As a graduating senior this year, I have seen a lot that goes on around my school's campus. I have to say that it is very disappointing that my classmates that aren't of the christain religion are victims of discrimination. I have tried to take a stand and help them voice their opinion about how unfair this is but in turn, I was victimized myself. The principal threatened me by saying that I would regret not keeping my nose out of things. How childish is that? Since he couldn't suspend me he tried to get me to pay a fine for missing 3 days of school. My civics teacher had heard what had happened to me and contacted the ACLU about the ongoing religious problem. They sent the school a letter saying that the advisor of the prayer club, which is also the wrold history and sociology teacher, had to stop the serman over the morning anouncements and give up his position over prayer club because of his wrong doings. An interesting fact i had found out was that a teacher could not initiate any kind of religious activities so with the school finding this out, it only caused more trouble for me.
In the end, even though my classmates and I tried our best to get this to stop, the battle may have been lost but by far and away the war isn't over.
I am writing this to show other student that it is great if you stand up for what is right, no matter what happens you know it is for a good reason and that should give you the satisfaction of knowing that you tried. People will respect you for that. They will also respect you for not giving up. I know that there will be a reform one day and we wont get it by giving up.
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And there's a prayer club and a sermon over the loudspeaker? I'm fine with the idea of a prayer club, because it is extra-curricular, and therefore a choice, but the loudspeaker sermons? That gives no one a choice. What would they do if a Muslim teacher issued a call to prayer over the loudspeaker? i would imagine that would be shut down right away! That is the exact reason we have the separation of church and state; so no one can force you to participate in a religion that you don't believe, and so that all religions have the freedom to observe their beliefs in their own way...they just have to do it in a place that is NOT tax-payer funded!
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
my teacher asked to do an athiest thought of the day to test this theory & they told him that it was irrelevent to the school.
it is a public school & the sermon is over the speaker.
i am agnostic & i was actually told that if my ways don't change then i am hell bound,
& a teacher actually told me that!!!
It's actually illegal to have any religious based meetings in schools during school hours or in a classroom, even outside of school hours, and teachers cannot be involved at all. Thank goodness for separation of church and state.
Wow, that's disgusting. There's a boy in one of my classes who is Jewish, but only less than 10 people in the whole school know it. He doesn't tell people for fear of being harassed or even beaten up. In my school, when something stupid happens, or the teacher says "There's a quiz next class", there's a general response of "That's so Jewish!". It sounds so stupid it almost makes me want to laugh, but every time it happens, this poor boy just puts his head down or looks away. One day I called this particularly rude group out, and the response was "Why does it matter? No one in our school's Jewish."
Yeah...as if that makes it ok.
I know "that's so gay" is a popular one in a lot of places, but "that's so Jewish?" People can be so hateful!
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
that is one of the problems at my school. i am the one that stood up for them & i found out why they wouldn't speak up for themselves.....
i think that they shouln'd be affriad because in the end they will only have themselves so let people think & say what they want about them. it isn't like it really matters anyways
Especially in school, where you spend the majority of your time. What are those kids learning? They are learning that the majority hates them, and the the system will not protect them. They are probably also internalizing the hateful messages, which will lead them to feel disempowered and that they have no inherent value as people. That should not be tolerated. Unfortunately, it sounds like all the people in power are of the same mind as the kids using the slurs. That is a dangerous situation.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
I don't know where you go to school, but it sounds crazy. You probably could sue and win, if you wanted to. This is a pretty legit issue. I'm sorry you have to deal with this.
i have heard that the ACLU might sue that if they don't comply with the guidelines they sent them.