Bible Ban Lifted in FL's Broward County Schools

Well It looks like that Florida teacher "incident" that scolded a student for reading The Bible has led to some big changes.

Broward County has apparently buckled and will not "allow" students to read The Bible.

The pressure is coming from the Liberty Institute who has threatened to sue.

And the kicker is: teachers *Must* be "Trained" in the 1st Amendment !!

When were teachers "allowed" to *NOT* be trained in the 1st Amendment ???

Must be some college level Progressive assumptive-deductive reasoning I guess.

Following Breitbart News’s May 5 story that Broward County Public Schools had banned students from reading the Bible and that lawyers from Liberty Institute were threatening to sue, and our May 14 update when the school changed its story but still maintained the ban, the school system has now capitulated and will allow Bibles into the classroom.

In a letter dated Sunday, May 18, first obtained by Breitbart News, the school system has completely reversed course. The letter tells Liberty Institute Litigation Director Hiram Sasser that the school “does not ban the Bible” and specifies that students may read it during the same class times when it had been previously barred.

The letter also says that the school will comply with Liberty Institute’s demand that all teachers be trained in what the Constitution requires by way of upholding students’ First Amendment rights.


Bible Ban Lifted in FL's Broward County Schools

Oh! The Drama that is Breitbart!

There never was a ban. ONE teacher told a student that he couldn't read the bible. The school has said that the teacher was mistaken, and it's OK for him to read it.

This is a NON-story to make religious people look like victims.

The statement from the school:

"Broward County Public Schools respects and upholds the rights of students to bring personal religious materials to school, including the Bible, and to read these items before school, after school or during any “free reading” time during the school day. This information has been communicated to the parents of the student involved in this situation."

No word if the teacher will be disciplined.

Source

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

There was controversy indeed.

They now say that the time in question is not free reading time, but instead Accelerated Reader Program time. During this period, students can only read certain approved books, and the Bible is not among them. Hence, Broward County Public Schools will continue banning the Bible.

Source

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

Oh come on... It should not be new to you that conservatives find one idiot doing something stupid and some how convince there base that it's proof of a war on Christmas and Christians are soon to be murdered in the street.


Laughable yes... But still nothing new. You can't watch fox for 15 min with out having a false equivilency " prove" there point. Lol

a reply to: xuenchen

So a student should be able to read the bible instead of the assigned material?

Hell why not just read the bible instead of math or science? We all know it's a perfect account of the history of mankind. So no need for history class either.


You wanna see the fall of America? Let us stop educating our children and start sending them to the Christian schools they have around me in Mississippi. They literally devote 6 hours a day to bible studies and 2 to all the real life subjects. That's how America will fall behind globally.

a reply to: ArtemisE

Hmmm.

Bible "Thumpers" or Bible "Dumpers" ?

Dept. of Education study: Catholic H.S. Students Twice as Likely to Graduate College

originally posted by: ArtemisE
a reply to: xuenchen

So a student should be able to read the bible instead of the assigned material?

Hell why not just read the bible instead of math or science? We all know it's a perfect account of the history of mankind. So no need for history class either.


You wanna see the fall of America? Let us stop educating our children and start sending them to the Christian schools they have around me in Mississippi. They literally devote 6 hours a day to bible studies and 2 to all the real life subjects. That's how America will fall behind globally.

Georgia here. Graduated in an "Acadamy"

I have plenty of family in your state some enrolled in those schools.
I call complete bs on your hours. We had a morning devotion and said the fathers prayer. Although that's where the Christian aspect stopped.

They now say that the time in question is not free reading time, but instead Accelerated Reader Program time. During this period, students can only read certain approved books, and the Bible is not among them. Hence, Broward County Public Schools will continue banning the Bible.

Ah, but according to the letter to the school from the Liberty Institute, the Bible is approved by the "Accelerated Reader Program" Another example of progressive dishonesty.

This is a NON-story to make religious people look like victims.

