ADDENDUM::Judge Rules Against Public High School Teacher Who Was Promoting Christianity in the Classroom

A scathing synopsis by Hemant Mehta of what led up to the partial dismal of Silver's lawsuit,,,

Oh, that wasn’t all. A follow-up letter from FFRF indicated Silver tried to guilt-trip the student who ratted on her:

The student also said that Silver told students in the anatomy class that whoever had reported her to the Freedom From Religion Foundation lacked integrity and character and was akin to someone who had cheated on the final exam, [FFRF attorney Rebecca] Markert wrote in her follow-up letter.

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Among her arguments:

One of the school’s social workers has a picture of a rainbow on her door with a message that says “Acceptance practiced here” and no one tells her to take that down. (So telling gay students they won’t be treated like shit is the same thing, apparently, as preaching the Gospel in the classroom.)

The school is illegally pressuring her to stop being the faculty sponsor for the Bible Club. (Actually, they’re telling her they will remove her as faculty sponsor ONLY if she continues to promote the group’s beliefs in her science classrooms.)

The sticky notes with Bible verses on her desk are entirely personal and not an example of proselytizing. (If this were the only violation, I would argue she could get away with it. But, together with the other examples, it just shows her inability to keep her religious beliefs to herself.

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The decision, however, also said the lawsuit could proceed on the basis of selective enforcement of the rules:

Accordingly, Defendants’ (school administration) motion, insofar as it seeks qualified immunity for Defendant Kane should be GRANTED as to the First Amendment Claims, and the Equal Protection Claim pertaining to Plaintiff’s display of religious-themed materials in her classroom, but should be DENIED as to Plaintiff’s Equal Protection Claim based on alleged selective enforcement.

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I don’t buy the idea that Silver was treated unfairly. While administrators were right to go after a teacher who overtly promotes Christianity in the classroom, they hardly need to criticize a teacher who puts up a picture of a rainbow to promote acceptance of all students.


Judge Rules Against Public High School Teacher Who Was Promoting Christianity in the Classroom