Student teacher says (coerced) prayer complaint cost her diploma

[truthpusher]

http://www.hammondstar.com/articles/2005/06/09/top_stories/news13.txt

Student teacher says prayer complaint cost her diploma
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BY FRED BATISTE
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NEW ORLEANS --

(snip)

The state branch of the American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal civil lawsuit on behalf of Cynthia Thompson Wednesday accusing School Board and Southeastern Louisiana University officials of wrongfully giving her a failing grade, which kept her from graduating this semester. U.S. District Court Judge Lance Africk will preside over the case.

(snip)

According to the compliant, Sullivan conducted a preschool Bible study group in the school's cafeteria. Thompson said those were held Thursdays, and Sullivan chastised students who did not show up to the sessions and had them make sure they had their own Bibles.

"I objected to her on several occasions, but she made several comments that she's been teaching for 12 years and she could do what she wants in her classroom," Thompson said. "I'm not against children praying on their own, but I'm against a teacher coercing them into such a practice."

Sullivan initiated her to call on the fourth-grade students to pray before lunch, Thompson said. She accidentally called upon a Lebanese student to pray, and the child recited the prayer. There was an instance where the student stood outside the cafeteria while Sullivan and others were in a Bible club meeting.

"When I arrived, I approached the little girl and asked where Mrs. Sullivan was," Thompson said. "She said she was in the cafeteria. She said she wasn't in there 'because I'm from Lebanon, and my parents don't approve of that.' "

complete story: http://www.hammondstar.com/articles/2005/06/09/top_stories/news13.txt

[roguevalley]

1. the teacher doing that here would be fired. Poor girl. I hope she wins.

[truthpusher]

2. School Board Response:

http://www.hammondstar.com/articles/2005/06/09/top_stories/news12.txt

[Demit]

5. Ah, the old "disgruntled student teacher" explanation. Sure.

She scores exemplary ratings in her evaluations, is on the Dean's and President's List for performance in the classroom, but somehow she earns a failing grade?

She doesn't hand over the original journal she and Sullivan used for dialogue regarding her student teaching, so they charge her with theft? Haha, sounds like evidence to me.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

3. Link to the complaint. The fundies are turning meaner every day.

www.laaclu.org/ThompsonvSLUComplaint.pdf

[iconoclastic cat]

6. Wow! That was quite a read. That lady was absolutely batshit!

[rateyes]

4. This is unreal. I'm in the twilight zone...

hoo doo hoo doo, hoo doo, hoo doo.

I hope they shut that school down.

[Maraya1969]

7. Some more from the article

Sullivan was her supervising teacher

Tangipahoa Parish School Board's fourth contempt motion is now the plaintiff in the board's fourth lawsuit during the past 10 years concerning religion in schools.

Thompson said she went to Elliott to discuss Sullivan's behavior. Elliott held her hand and began to pray over her for divine guidance.

The ACLU's lawsuits against the School Board dates back to 1994. The first concerned the school system teaching creationism, a principle that questions evolution.

The second sought to ban from school grounds a man who preached during school hours while giving away pizza.

The third is the ongoing John Doe lawsuit, which the board is currently appealing, and involves court bans against prayer in schools and prayer before School Board meetings.


Pizza and Prayer!

[coloradodem2005]

8. They really like to slam dunk student teachers.

:eyes:

[pfitz59]

9. Fundie nutjobs!

The scourge of America! What they don't realize is that Bush and his cronies are laughing their asses off over this sort of thing! Another distraction for the peons.........

[Ruby Romaine]

10. Note: this is the same place that just had the church child sex scandal!

Tangipahoa Parish- that's one place I'd avoid!


People dressed in black clothing stood inside pentagrams and performed blood rituals at the Hosanna Church, according to information coming from an investigation by the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office.

The nine suspects now in custody are believed to have been involved in the ritualistic practice of molesting and raping children from 1999 to 2003, when the church disbanded.
http://www.hammondstar.com/articles/2005/06/09/top_stories/news14.txt

and

The student-teacher in the middle of the Tangipahoa Parish School Board's fourth contempt motion is now the plaintiff in the board's fourth lawsuit during the past 10 years concerning religion in schools.

http://www.hammondstar.com/articles/2005/06/09/top_stories/news13.txt