Nah, Benevolent, not victims. What you're hearing is the silent majority waking up, clearing away the cobwebs, and coming to the realization that a bunch of screw ball advocates are trying to dominate the culture and the country, rather than their stated purpose of struggling for equality.

originally posted by: xuenchen
a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

There was controversy indeed.

They now say that the time in question is not free reading time, but instead Accelerated Reader Program time. During this period, students can only read certain approved books, and the Bible is not among them. Hence, Broward County Public Schools will continue banning the Bible.

Source

They will, as part of approved reading, continue to be able to read approved book containing witchcraft and "billy's two dads" ect as was with the case of my son whose teacher told they class that they couldn't even use the word "god" in the classroom.

a reply to: imwilliam

There's nothing silent about the Christian right. "The silent majority" is that synonymous with the "non-voting majority?" We've been hearing about this mythical beast for many years but I do particularly like your description as it sort of reminds me of Godzilla or maybe Cthulhu.

All levity aside, I think there is a danger in people conducting themselves as though they are the self-appointed voice for a "silent majority" because they presume to have a public mandate for whatever agenda they're pushing.

Let's not forget how well Operation American Summer didn't turn out. Organizers were expecting tens of millions of people and instead:

“It’s a very dismal turnout,” Jackie Milton, the head of Texans for Operation American Spring, told The Washington Times. “We were getting over two inches of rain [an] hour in parts of Virginia this morning. … Now it’s a nice sunny day. But this is a very poor turnout. It ain’t no millions. And it ain’t looking like there’s going to be millions. Hundreds is more like it.”

Raw Story, which has been following the movement closely, reported Friday that a live-stream of the day's events was posted online, but that for at least part of the day the feed showed only a call-in show hosted by conservative broadcaster Mark Connors, "who said he was broadcasting from a tour bus about 10 miles away from the National Mall because he could not park any closer."

source - Talking Points Memo

Should have tried to get some of that Koch money.

For the record, this was one teacher who didn't permit one student to read his bible during "free reading." It was addressed, the teacher was overruled and life went on. This one person's actions are hardly representative of everyone on the left.

originally posted by: theantediluvian
a reply to: imwilliam


For the record, this was one teacher who didn't permit one student to read his bible during "free reading." It was addressed, the teacher was overruled and life went on. This one person's actions are hardly representative of everyone on the left.

What is happing is that they are learning a few tricks from the lefty playbook......if it so much squeaks like a mouse jump all over it like its the end of the world. Accuse the whole lot while at it, get all your sympathetic news outlets to report hard, ect ect right out of the left playbook, they have been doing it for years.

a reply to: theantediluvian

Ironic ...


Christian left


The Christian Left Welcomes You


So, who then is bashing the Christian "Right"?

Must be master infiltrators !!

cognitive dissonance malaise

a reply to: xuenchen

Catholics don't buy into the creation mythes and do believe in evolution. I'm just talking about the evangelicals and such.

a reply to: TiedDestructor

My dad's new girlfriend has a 14 year old in rolled in Christian friendship acadamy in byhalia ms. His Christian mom is sending him to public schools next year because of the lack of "normal" education.

a reply to: theantediluvian

For the record, this was one teacher who didn't permit one student to read his bible during "free reading." It was addressed, the teacher was overruled and life went on. This one person's actions are hardly representative of everyone on the left.

Wrong, read the letter from the Liberty Institute to the school.

It was a school policy to ban the reading of the Bible during the "Accelerated Reader Program" time. The reason the spokesperson for the school gave was that it wasn't included in the "Accelerated Reader Program" However, that was false as the letter details. Various books of the Bible and other books of a religious nature are included in the "Accelerated Reader Program".

So the school said that the Bible was allowed during "Free Reading Periods" . . . but they neglected to make the clear distinction that the time in question wasn't a "Free Reading Period" but rather a "Accelerated Reader Program" in which the SCHOOL is banning the reading of the Bible despite the fact that it is included in the "Accelerated Reader Program".

