Are public schools allowed to hand out the little red Gideon Bibles

[spacelady]

within the school building during regular school hours? The reason I am asking is that my daughter is being harassed by her peers by not answering questions about "whether she believes in Jesus or God" because I have instructed her that it is not polite nor proper to discuss in the public school setting one's religious beliefs. She has now said other kids do not like her because she won't answer. I said "hey if you want to you can say you believe in whatever if you want to be liked" & she said "I am not old enough to declare whether I believe in God or Jesus & I don't care what they say".
Now, this girl is 11, and a more wise attitude on this subject I cannot fathom. I was floored.
Then today she came home with the little red Gideon bible. She said that an announcement came on the intercom that all 5th graders better go pick up their Bibles in the foyer before the man left. so she went to get one & all her classmates were going "see you are supposed to believe"! My Question: She is being bullied & does this stink?"
I might as well mention that this is Alabama.

[Stephanie]

1. she's being indoctrinated

fortunately you have raised her to think for herself.

[LuckyLib]

2. This is a public school? Illegal! Me thinks it's time to raise hell!

[MannyGoldstein]

3. No n/t

[illinoisprogressive]

4. Public School is a government body and is subject to the separation of

church and state. To push religion on a student in a non religious school, but a public one is in violation. I would see the principal and take this to where ever you can to make sure yours and your daughter's rights are preserved.
I don't mean to sterotype the south but, that joke about that part becoming Jesusland seems to be coming more and more true. What is going on down there. I don't remember hearing it was as bad as this 15 years ago. What happened???

[Clark2008]

61. Now you know they do it in other places besides the South.

The Gideons are all across the nation.

You could have refrained from South-bashing and you know it.

[Solo_in_MD]

5. Gideons hand out bibles to anyone who wants them, puts them in hotels etc

Sometimes schools allow them to be handed out on the premises. Seen it in school I worked in. However, there should never be any mandate from the staff. Peer pressure is something else, and the school can only moderate it at best.

[madeline_con]

8. Peer pressure ids a violation of federal law. n/t

[Solo_in_MD]

15. So what...there is only so much the staff can do about peer pressure regardless of the topic

BTDT. It can be very frustrating, but the little darlings will not listen. Supporting those under duress was always my first action, but rarely is discourageing the "peers" effective. Federal law can not undo what at times seems genetic...Jr Hi is always the worst time for everyone.

BTW, what law are you referreing to that outlaws peer pressure?

[pnwmom]

44. The staff added to the pressure by making the announcement on the intercom

Schools are definitely not supposed to be supplying religious materials to students, or assisting those who do.

[Solo_in_MD]

57. That is the claim, but given my experience in school and the age of the

person reporting it, I would tend to doubt it. Even the educrats in the deep south are not that dumb

[pnwmom]

59. You think the girl is mistaken about the announcement on the intercom?

From my experience with 10 year olds, I would believe the kid. Yes, some school administrators may very well be "that dumb. " Lawsuits regularly occur around the issue of administrators promoting religion in the schools.

[Solo_in_MD]

63. Most likely

[John Q. Citizen]

21. Hopefully the Satanists will show up next week and get a mention on the intercom as well

to hand out there holy text.

Should be no problem.....

[Solo_in_MD]

25. Indeed they should be allowed to. Lets not forget B'hai, Jews, Muslims, Hindu, etc

However, with it being the deep south, I doubt it.

I don't have a problem with religious clubs being on campus and passing out literature and books provided its free and unforced and there is indeed equal access.

[spacelady]

26. Now THAT is funny, Or profound......made me laugh anyway. n/t

[kath]

31. Heh. Remember the uproar that ensued when a pagan group put flyers in kids'

backpacks in a school in VA (and Falwell was to thank for the policy that permitted this:
Falwell’s Flub: Jerry-Rigged Policy Opens Door For Pagan Proselytizing In Virginia Public School
http://blog.au.org/2006/12/falwells_flub_j.html

(from Americans United for Separation of Church and State - a great organization)

[pnwmom]

45. How could you leave out the Scientologists?

I bet they have loads of materials they would like to drop off at the school.

[pnwmom]

43. This school did more than allow it. They announced it and told students

to leave class to get it. They definitely crossed the line.

[madeline_con]

6. No, and you can shut it down.

It is against the law to harass anyone about their religion.

