Havoc and Chaos: January 9, 2016::End of the day round-up

So this tidbit of information piqued a few comments.  Primarily, what a load of crap and condusion.

Retired General Predicts Obama Will Start Killing US Soldiers

I don’t want to say what I think is going on because I don’t like the conspiracy theory business, but I really have a feeling that, as we move down the road, I think that, it’s unfortunate, but I think that we really have a lot of people out there now who are working for this particular government who would like to take over the country and run it just like a dictatorship.

The thing that stops — and this is what the Second Amendment really is all about —the thing that stops people who are absolutely anti-American, anti-Christian, the only thing that stops them dead in their tracks is the U.S. military, and the only way you can overcome the U.S. military is you’ve got to shoot them, you’ve got to kill them.

I have a feeling that while it may not work out that way, I have a feeling some of these people who are buying these ammunition and doing the training, I think that that’s exactly what they’re about, their idea is they hope they will have an opportunity to kill American soldiers and to take over the country and run it. It sounds awful and it sounds crazy. (emphasis added)

Florida university dismisses ‘truther’ professor who taunted parents of 6-year-old Sandy Hook victim

Florida Atlantic University has dismissed a professor who said massacres at a Connecticut elementary school and a county office building in San Bernardino, California, were staged, the university said.

Media professor James Tracy’s last day at the university in Boca Raton will be Friday, the school said in a statement after alerting him of the decision in a letter on Tuesday.

Tracy, 50, has worked at the university since 2002. He could not be reached on Wednesday and his attorney, Thomas Johnson, declined to comment.

Conservative Christians Are on a Mission in Public Schools

Jason Evert, the founder of the Chastity Project, says the key to a happy life is for girls to dress modestly and abstain from sexual intimacy until marriage. He holds a number of inaccurate beliefs about sexually transmitted infections and has a habit of misrepresenting studies in the social sciences. What makes his story interesting is that he is paid to present his views on sexuality and relationships to public school students.

Evert is far from alone. Religious groups keen on getting their messages to teenagers have found an effective way to do it at public expense. They come into public schools under the banner of substance abuse programs, character education, anti-bullying education, or sex education. Then they set aside the education and get down to the business of promoting a religious message, sometimes along with a partisan political agenda.

The problem of faith-based assemblies in public schools is not new, but they are occurring under new guises, and their frequency appears to be growing. These publicly supported proselytizers take advantage of two key trends. Under relentless budgetary pressure, public schools increasingly allow outside groups to develop and manage courses that previously originated inside the school. At the same time, the Supreme Court has set a very high threshold for concerns related to the Establishment Clause, or the separation of church and state—or, in this case, church and school.
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In 2015, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a national civil liberties organization, received approximately 270 complaints related to religion in public schools.* “Some speakers make it a point to keep the in-school presentation secular,” says Americans United attorney Ian Smith, “but others don’t even bother and just openly preach to the assembled students.”

“Regardless of the nature of the assembly,” Smith continues, “almost all of them illegally utilize the opportunity to invite students to an after-school event that is explicitly religious. And this is because, regardless of whether the speaker or group follows the rules during the assembly or not, their goal is ultimately to get the kids into a church and to proselytize them.”

Microsoft Ends An Era: Support For Internet Explorer 8, 9, And 10 Stops Next Week

The end is nigh: as of Tuesday, January 12, Microsoft will issue its final support patch for versions 8, 9, and 10 of its Internet Explorer browser, bringing one of the web’s clunkiest tools one step closer to vanishing.

The Abortion Case That Could Overturn Roe v. Wade Has A Lot Of Opponents

A looming Supreme Court case that could severely undermine the right to an abortion has attracted an unprecedented amount of opposition from across the country.

A slew of organizations and individuals filed 45 legal briefs in the Supreme Court on Tuesday, each brief examining the case through a unique lens and each coming to the same conclusion: State laws that restrict abortion access are unconstitutional.

