2/27/2014::Stories of some import,,,

Federal civil rights complaint filed against two North Carolina school districts on behalf of immigrant children denied enrollment

Today, the SPLC and other civil rights groups filed a civil rights complaint urging the U.S. Department of Justice to launch a federal investigation into the school district and another North Carolina district, which also discriminated against an immigrant youth by denying, delaying or discouraging enrollment.

The incidents appear to be symptomatic of a larger problem in school districts across the state, the groups note in a letter accompanying the complaint.

“These children should not have to face excuse after excuse from school officials who simply do not want them to ever set foot in a North Carolina classroom,” said Caren Short, SPLC staff attorney.

The complaint urges the Justice Department to require the districts to adopt a nondiscrimination policy and to provide training to ensure that the law is followed.

Creationism Has No Place In A Science Class

The latest contribution to the debate comes in the form of a study by U.K. academics at York University. Researchers examined the views on human origins of students at four high schools, one a Christian faith school, one a non-faith school but with a largely Muslim population and two non-faith schools with mixed populations.

Their findings make interesting reading. More than 80% at the largely Muslim school believed humans were created by God in their current form, a view shared by around 15% of students at the Christian faith school. Almost 60% at the Christian school thought humans had developed over time, but with some divine involvement. Around half of students at the non-faith mixed schools believed in evolution, although around 10% accepted creationism.

Further probing revealed that many students felt uncomfortable being asked to make a choice between science and religion, and either rejected the science or made an uneasy compromise. According to one of the researchers, this suggests that science teachers cannot afford to ignore religious beliefs.

AZ Senate panel votes to bar Common Core standards

Ignoring pleas from business leaders, the Senate Education Committee voted 6-3 along party lines Thursday to bar Arizona from implementing the Common Core standards the state adopted just four years earlier.

Sen. Al Melvin, R-Tucson, who championed SB 1310, said he does not doubt that the concept of some nationally recognized standards started out as a "pretty admirable pursuit by the private sector and governors.''

"It got hijacked by Washington, by the federal government,'' he said. And Melvin, a candidate for governor, said that "as a conservative Reagan Republican I'm suspect about the U.S. Department of Education in general, but also any standards that are coming out of that department.''

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Pressed by Bradley for specifics, Melvin said he understands that "some of the reading material is borderline pornographic.'' And he said the program uses "fuzzy math,'' substituting letters for numbers in some examples. [Uh, that's called algebra dude.]

Wall of Separation Liberty And Justice For Some?: Mosque Controversies Reveal Limited Definitions of Religious Freedom

Opponents of an Islamic center in Murfreesboro, Tenn., are trying to take their fight to the Supreme Court – even though their losing battle has so far cost them $343, 276. It’s the latest twist in a costly legal saga that has trickled through the courts for nearly four years.

As reported by The Wire, the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro has existed since the 1980s. Controversy only erupted in 2010, when local Muslims decided to move to a larger facility. A group of local residents filed suit to prevent construction of the new mosque, relying on the spectacular argument that Islam isn’t actually a religion, and that the center’s mere presence represents a security risk.

That argument failed miserably with the Tennessee courts (and the Department of Justice), and the center opened in 2012. The center is more than a mosque: the congregation eventually hopes to add recreational facilities and classrooms, and a recent request to add a cemetery to the grounds ignited another fight.