The school has violated federal law, I think. Might be they exploited the "fine line". I'd call the ACLU.

[Change has come]

7. It was allowed in Wyoming

several decades ago. Not sure if this is still is. Are the students forced into taking a Bible?

[spacelady]

40. No. I don't think so - daughter just picked one up anyway & then

showed it to me. She said some kids ribbed her about "believing in Jesus". I keep wondering why these kids are so obsessed about it that it is a daily occurrence? Never mind, it must be drilled into their skulls.

[Kutjara]

9. Yes she is being bullied and yes it stinks.

Also, the school is surely breaking some major laws by allowing that kind of stuff to happen during school hours. The principal is probably a fundie, which is why the practice is tolerated, but it's still not right.

Your daughter is being put in the intolerable position of having to choose between being unpopular, a liar or a hypocrite. I just hope she doesn't learn from this experience that the best way to get along in life is to just agree with the mob, whatever they say. "See, you're supposed to believe" has been the anthem of mindlessness since time began.

[kath]

10. Call the ACLU, stat! NOT permissible on school grounds - IIRC, I think that some groups

have gotten away with doing this just outside of school grounds, on the public sidewalk. But inside the school?!! - no fokkin' way is this constitutional.

[ms liberty]

11. I don't think so...

but you'd want to ask someone with legal expertise. They also might be getting around it by making it an optional thing or something? Without details I wouldn't want to say.

But as for the kids bugging her, if I were to give any advice I'd have to say she should tell her classmates that she was raised to consider it rude to pry into a family's personal life and her religion is none of their business. That might get some of them off her back, because there is premium placed on good manners in many areas of the south.

[madrchsod]

12. at least she knows that she is being bullied

i`d say let her deal with it unless you see a change in her attitude about going to school. if she seems bothered then take action that will do the least harm to her at this stage of her life. when she gets older and starts to watch all those christian kids succumb to the devil she and you can have the last laugh.
yes it is illegal but there is probably no chance in hell anything will be done about it in your town

[kath]

13. They're doing it in Arkansas too, and the ACLU sent the schools there a letter

recently:

HIGHLAND, AR--Blocking the Bible, a group says a Region 8 school was wrong when it allowed Bibles to be distributed to students. The American Civil Liberties Union recently sent a letter to Arkansas public schools concerning the distribution of religious materials on school grounds.

The letter was sent out after receiving several complaints about the Gideon's practice of passing out Bibles to 5th graders.

According to the ACLU the letter was sent out to schools across the state. This comes after a complaint was filed by a parent in the Highland School District, where the Gideon's were at the school passing out Bibles. It's a practice the ACLU says is unconstitutional on school property; however residents feel it's a practice that they come to expect from their community.

<MORE>
http://www.kait8.com/Global/story.asp?S=5985938

[spacelady]

37. Thanks for this article because this is precisely the situation -

but the complaints would probably be from just little ol' us. I am willing to back up something for the newspaper because this stuff is just rampant here. Now I am contradicting myself 'cuz I am truly of two minds about this. Our daughter was born in Arkansas but we (her parents) were raised in Nebraska. We came to Alabama with a banjo on our knee, no that's not right we came here following a job & we love it here except for a few sticky wickets like this religion thing.

[bdrube]

14. What Next? The Ten Commandments in Front of the Courthouse? Oh, Right.

[jazzjunkysue]

16. Hire a lawyer. You're gonna be rich. Sue the school. I 'm serious.

This is a direct violation of the establishment clause of the constitution. I'm a certified school administrator.


Go get you some money......It'll be easy, and as soon as the school board finds out how much it will cost, it will end....


You can do it in a day, with one letter to the superintendent.

Yes, even in Alabama.

In my schools in wealthy NY, parents threaten to sue over everything: One kid in the cafeteria with one peanut, the right for kids without arms to go swimming, the right for someone else to take notes for them, read their tests outloud to them, it goes on and on.

Sue, baby, sue. And save your own kid and others from bullying.

Next, find out which church is backing it, and sue their buts, too.

[Pandrmn]

19. Probably could get John Edwards.

Rumor has it he needs a pool.

[Change has come]

33. Not a John Edwards fan?

:hi:

[Pandrmn]

34. Nah!

Is that your cat? Awesome!

