By Amy Gatley.
Published: September 30, 2003
Colonial Heights—A Colonial Heights Middle School student was suspended last week after she encouraged another student to place a religious pamphlet on a teacher’s desk.
School officials clarified that the eighth-grader was not suspended for distributing religious material but for repeatedly discussing her beliefs with the teacher after being instructed not to.
**The incident apparently arose out of a biology class discussion on evolution, though students also raised questions about the Big Bang Theory as part of a broader discussion on origins, within the state curriculum.**
Colonial Heights Middle School Principal Mike Cline explained that **the biology class was covering evolution, though the discussion included references to the Big Bang Theory of cosmic origins**, and students were informed that the theory was being presented as information, not as a belief to adopt.
Cline noted that some students in the class wanted to discuss Creationism, the Christian belief in divine creation, but were told by the teacher that she could not lead a discussion related to religion.
“What always pops up when they teach these kinds of things is kids want to talk about religion, and our teachers say we can’t discuss those things in school,” Cline said. “What happens is these kids get in their minds that, okay, she—the teacher—doesn’t want to talk about religion and Christianity, then therefore she must be an atheist. We’ve talked to the kids and warned them not to say these things. It is hurtful… After we warn them, then there are consequences.”
Cline added that the student was initially reprimanded for contributing to a “rumor mill” about the teacher’s religious beliefs, which was disrupting class and causing harm to the teacher. A day or two after the warning, the student encouraged another classmate to place a Christian pamphlet on the teacher’s desk. The teacher discovered the pamphlet and reported the incident to school officials.
“This is a great little girl, and I hate that she got involved in this… and she doesn’t understand how this could be offensive,” Cline said. “The teacher felt like it was a form of harassment. It was hurtful to her. She’s asked them and talked with them, and after the second or third time, you know, she has feelings. She is tired of kids drawing those conclusions about her… Teachers have the same rights as kids do.”
Sullivan County School Superintendent John O’Dell confirmed that the student received a one-day suspension for failing to follow the teacher’s directive to stop discussing religious beliefs in class.
O’Dell emphasized that students are permitted to distribute religious or other types of pamphlets in school, provided they are not offensive or disruptive. “Student-to-student is no problem. We bend over backward to allow that kind of thing. And teachers are very open to student opinions, but not over and over. And evidently, that is what happened in this case,” he said.
Copyright 2003, Kingsport Times-News.
