Comments on: Teacher Insubordinate; Except for Bible http://www.abusergoestowork.com/teacher-insubordinate-except-for-bible/ An Employment Law Blog about Workplace Bullying, Discrimination & Abuse Sun, 24 Nov 2013 10:08:32 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.7.1 By: Vanessa P. http://www.abusergoestowork.com/teacher-insubordinate-except-for-bible/#comment-1005 Sun, 24 Nov 2013 10:08:32 +0000 http://www.abusergoestowork.com/?p=9651#comment-1005 I am an atheist, and I agree with the Ohio Supreme Court decision on this. As long as it is not obscene, a teacher should be allowed to have whatever reading material he or she wants on his or her desk to read during recess, lunch, or after school. However, keeping a Bible/Koran/Torah/Bhagavad Gita or whatever religious text you prefer at your desk is very different than trying to proselytize public school children. The Mount Vernon School District was right to terminate John Freshwater for refusing to stop teaching creationism, and that homosexuality is a sin, as well as distributing religious handouts to students. The Ohio Supreme Court was also right to uphold the dismissal of Mr. Freshwater because he refused to stop injecting his Christian faith into classroom instruction.

Separation of church and state does not mean that no religious expression – by teachers or students – is allowed on public school campuses. It just means that no one should be forced to participate in religious activity, nor adhere to (or pretend to adhere to) religious beliefs to receive a passing grade in a class.

As an atheist, I expect my right not to believe in any religion or deity to be respected. In turn, I respect the rights of others to believe as they wish so long as they do not try to push their agenda where it does not belong. Constitutionally, it does not belong in a public school classroom during class time.

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