[Name removed]

58. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[spacelady]

24. I like your advice the best. As much as I would like to get down

to brass tacks on the legality, I would much rather let my daughter have a normal school experience. Now, we will see if the paper is willing to let HER tell the story, for I would not presume to speak for her to things I have not personally witnessed - this religious bullying has been an ongoing theme this year. The ACLU in Alabama is so backed up it does not take calls & as for emails, they warn you it may take months before they even see it, so what do you do? It's Alabama.

[pnwmom]

46. "Americans United for Separation of Church and State" is another resource.

http://www.au.org/site/PageServer

[spacelady]

17. OK, thank you for your input, here is how I have handled it so far:

I advised my daughter to discreetly tell her teacher what was going on & to not emphasize her input, the teacher IMO handled it beautifully by giving a talk about ALL the things one should not debate nor ask, ie, a woman's weight or age, political beliefs & religious beliefs in a public and polite setting. Problem solved? Nahh, & yes the principal is a fundie, the other day one of her classmates stated that nobody could be a principal unless they were a Christian, & I said he was 100% wrong. She defended her position by saying "my Mom was a teacher & she knows the rules & he said "was she a school principal?" & daughter said "no", so of course he rested his case on that. I said she should just ignore this guy & then they go & hand out these BIBLES!! GAAAHH!
They did this on Friday of course, but I have called the newspaper.

[Pandrmn]

22. Maybe she should wear a " Me and My mommy are a pagan" Tshirt.

[spacelady]

28. They have to wear UNIFORMS. This is NOT her Mommy's school!

[pnwmom]

47. Are you in Huntsville, by any chance, spacelady?

[notadmblnd]

48. Can the Gidions be sued?

instead of going after every school that allows this, can't the religious group be sued for violating federal law?

[philosophie_en_rose]

51. The Gideons aren't obligated to do anything; it's the school's responsibility.

If the Gideons or Jerry Falwell or Tom Cruise or whatnot decides to offer religious texts to school (which has happened), it is not their fault if the school takes them up on it. The school has the responsibility to live up to its legal and educational responsibilities, and can't defer it to others.

[notadmblnd]

52. I was just wondering...

I've always been taught that, ignorance of the law is not excuse for defense when breaking it. It just seems to me that religious organizations should be aware of the constitution and be required to follow it too.

[momster]

18. My Experience

We are not church goers. My daughter was hassled about it by some little 'friends'. We told her to say that she doesn't attend church because her parents don't go and if they continue to hassle her, she should tell them to talk to me. Not one of them ever did. 5th graders raised to believe all that stuff aren't very good at challenging parents. Some of those kids grew up to be her friends, others are still believing that if you don't believe *exactly* like they do, you're going to hell. 'Course they haven't run into many challenges to their world-views...yet.

[drthais]

20. here in Louisiana

although it was maybe ten years ago now
(time does fly when you're having THIS much fun)
our son was being harrassed at school

which church do YOu go to?

well, we are Agnostics, and he didn't GO to church
and there was a little note that came from school
he was a FRESHMAN IN HIGH SCHOOL for gods sake
'If You Object To Your Child Being Taught About Evolution"
just sign this, and he will be excused
well, you can see where this is going

he spent the next three years being called 'Monkey Boy'

[spacelady]

29. Oh Goody. Yes she was raised by wolves, however they are

more diplomatic & so are monkeys.

[Clark2008]

62. He should have call them all Dirt Bags.

I mean, the Bible says we came from dust.

:evilgrin:

[kath]

23. Sheesh - the SC ruled that this is unconstitutional CLEAR BACK IN 1973.

In Goodwin v. Cross County School District No. 7 (1973), the Court ruled unconstitutional the distribution of Gideon Bibles on public school grounds. Goodwin v. Cross County School District No. 7, 394 F. Supp. 417 (E.D. Ark. 1973) and Meltzer v. Board of Public Instruction of Orange County, Fla, 548 F.2d 559 (5th Cir. 1977), reh. 577 F.2d 311 (5th Cir. 1978), Cert. Denied 439 U.S. 1089 (1979).

http://arkedu.state.ar.us/commemos/static/fy0102/attachments/prayer_in_schools_review_final.doc

There have been more recent rulings on the topic in the context of the "equal access to school facilities" concept, again affirming that what happened in your daughter's school is unconstitutional. Here's what the ACLU has to say on the matter (note that this article on the ACLU's site was written in 2002, so that would be what the "earlier this year" is referring to:

II. BIBLE DISTRIBUTION
Earlier this year, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled that an Indiana school district's policy and practice permitting representatives of Gideon International to distribute Bibles in public schools during school hours violated the Establishment Clause of the Constitution. See Berger v. Rensselaer Central School Corp., 982 F.2d 1160 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 113 S.Ct. 2344 (1993).