The case will examine the validity of a Texas law, known as HB2, that places burdensome, unnecessary guidelines on the state’s dwindling abortion clinics. These regulations, while framed as improvements to safeguard “women’s health,” ultimately have nothing to do with patient safety — and were instead created by anti-abortion legislators to impose additional, costly red tape on clinic staff. So far, it’s been successful. HB2 has already forced half of the state’s clinics to close, thus cutting Texas’ abortion providers in half.

The Supreme Court case, Whole Women’s Health v. Cole, won’t only decide if Texas’ law is constitutional. Depending how the court rules, the decision could also give legal cover to all states seeking to enact laws that appear to function as health regulations, but that actually exist to restrict access to abortion. The oral arguments for the case begin in March.
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A group of 40 prominent scientists also submitted a brief Tuesday, hoping to overrule the “flawed pseudoscience” that will be used in testimony to support the case.

“We hope the court is able to put abortion politics aside and focus on the illegitimacy of the medical claims propping up the restrictions,” said Robyn Blumner, president and CEO of the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason & Science. “When science claims are used to infringe a constitutional right they had better be valid, but that’s not the case here.”

After Pressure from Atheists, Grand Haven City Council Puts a Stop to Giant Hydraulic Cross

In October, atheist activists Mitch Kahle and Holly Huber began challenging the Hydraulic Cross. With residents Brian and Kathy Plescher and attorneys from Americans United for Separation of Church and State, they requested that the Cross be used to promote their own views… including, for example, decorating it to celebrate LGBT pride, the winter solstice, reproductive rights, and atheism.

Hilarious. And a perfect response to anyone who claimed the Cross wasn’t really about promoting religion.

Last night, at a meeting of the Grand Haven City Council, the members voted 3-2 to turn that Hydraulic Cross into a permanent anchor and stop letting it get hijacked by various religious and non-religious groups looking to promote their agendas. Success!

CASE WATCH::Mississippi Teacher Calls Atheist Student a “Fool,” Humanist Group Intervenes

In a letter sent to officials and attorneys at Rankin County School District in Flowood, Mississippi, the American Humanist Association’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center decries a teacher’s unconstitutional and disparaging remarks about atheists.

Sent on behalf of a parent whose child attends Northwest Rankin High School, the letter describes a history teacher who frequently made disparaging remarks about atheists and promoted Christianity during class. The teacher, also a pastor of Rehobeth Baptist Church, recently announced to his class, “Atheists are throwing a fit because they don't have their own day. They do have their own day; it’s called April Fools’ Day, because you are a fool if you don't believe in god.” The letter states that, as atheists, the student and parent feel unwelcome in the district because of the teacher’s insults.

This is not the first instance of the school district endorsing religion. In 2013, a former student and the American Humanist Association filed a lawsuit challenging the district’s practice of holding religious assemblies. The judgment, favoring the American Humanist Association, included a consent decree requiring the district to stop the assemblies. In July 2015, a United States District Court granted a motion for contempt filed by the American Humanist Association’s legal center, which ruled that the district defied the consent decree by sponsoring an award ceremony with Christian prayers and by permitting Bible distribution in an elementary school. The court’s order states that the district will be fined $10,000 for each future infraction.

Mississippi Teacher Calls Atheist Student a “Fool,” Humanist Group Intervenes

CASE WATCH::Ariz. Public Charter School Must Stop Promoting Religion In Government Classes, Americans United Says

Currently no word as to any firm resolution

 

An Arizona public charter school violated the First Amendment when it assigned a textbook that promotes religion to students in government classes, Americans United for Separation of Church and State says.

 

In a letter sent today [Aug 28, 2015] to officials at Heritage Academy in Mesa, Americans United explains that a text used in the school’s mandatory senior government/U.S. Constitution class teaches students religious beliefs such as divine creation of all things, divine judgment after death and the Ten Commandments.