They were trying to pull a fast one and play with language at the expense of the truth. They thought they were clever, apparently the people over at Liberty Institute are a little more clever.

originally posted by: ArtemisE
a reply to: TiedDestructor

My dad's new girlfriend has a 14 year old in rolled in Christian friendship acadamy in byhalia ms. His Christian mom is sending him to public schools next year because of the lack of "normal" education.

Found right one.

Pre-k to 12th grade only 107 students using the ABeka curriculum. I home schooled 1 year using ABeka and my Christian school would only honor a couple of my credits. Huge regret!!! (No choice in the matter)

We have a couple of these type schools in our town and I cant believe they're allowed to operate. I get your drift on these types.

My school was in no way affiliated with any church and was a fully accredited college preparatory school.

However In the case of CFA there is too much freedom in what is considered a valid curriculum and yes that can be a problem.

We send them to school to be educated. Period. Church and home life can fill the spiritual void.

ETA had Victoria and byhalia mixed up.

originally posted by: imwilliam
a reply to: theantediluvian

For the record, this was one teacher who didn't permit one student to read his bible during "free reading." It was addressed, the teacher was overruled and life went on. This one person's actions are hardly representative of everyone on the left.

Wrong, read the letter from the Liberty Institute to the school.

It was a school policy to ban the reading of the Bible during the "Accelerated Reader Program" time. The reason the spokesperson for the school gave was that it wasn't included in the "Accelerated Reader Program" However, that was false as the letter details. Various books of the Bible and other books of a religious nature are included in the "Accelerated Reader Program".

So the school said that the Bible was allowed during "Free Reading Periods" . . . but they neglected to make the clear distinction that the time in question wasn't a "Free Reading Period" but rather a "Accelerated Reader Program" in which the SCHOOL is banning the reading of the Bible despite the fact that it is included in the "Accelerated Reader Program".

They were trying to pull a fast one and play with language at the expense of the truth. They thought they were clever, apparently the people over at Liberty Institute are a little more clever.

I did read the letters and if I'm not mistaken, the Liberty Institute's claim was that the incident took place during "free reading" time and not during the "Accelerated Reader Program." They did however demonstrate that the excuse given about the "Accelerated Reader Program" would not have been valid because the online tests existed. I'm not arguing that that the attorney for the school system didn't fail miserably, nor am I arguing in favor of the teacher or her actions.

What I'm saying is that there has only been one reported case of this "ban," involving a single student and a single teacher. There has been no evidence put forth of a formal ban and none is acknowledged by the school system or their legal counsel. In the second demand letter from the Liberty Institute, the following is stated:

Yet, we likewise note that your teacher broadened her ban beyond just the Bible and to, "religious books."

This shows that not only were Christians not being targeted specifically but that it was the view of the Liberty Institute that the ban was the teacher's doing. Somehow this becomes the following headline on brietbart.com:

Officials at Broward County Public Schools banned a fifth grader from reading the Bible during “free reading”

Is the teacher an "official" of the Broward County Public School system? Was the bible the only religious book "banned" by the teacher?

And i thought schools where for learning, wish i could have read fantasy books in school.

originally posted by: dukeofjive696969
And i thought schools where for learning, wish i could have read fantasy books in school.

We did.

They were called fiction.

a reply to: theantediluvian

In the letter, the lawyers are addressing statements made by two representatives of the school as well as the teachers actions. The two representatives indicated that the Bible was not allowed, and would continue to be disallowed, during the Accelerated Reading Period. According to the letter the School maintained that the period in question was an "Accelerated Reading Program Period" and therefore the ban was appropriate.

Appears to me, based on the letter, that it was a school policy to ban the Bible during the "Accelerated Reader Program Periods"

Whether the school itself banned other religious books or if that was just the individual teacher, I don't know, though I certainly hope that if the banned the Bible as a matter of policy, they at least banned all books of a religious nature.

As to juvenile comments about the Bible being a "fantasy book" and other derogatory characterizations made by some members in this thread: Even from a secular viewpoint, a familiarity with the Bible is essential to being able to read and understand vast swaths of the accepted literary canon and the ideas and motivations of people throughout much of Western history.