In Berger, the father of two elementary school children challenged the local school district's longstanding practice of allowing the Gideons to come into the public schools during instructional hours and distribute Bibles to fifth-grade students. Even t hough the teachers did not participate in handing out the Bibles to the students, and even though the Bibles were not used for pedagogical purposes, the Seventh Circuit held that the in-school Bible distribution was "a far more glaring offense to First Am endment principles" than the nonsectarian graduation prayer at issue in Lee. See Berger, 982 F.2d at 1169.

A long line of Supreme Court precedents establish that it is impermissible for school officials to allow the machinery of the state to be used to gather an audience for religious exercises or instruction. See Illinois ex rel. McCollum v. Board of Educ., 333 U.S. 203; Engel, 370 U.S. 421. In McCollum, for example, the Supreme Court struck down a program allowing religious instructors to come into the public schools to teach sectarian classes during school hours, at a time when students would be free to attend the religious classes or remain in their regular classes. The Court stated that:

Here not only are the State's tax-supported public school buildings used for the dissemination of religious doctrines. The State also affords sectarian groups an invaluable aid in that it helps to provide pupils for their religious classes through use of the State's compulsory public school machinery.

333 U.S. at 212.

It violates one of the Establishment Clause's most fundamental principles to turn government power over to religion. As the Supreme Court has recognized, the public school is the forum through which basic norms of citizenship are transmitted to the next generation and is thus a "vital civic institution for the preservation of a democratic system of government." See Abington Township, 374 U.S. at 230 (Brennan, J., concurring). When government permits a religious group to take over part of the school's facilities during instructional time, however briefly, it strongly implies official endorsement of that religion. In the Grand Rapids case, the Supreme Court stressed the importance of avoiding any "symbolic link" between government and religion. The Court held that the second ("effects") prong of the Lemon test will not be satisfied where the government fosters a "close identification of its powers and responsibilities with those of any -- or all -- religious denominations." School District of the City of Grand Rapids v. Ball, 473 U.S. at 385.

A school's participation in or supervision of the Gideons' Bible distribution impermissibly suggests that the Gideons' program is a valid part of a legally required education. The practice also carries the unmistakable message that religion -- in this case, Christian Bible study -- is the norm and the non-adherents are something less than full members of the school community. "When the government puts its imprimatur on a particular religion, it conveys a message of exclusion to all those who do not adhere to the favored beliefs." Lee, 112 S.Ct. at 2665 (Blackmun, J., concurring). See Wallace, 472 U.S. at 69 (O'Connor, J., concurring)(government endorsement of religion violates the Establishment Clause because it "sends a message to nonadherents that they are outsiders, not full members of the political community, and an accompanying message to adherents that the are insiders, favored members of the political community"); see also Lynch v. Donnelly, 465 U.S. 668, 688 (1984)(O'Connor, J., concurring).

As the Seventh Circuit aptly observed in Berger:

the act of accepting a Bible in front of other students, with the option of returning it later privately or choosing not to read it, signals accord with the Gideons' beliefs. Presumably, the fifth graders could make a public show of not accepting the Bible, just as students could walk out of the graduation ceremony in Lee, or leave during the scriptural reading in Abington, but the First Amendment prohibits the government from putting children in this difficult position.

982 F.2d at 1170.

Moreover, the Supreme Court repeatedly has emphasized the impressionability of primary and secondary school children and the pressure they are apt to feel from teachers, administrators and peers to conform. As the Supreme Court recently observed in Lee, "there are heightened concerns with protecting freedom of conscience from subtle coercive pressure in the elementary and secondary public schools" 112 S.Ct. at 2658. See Edwards, 482 U.S. at 584; see also Grand Rapids, 473 U.S. at 390 ("The symbolism of a union between church and state is most likely to influence children of tender years, whose experience is limited and whose beliefs consequently are the function of environment as much as of free and voluntary choice").