 

“Lessons promoting religious doctrines have no place in public schools,” said Americans United Associate Legal Director Alex J. Luchenitser. “Students in government classes should be learning civics, but Heritage Academy has decided to inculcate theology instead.”

 

The government class curriculum is anchored heavily in religion. Students are assigned Proclaim Liberty Throughout all the Land, which teaches that God created everything, is the source of all proper law, intervenes in human affairs and responds to prayer. The book further asserts that America’s democracy cannot survive unless its people accept a “universal religion” reflecting fundamental Christian tenets. 

Ariz. Public Charter School Must Stop Promoting Religion In Government Classes, Americans United Says | Americans United

See also:  Mesa charter school teaches religion, group says, specifically their take on Skousen

School district investigating mass baptism at football practice

 "They have no choice. It’s proselytizing, it’s coercive, and it’s not legal in our schools.”

While this incident was rightly shot down and scrutinized heavily, it is like playing whack-a-mole as far as SOCAS and public schooling goes.  The cases just keep pouring in and the religionists just don't seem to care.

Villa Rica High School and its principal should not have allowed a local church to perform on-field baptisms at its football stadium last month, a Carroll County School System investigation concluded.…

[Assistant Superintendent Terry] Jones’ statement said the school district “had no knowledge that this event was scheduled to happen at VRHS.”

“The principal’s understanding was that the event was a church sponsored activity that was to be conducted after school and he was not aware of student involvement,” the statement said. “From the investigation the school district has concluded that VRHS failed to follow district facility usages procedures for outside groups using school facilities.”

Maybe as one comment pointed out it's time to play hardball, "There's a simple solution to this problem: Have all School Board employees sign a statement to the effect that they are aware of the law regarding church-state separation, and that the penalty for exposing a school to a CSS lawsuit will be immediate termination for cause and financial liability for all costs incurred by the School Board regarding legal judgments against them."

A Georgia school district is investigating after video of a mass baptism was posted on YouTube.

The video, posted by First Baptist Villa Rica, was shot on school grounds just before football practice. "We had the privilege of baptizing a bunch of football players and a coach on the field of Villa Rica High School! We did this right before practice! Take a look and see how God is STILL in our schools!" the caption with the video reads.

By Tuesday evening, the video had been removed from YouTube.

The Carroll County School system released a statement Tuesday afternoon:

"The Carroll County School System was made aware of a situation that took place at Villa Rica High School prior to football practice on August 17th.  The District is currently looking into the specifics of this situation and will take appropriate steps to ensure all state and federal laws are followed."

The Freedom from Religion Foundation sent a letter to Carroll County Tuesday asking the district to "immediately investigate and take action to ensure there will be no further illegal religious events". In the letter, the FFRF mentioned its lawsuit against Emanuel County School District for similar practices. The group is now seeking punitive and personal liability damages in that case. "We prefer to settle these matters cooperatively," the letter ends with a request to detail the steps the school district is taking to comply with the First Amendment.

School district investigating mass baptism at football practice

Atheist Group: California Principal Should Not Pray With Students

Although this incident occurred last month and there doesn't seem to be any re-occurrence, it is still important to remain vigilant.  As FFRF's Andrew Seidel points out, "District staff should be reminded that they cannot plan, promote, or participate in any religious events at KHSD schools, not can they encourage students to put on such events. Any future religious events must be truly student-initiated and student-run."

A recent picture taken at South Bakersfield High School in California appears to show students gathered with Principal Connie Grumling to pray around a school flagpole.
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While students are allowed to pray in school, the inclusion of Grumling may be a legal problem, notes the Friendly Atheist.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a group that advocates for separation of church and state, stated in a letter to Dr. Bryon Schaefer, Kern High School District Superintendent, on Aug. 24 that this "serious constitutional concern" had been brought to the attention of FFRF by a complainant who was not identified.

