The ACLU Files Lawsuit Alleging that Sixth Grade Buddhist Was Told Religion Was “Stupid,” Should Transfer to School with “More Asians”

Last updated on: February 19, 2014 at 5:16 pm by dannyfisher

The ACLU Files Lawsuit Alleging that Sixth Grade Buddhist Was Told Religion Was “Stupid,” Should Transfer to School with “More Asians” 2014-02-19T17:16:48-07:00 dannyfisher

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This from the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana:

The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Louisiana filed a federal lawsuit today against the Sabine Parish School Board, alleging that officials at one school harassed and proselytized a sixth-grader because of his Buddhist faith. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of two parents, Scott and Sharon Lane, and three of their children, including their son, “C.C.,” who is a lifelong Buddhist of Thai descent…

According to the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, C.C enrolled in Negreet High School, which serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade, earlier this year and quickly became the target of harassment by school staff. His science teacher, Rita Roark, has repeatedly taught students that the Earth was created by God 6,000 years ago, that evolution is “impossible,” and that the Bible is “100 percent true.”

Roark also regularly features religious questions on her tests such as “ISN’T IT AMAZING WHAT THE _____________ HAS MADE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” When C.C. did not write in Roark’s expected answer, “LORD,” she belittled him in front of the rest of the class. While studying other religions, Roark has also told students that Buddhism is “stupid.”

Beyond Roark’s classroom, the school also regularly incorporates official Christian prayer into class and school events. School officials display religious iconography throughout hallways and classrooms, including a large portrait of Jesus Christ, and an electronic marquee in front of the school scrolls Bible verses as students enter the building.

When the Lanes objected to these practices, Sabine Parish Superintendent Sara Ebarb told them that, “this is the Bible belt.” She suggested that C.C. should “change” his faith and advised the Lanes that their only recourse was to transfer him to another district school 25 miles away where, in her words, “there are more Asians.”

The Young Turks break down the story below…

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