The Seventh Circuit also properly rejected the school district's argument that barring the Gideons from distributing Bibles in the public schools would violate the Gideons' First Amendment free speech rights. It is well established that the free speech rights of individuals and religious groups to engage in religious expression must be subordinated to Establishment Clause concerns where those individuals or groups seek to observe their religion in a manner that unduly involves the government. See, e.g. , Engel v. Vitale, 370 U.S. 421 (students and teachers may not recite prayers in school); McCollum, 333 U.S. 203 (teachers may not provide religious instruction on public school property); see also Berger, 982 F.2d at 1168. Religious groups such as the Gideons remain free to promote Bible study and otherwise proselytize in ways that do not carry the imprimatur of state endorsement.

http://www.aclu.org/religion/gen/16037res20020311.html

[spacelady]

36. Thanks for the precedents. This is what I am looking for as well

as trying not to disrupt whatever positive school experiences she can enjoy. Believe me, certain people get downright ugly about religion around here, by our experience with just classmates' attitudes. Where do they get these ideas, hmmmm?

[kath]

38. I know it can get ugly down there - I've read about the Willises, a Jewish family

whose children underwent incredible harrassment in Pike County schools:

I tell you about DeKalb County so that you will understand the results of Alabama's experiment on religious rights in Pike County, where my clients were the only four Jewish children in public schools and Christians prayed unceasingly in the schoolhouse. These Jewish children had swastikas drawn on their clothing and property; these Jewish children were ordered by teachers to bow their heads for Christian prayers and one actually experienced a teacher bowing his head for him; these Jewish children heard at a school assembly that they will go to hell if they do not accept Jesus; these Jewish children were told that they could not wear the Star of David because it is a gang symbol; "Happy Birthday Jesus" parties proceeded with cake and ice cream; birth of Jesus plays were enacted at mandatory school assemblies in December; the vice principal assigned an essay on "Why Jesus Loves Me" to discipline one of these children; the school principal told one of these children that she would convert him to Christianity because if his parents wouldn't save his soul, she would.

The two boys were viciously taunted and physically assaulted by their classmates, who went unpunished by school officials; antisemitic cartoons were given to the boys and graffiti appeared in the bathrooms; and the Gideons entered classrooms to distribute New Testaments. One of the children did what these children were always permitted to do--leave and stand in the hallway like a discipline case--but she was taunted by her classmates for leaving. These children were routinely harassed by their classmates with remarks that could have been scripted by the anthropologist for the Klan: Jews aren't like us, Jews smell different, Jews only bathe once a week.

One of the saddest things I have ever heard is that swastikas were drawn on a second grader's crayon box. The children's mother, Sue Willis, complained to the school superintendent about all of these things, and about what she called "the open bigotry in Pike County schools." She says that the superintendent told her in response that if the family would just convert, there would not be any problems. She went to a local lawyer, who told her she didn't have a lawsuit "the good people of Troy, Alabama" could get behind. Like Michael Chandler in DeKalb County, she complained for five years without success before she found the ACLU.

My hobby is writing fiction, and in Pittsburgh or San Francisco or Chicago, this all no doubt sounds like fiction. But I have taken very little license with the words Sue Willis said to me the first time I met with her, which I fashioned into an affidavit:
"Every day that I send my children to Pike County schools, I wonder if I am sending them into a war zone. The moment one event is over, a worse one follows on its heels. Every day that I send my children to Pike County schools, I feel that the environment threatens every value that my husband and I have tried to teach them at home. I have asked school officials how they expect me to train my sons to respect other people's property when their own property is vandalized at school and no one is punished. I have asked school officials how I can teach my children to be tolerant human beings and not bigots when they are subjected to outright religious persecution and bigotry in school. The consequences of the school environment on my children's psyches are devastating. The effects of the school environment on our family are devastating. My children are growing up believing that America is a caste society and they are untouchables--except for the purpose of getting beaten up."

http://ffrf.org/fttoday/1999/september99/sumners.html (much more on the religious environment in Ala. in this article by a prominent civil rights attorney)

I first read about the Willis family in an article in George Magazine (in fall of '98, IIRC), titled "What Would Jesus Do?" I haven't been able to find that article online. It brought me to tears.