From Lauren Foreman The Bakersfield Californian's "THE GRADE: To pray or not to pray at school"

Randy Bennett, president of the California Southern Baptist Convention, said during a public comment portion of the meeting that the South High principal did not violate the required separation of church and state outlined in the U.S. Constitution.

Ed Boyer, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, said an administrator praying with students right outside of school is “kind of in the muddy middle ground” territory.

Whether Grumling broke the law depends on how far removed from the campus she was, whether she was acting as principal at the time and whether she initiated the prayer. Boyer said he would want to delineate boundaries if he were a principal.

“I certainly would be concerned if I were the district’s counsel,” he added.

KHSD board president Chad Vegas, also founding pastor of Sovereign Grace Church of Bakersfield, said during the meeting Tuesday he believes what employees do prior to school or after school is their business.

Atheist Group: California Principal Should Not Pray With Students

Federal Judge: Ten Commandments Monument Violates U.S. Constitution « CBS Pittsburgh

According to Hemant Mehta, "This controversy began in 2012, with those first letters to the District. The student whose family lodged that complaint has since graduated from the school and they have no connection to it anymore. Taking the monument down, in that case, won’t make any different since the student’s not even around to appreciate it."

A federal judge on Friday ruled that a monument of the Ten Commandments outside the Connellsville Area Junior High School in Fayette County violates the U.S. Constitution.

However, at the same time, the judge did not order the monolith removed.

Now, both opponents and supporters of the monument are claiming at least partial victories.

The four-and-a-half-foot monument has been on school property for more than 50 years, and most recently, it’s been tightly sealed to prevent people from removing plywood and other coverings.

The judge said the monument can stay where it is because the student who objected to it, and challenged it in court, has moved on and no longer attends the school.

From the FFRF:

McVerry's decision recites the chronology of the placement, which involved the mayor rhapsodizing that "there can be no better guidance for youth than God's laws," and notes it was one of the Ten Commandments markers donated as a campaign by the Eagles with filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille, director of "The Ten Commandments."

The decision recites the community uproar over the request to remove the biblical edicts from public school grounds, including a prayer rally and public gathering at the monument, with sprinkles of "amen" from the crowd. At a public meeting the complainants were referred to as "yellow-belly bums" for being pseudonymous, and speakers cited the need to "stand up for the Bible" and Christianity.

"The monument still stands alone outside the school, declaring to all who pass it, 'I AM the LORD thy God.' There is no context plausibly suggesting that this plainly religious message has any broader, secular meaning," wrote McVerry.

Citing Supreme Court precedent, McVerry added: "Whether the key word is 'endorsement,' 'favoritism,' or 'promotion,' the essential principle remains the same. The Establishment Clause, at the very least, prohibits government from appearing to take a position on questions of religious belief or from 'making adherence to a religion relevant in any way to a person's standing in the political community.' "

Federal Judge: Ten Commandments Monument Violates U.S. Constitution « CBS Pittsburgh

Atheist Activist Group Demands Texas School District to Remove Christian Quotes from Walls | Christian News Network

So here is the Reich's initial faux persecution complaint,

Last week, Madison, Wisc.-based Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) sent a letter to officials with the school district to assert that the quotes are both unconstitutional and “dubious.”

“The numerous biblical quotes currently displayed on MVISD property unconstitutionally promote Christianity, creating the appearance that it is favored by the district,” the letter reads. “These quotes must be removed.”
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The correspondence also contends that the historical quotes were either misquoted or manipulated, and were not true quotes.

Here is what the FFRF has to say and why:

Courts have continually held that public school districts may not endorse religious messages, including text taken from the bible,,,. [The] MVISD is a public school district and its schools should not be in the business of advancing Christianity by displaying bible quotes on district property.” (pp 1-2)

In their explanation to this point, FFRF notes in their letter to the Mount Vernon Independent School District (MVISD) the improper attribution of the golden rule to Jesus (citing Matt 7:12).  Standard scholarship shows this idea existed long before Christianity or Judaism.

