkah. In upholding the lower court's ruling that the school officials' decision did not violate the Busches' First Amendment rights, the court of appeals held that "educators may appropriately restrict forms of expression in elementary school classrooms" even when they have invited speakers into the classroom. However, Circuit Judge Thomas Hardiman issued a vigorous dissent, pointing out that the reading of a passage from Psalms to Wesley's class was within the subject matter of the "All About Me" unit, which was to highlight things of interest and importance to Wesley, and the exclusion constituted viewpoint discrimination in violation of the First Amendment because it was based solely upon its religious character.
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Any discussion of religion should be strictly kept confined to a class that compares ALL religions. For example, how many religions have a virgin birth, a resurrection, miracles, .. so that students clearly can see for themselves that all religions are man-made and that religions run in families and then decide for themselves which superstition they will go for or none at all.
If students need their parents in the class to say something sensible about "their" religion, then it clearly smells child abuse .
The supreme court should unanimously and systematically reject any religious intrusion in public schools outside of such comparative religions classes.
That should include rejecting any creationism or its more recent deceptive form called intelligent design by the Deceptive Institute or any attempts to undermine evolution under the umbrella of "teach the controversy", or revisions of history books to proclaim that the US is a christian nation .
Are we going to each the stork theory to future gynaecologists or alchemy to chemical engineers?
The United States Supreme Court has right to rule in its refusal to hear the case of Donna Busch who was forbidden from reading a passage from the Bible. The school board officials were given the discretion by Mrs. Busch, when she registered her child at the school, of which allows the school the discretion to go against religious expression as in withholding the use of the First Amendment, at the school.
The Supreme Court hadn’t endorsed any kind of hostility toward religion or acts of censorship and discrimination , but erred on the side of caution, which creates no harm. Mrs. Busch is free to continue with her religion and freedom of expression, outside the confines of the public schools .
Culbertson Elementary School’s principal and teacher involved, I believe were in little to harsh in this matter and unjust in their dealings within the ‘All About Me’ school program intended to emphasize the student 's personal characteristics, preferences and personality in classroom activities.
The reading from the Bible would have been short and within the specific classroom, in believe it would have bent the ‘separation of church and state ’ law , but not break the intention of the law .
As it was intentionally or not, Mrs. Busch gave the educators the authority and who may appropriately restrict forms of expression in public school classrooms - even when they have invited speakers in.
agree that this should be considered illegal . This is not a "teaching" situation. However, I do not agree in teaching or promoting a religion in a classroom setting to minor children . I think this is a personal issue that should be up to the family, not the school system.
And while our society was based on Christianity, times have changed and we are not just one group anymore. Reluctantly I agree that anyone living in the US should have freedom of religion, I do think there is a place and a time, however.
While I don't believe there's any place in public schools for that sort of thing, I don't think it's proper to offer a blank check, then refuse to honor it. It was fantastically bad judgement on the part of the school not to define the limits on the program if it intended to impose limits.
Reading between the lines, I think it's pretty obvious the parent abused the invitation with bad intent, and almost certainly pressured the kid to accept her improper agenda. IMO, a parent would have to be a total lowlife to use their kid as a stalking horse in that kind of game.
Never the less, that's the essence of free speech . You don't have to agree or think well of the speaker, but you can't impose censorship in a situation where a platform for free speech has been offered and enjoyed by others.
I think it's too bad the court didn't take up the issue, if for no other reason than to define a school's duty to avoid this kind of situation in the first place.
The bible is a kindergartener's favourite book ? I'm sorry, but it just doesn't ring true. A five year old wouldn't even understand the bible - most adults don't.
I also think that describing Wesley as 'Christian' is problematic. He is a child of Christian parents, not a Christian. Wesley is far too young to have decided his religious beliefs.
Explanations like this just go in a Christian's ear, are trapped by their IGNORANCE generator and exit the other ear as a quiet repetition of Satan Satan Satan...
Yes, Wesley is a " child " of Christian parents, poor thing.