I still think that attempting to get a letter from the ACLU or an attorney would be worthwhile and could very possibly cause the school to cease and desist, without harming your daughter further.

[spacelady]

39. That is an incredibly sad story. My child has endured a mere

fraction of that type of abuse. I wonder what they took from that experience? What is their life like now?

[seabeyond]

27. i am sorry. my son has been jumped on because he wont declare certain people

are going to hell, ergo he is going too.

i went in and talked to the teacher and told her he has quite a profound belief and though on religion/christianity and not to make waves, just make her aware in case she needed to jump in. not that he isnt a believer, but that he will defend all people and not judge or condemn them. i have found teachers always willing ot be supportive of my children. it is a matter of me taking hte time and talking to the teachers/adm respectfully looking for a win win win and win for all

[spacelady]

30. There is no win with this particular principal. This is my girl's last

semester with this school & she is straight A, Pace program & loves school. Therein lies the dilemma. This child has potential in spite of her commie pinko hippie parents & well....sigh you know.

I am NOT going to make a well-adjusted, high-achieving student the poster child for freedom from religion if that is not fair to HER.

I have a problem here.

[kath]

32. you may be able take serious steps WITHOUT your child's name being

made public. In the current Arkansas situation (see my post #13), it sounds like the ACLU sent the schools a letter after receiving several complaints. I don't think that such a letter would name any names, but often such a letter from the ACLU is enough to make the schools cease and desist.
I would try to get through to the ACLU and make them aware of the situation.

[seabeyond]

54. what is your problem.

bummer you cannot work with the teachers or adm. that is always the best solution for me in these situations. i am in the very red texas panhandle and had tons of stickers on cars, the only vocal non supporters of bush and still my kids didnt have a whole lot of problem. (well a little in the christian private school, but even there they were well supported and allowed to express).

what is your problem? what do you want to do? the daughter will be out this year. but she will be going onto another school with the students. saying she is older, the kids are mean, especially the girl if there is something to single out.

[RiverStone]

35. No Way!

It may be in Red Bama, but totally not cool to promote ANY religious belief over another in a public school. Period! That's what separation of church and state is all about.

My guess is the Principal/School Board either don't care - or are part of the problem.

I believe you have a very valid complaint and concern. I hope you can resolve this without your daughter feeling hassled??? Any hope you can move out of the Bible belt? I grew up in Georgia - some parts of the redneck south are very slow to change.

Best wishes~

[spacelady]

41. I'm going to sleep on this, my brain is turning to mush, let you

all know where this is going & thanks for thoughtful input!

[Nay]

42. In a public school with the children being under 18, this is as illegal

as hell. Esp after the announcement on the intercom, which involves the school administration pushing a certain religion. Boy, are they in trouble.

[Nikki Stone1]

49. This sounds like an ACLU case to me. The school was proselytizing

The first amendment strictly forbids the establishment of religion by a government entity. Call the ACLU and see what can be done.

[philosophie_en_rose]

50. No.

The Gideons are free to give Bibles to whoever they want, but the school cannot allow students to be proselytized at on school grounds during school - especially by an outside organization.

Best document your concerns with the school. Your daughter should not be bullied, and you may need proof that you communicated your concerns in the future. Talk to them and send them letters. Distributing bibles for religious purposes is just not okay.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

53. What I would do

Privately request permission from the principal to pass out your own religious material. Maybe pagan - maybe atheist - maybe Jewish. The material doesn't matter so much as long as it's personally offensive to the principal. When you are denied the ability to pass out your own religious material, you have the grounds for a hefty lawsuit. You don't have to actually carry out the lawsuit. The simple threat of it should put a cork in the Gideon bible passouts.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

55. No, it can't and I hope that someone decides to act on this. eom

[kiahzero]

56. No, that's a violation of the First Amendment.

It might, might, might have been OK if they had just allowed the distribution. By ordering them to go get one, the school certainly crossed the line. Their actions were unconstitutional.

[Clark2008]

60. No.

Call the school board and complain.

I know these folks stand on the public sidewalks to and from the school and hand them out - which is more of a safety issue than anything else (what parent would want total strangers hanging outside their kids' schools, accosting them with reading material on the sidewalk?).

Then, call the local newspaper and talk to the reporter who covers the school system.