Another example notes a quote atrributed to Ronald Reagan,"Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face." As Grover states, this selection is "dubious, and, incidentally, intellectually lazy since that is not a direct quotation." (p 2, footnote 4) 

[There are more examples given, but I think you get my drift.  Read the letter (PDF) cited above for more.]


Why this is problematic regardless of their accuracy:

Displaying statements by prominent individuals that broadly endorse Christianity is also a constitutional violation.  A public school district cannot endorse the religious preferences of prominent historical figures anymore that it can promote the personal religious preferences of its administrators. (p 2)

These "quotes" came from a master list created by school district employees, acting in their official capacities.  Therefore, "the quotes on the walls of MVISD are school district speech subject to the Establishment Clause, not private speech posted as part of a public forum." (p 3)

Furthermore, Grover asks a pertinent question concerning the purpose of these quotes, especially when one considers,

When MVISD manipulates historical quotes by removing context and isolating lines that promote Christianity or religion in general, it violates the right of conscience of its students,,,.  The district cannot even fall back on the argument that these quotes have educational merit, given the many examples of misquotes, misattributions, and entirely fraudulent quotes displayed on its walls,,,.  The district sets a poor example for its students if it cannot be bothered to fact check the messages it chooses to endorse. (pp 3-4)

Sadly, revisionist history isn't just plaguing the MVISD. 

Across the country, efforts are being made to manipulate and suppress curriculum in order to conform to right-wing ideology. Recently, College Board, the “non-profit” company that designs curriculum for advanced placement (AP) US History courses, revised its standards to reflect “American Exceptionalism” and minimize negative aspects of the nation’s historical narrative, such as racism, slavery and the government’s treatment of indigenous peoples. GOP lawmakers across the country are attempting to ban AP US History courses completely on the grounds that they are “too biased.” Last year, the Texas State Board of Education voted to approve US history textbooks in which Moses is depicted as the nation’s “Founding Father,” shoving the right-wing Christianist worldview down school children’s collective throats. Two years ago, a federal circuit court judge upheld an Arizona ban on teaching social studies courses focusing on ethnic minorities.

Atheist Activist Group Demands Texas School District to Remove Christian Quotes from Walls | Christian News Network

Idaho Republican Party Considers Proposal Supporting “Bible Use” in Public Schools

So,,,

If I am reading Hemant correctly, this is what we got: "Militant control over life in Mosul extends to education, where schools have been shut down or replaced with IS-approved teachings aimed at indoctrinating students, sources in the city revealed to the BBC. Science subjects have been removed from the curriculum, one resident told Al Jazeera."

 

Wait, sorry, wrong article,,,

According to Mehta, Republicans in Idaho have published a set of proposed resolutions, one of which is entitled “A Resolution Supporting Bible Use in Idaho Public Schools.”  It is a resolution put forth by Republican party chairperson for Idaho County, Marge Arnzen to include within the state’s curriculum biblical teachings. As Hemant points out,

The GOP controls the House and Senate by large margins and the Governor is also a Republican. So bad ideas can become law without much opposition.

And,

,,,there’s no law banning the Bible from being used as a point of reference in class. There’s good reason to discuss the impact of the Bible in world history, just as there would be in philosophy and comparative religion classes. You can even talk about it in a “Bible as literature” class. If students want to write about the Bible, that’s fine, too, assuming it follows all the other guidelines for the assignment. And certainly, no atheist group has ever tried to ban students from bringing the Bible to school.

But what justification could anyone possibly have for the relevance of the Bible in astronomy, biology, geology, etc? There is none whatsoever.

In other words, as a supplement or "a point of reference", the Bible is allowed in the public school setting making this resolution redundant.  Which leads me to wonder, along with numerous comments, what the agenda may actually be. 

Will they also allow the use of the Quran, the Bhagavad Gita or the Popol Vuh in that same way?  According to Melissa Davlin, 

Some members of the committee expressed concern with other religious texts, such as the Quran, being used in the same way, while others questioned whether a change would violate the Idaho State Constitution. Ultimately, the divided committee amended the resolution to take out a phrase supporting classes on the Bible in school.

Which means the Idaho Republicans are state sanctioning one religion over another.  Which as we all know is unconstitutional.

Resolutions aren’t legislation, but sometimes plant the seeds for future bill proposals.

Idaho Republican Party Considers Proposal Supporting “Bible Use” in Public Schools

Levy School Board asked to look into violations of separation of church, state | Gainesville.com

This comment says it all:

I graduated from a Levy County school in 2010. I went to the University of Florida for secondary school and I remember I bumped into a fellow CHS graduate on UF campus and started asking her how college was going. She graduated in the top 10 of our class, along with me and she was studying medical sciences at UF. She told me that one of the hardest things was learning Scientific Method and about the Big Bang. Because she had always been taught Creationism. At home, and even by a teacher, she told me. Christianity has always been prevalent in Levy County, and as a non-Christian that never bothered me. But it is definitely hindering the welfare of our students. And the fact that this whole investigation is happening due to a letter from a member of the community, clearly shows that the rights of some are being pushed too far aside by the Christian community. Religion shouldn't be in schools, it's the law people.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation has asked the Levy County School Board to investigate several potential violations of the Constitutional establishment clause regarding church and state.

In a letter dated June 3, Freedom From Religion Foundation attorney Andrew Seidel listed seven violations, based on complaints from families within the school district, along with documentation of the violations and suggestions for how to remedy them.

“They have a lot of work to do,” Seidel said. “It does appear to be a pretty extensive and severe set of problems.”

Seidel said the foundation first received complaints against Levy County schools in mid-April, and after about a month of research, found seven issues that violate church-state separation,,,

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Levy County Schools Superintendent Rob Hastings said he received the letter and is working with the district's staff attorney to investigate the claims.

“I do not think that all the points are valid, but we will certainly look into it and analyze it,” Hastings said. “We will do our best to make sure that our school board and our schools are following the Constitution and that we protect all our students' rights.”

Levy School Board asked to look into violations of separation of church, state | Gainesville.com

Oklahoma Satanist Church Wants Permission To Distribute Books In Elementary School

Less than two weeks after a third-grade teacher in Duncan, Okla., distributed Gideon Bibles to her students, the Church of Ahriman, a Satanist church in Oklahoma City, has asked permission to distribute Satanist literature at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School.

Adam Daniels, the church’s leader, said he wanted to give students a copy of “Ahrimani Enlightenment,” a primer and workbook normally given to new members of the church.

In a letter to the Duncan school district, some 80 miles south of Oklahoma City, Daniels assured administrators that his book is “no where (sic) near as graphic as the Christian Bible.”

Daniels said he has yet to hear back, but he believes equal access laws mean that his church has the right to distribute literature if other religious organizations are permitted to do so.

Oklahoma Satanist Church Wants Permission To Distribute Books In Elementary School

Teacher resigns after student’s story on Jesus and weed freaks out religious classmate

A New Mexico high school teacher resigned over complaints that she allowed a student to write an assignment about Jesus handing out marijuana.

Katrina Guarascio, who taught creative writing at Cleveland High School in Rio Rancho, asked students to rewrite a fairy tale or legend in a modern setting, reported KOAT-TV.

One of her students updated the biblical story of Jesus handing out fish and bread to the poor and depicted Jesus giving marijuana to the sick.

“I don’t take any personal offense,” Guarascio said. “It’s not written for me, it’s written for them. It’s how they can express themselves.”

Another student became highly offended when the students reviewed one another’s work, and the teen told her parents – who filed a complaint in October with the school.

Teacher resigns after student’s story on Jesus and weed freaks out religious classmate

Yet Even More Evidence That David Barton's History Cannot Be Trusted | Right Wing Watch

Just last month, we wrote a long post exposing the way in which David Barton routinely misrepresents court cases in an effort to support his pseudo-history and promote his cultural and political agenda. Today, we came across another instance of Barton doing the same thing with a different court case while delivering a presentation a few weeks ago at Calvary Chapel in San Jose, California.

Barton was making the case that, until the Supreme Court's decision in Abington Township v. Schempp in 1963 — which Barton also routinely misrepresents — teaching the Bible in public schools had been the norm. To support this point, Barton cited the Supreme Court's 1844 ruling in a case called Vidal v. Girard's Executors, which he claimed declared that no school that refused to teach the Bible could receive public funds,,,

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Barton's representation of this case is entirely false, as it had literally nothing to do with the teaching of the Bible nor any requirement that schools must do so in order to receive public funds.

Yet Even More Evidence That David Barton's History Cannot Be Trusted | Right Wing Watch

The Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) has been quite busy

FFRF combats ‘pervasive religious endorsement’ in Texas school district

A national state/church watchdog has lodged a formal complaint over "pervasive religious endorsement" by the Mt. Vernon Independent School District in Texas.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation contacted the district Oct. 31 on behalf of a local complainant. FFRF, based in Madison, Wis, has more than 21,500 members, including 900 in Texas. Numerous allegations of Establishment Clause violations include religious postings in several classrooms,,,

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"Public schools have a duty to ensure that 'subsidized teachers do not inculcate religion' or use their positions of authority to promote a particular religious viewpoint," FFRF Staff Attorney Sam Grover wrote Superintendent John Kaufman in the Oct. 31 letter. "When teachers place Latin crosses or bible quotes on classroom walls, they have unconstitutionally entangled the school with a religious message, specifically a Christian message."

FFRF protests many police chaplains nationwide, including in Orlando

The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a national state/church watchdog, sent a letter and open records request to the Orlando Police Department (Fla.) on Nov. 3, objecting to the department's chaplain program. The complaint is the latest in a series of objections over law enforcement chaplaincies the FFRF has lodged this year.
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Orlando chaplains, as is typical, are required to be ordained ministers with experience as pastors, who counsel employees, employees' families, and victims of crimes, and assist with death notifications and other police activities. Orlando's chaplain program does have one distinct feature – a car with an "Orlando Police Chaplain" graphic displayed across the side. FFRF's records request asks for documents relating to this car, as well as many other aspects of the chaplain program.
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Some chaplain programs have other troubling elements, like chaplains delivering prayers at department ceremonies, or training law enforcement officers on subjects outside their expertise such as ethics and stress management. Some chaplains have contact with juveniles. A chaplain was photographed at a session of the Police Department's "Police Explorers" program in Dunwoody, Ga., whose participants are ages 14-21. The job description for Rochester's Clergy Response Team says that clergy "may volunteer in high schools with School Resource Officers." And Millville's chaplains made headlines in August for actually picking up and detaining children who had violated curfew.
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Attorney Andrew Seidel, one of five FFRF staff attorneys, handled most of the chaplain complaints on behalf of FFRF. His letters explain that courts allow government-employed chaplains only as an accommodation where the government makes it difficult for people to seek out private ministries, as is the case with military service members or prisoners. Since there is no government-imposed religious burden on law enforcement officers or the public, the government does not need to provide chaplains for them.

FFRF reports electioneering churches to IRS

Prior to Tuesday's elections, FFRF passed onto the IRS nine complaints about churches improperly endorsing or opposing candidates for political office. FFRF is investigating further complaints that came to light this week.

All 501(c)(3) nonprofits, including churches, are prohibited from intervening in any election or engaging in partisan politicking, such as by supporting or opposing specific candidates. "The regulations ensure that 501(c)(3) groups do not abuse the public trust, since tax exemption is a privilege and a form of public subsidy," explains FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor.

Many electioneering complaints stem from pastors who purposely violate electioneering restrictions from the pulpit as part of "Pulpit Freedom Sunday," an annual event put on by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian Right group. ADF and their allies argue that religious groups should be given special treatment, and be allowed to engage in partisan activity while maintaining their tax-exempt status. Many pastors, at the urging of ADF, have sent videos of their lawbreaking sermons directly to the IRS, hoping to incite a legal challenge to rescind the 1954 law against politicking by 501(c)(3) churches. According to ADF, more than 1,700 pastors participated in Pulpit Freedom Sunday in October.

Ala. commission rescinds $3,000 faith grant to Baptist ministry

The Covington County Commission in Andalusia, Ala., voted unanimously Nov. 6 to rescind a $3,000 donation of taxpayer funds to the Covington Baptist Association for a men's ministry whose purpose was "to get more men to church."

The vote was in response to an Oct. 27 complaint letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation protesting the flagrant constitutional violation.

Katherine Paige, FFRF legal fellow, sent the commission a second complaint letter Nov. 7 after learning that Commissioner Harold Elmore might ask to renew the grant to the ministry under the guise of funding building renovations.

Paige investigated property records and learned that Elmore was an incorporator of the Judson Baptist Church, which owns the building (sometimes referred to as the "Old Stanley School" or the "Stanley Community Center") and runs the ministry. Elmore serves as church deacon and is one of the Covington Baptist Association's four trustees.

"The commission cannot escape the grant's religious purpose and Commissioner Elmore's involvement raises serious ethical concerns under Alabama law," wrote Paige.

FFRF stands up for students’ right to omit “under God” from pledge

The Freedom From Religion Foundation yesterday sent a strong letter to the Tracy Unified School District (Calif.) censuring the punishment of two West High School students who omitted the words "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance.

Students in Shauna Baker's speech and debate class are charged with the responsibility of reading the daily announcements and the Pledge of Allegiance over the loudspeaker to everyone in the school as part of a graded assignment. Juniors Adrianna Teboe and Derek Giardina recently left out the words "under God" when it was their turn to recite the pledge.

Both students were marked down a grade for the omission, according to news reports. Giardina was reportedly given detention when he failed to include the phrase a second time, and Baker told him if he did not say the pledge properly, he would be suspended and kicked out of class.

"Students should not be singled out for exercising a conscientious objection to the words 'under God,' " wrote FFRF Legal Fellow Katherine Paige, pointing out that the phrase was only belatedly added to the previously secular pledge in the 1950s.

FFRF faults 7th Circuit timidity on clergy privilege case

Freedom From Religion Foundation Co-Presidents Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, who learned today a three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals says they have no right to challenge the discriminatory "parsonage exemption," expressed disappointment that the court is unwilling to confront "this blatant preference for ministers and churches."

The panel, in a unanimous decision by Circuit Judge Joel Flaum, vacated a strong ruling a year ago by U.S. District Judge Barbara B. Crabb for the Western District of Wisconsin, declaring unconstitutional 26 U.S. C. § 107(2), passed by Congress in 1954.

The law allows "ministers of the gospel" paid through a housing allowance to exclude that allowance from taxable income. Ministers may, for instance, use the untaxed income to purchase a home, and, in a practice known as "double dipping," may then deduct interest paid on the mortgage and property taxes.

"It's important to note," said attorney Richard L. Bolton, who handled the litigation, "that the court's opinion in no way reflects that the housing allowance is constitutional." As Flaum himself noted, the court did "not reach the issue of the constitutionality of the parsonage exemption."
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FFRF sets aside a portion of the salaries for Barker and Gaylor as a "housing allowance," which, under the IRS code, the couple is not eligible to claim, as they are not "ministers of the gospel," but instead espouse atheism, freethought and secularism.

Gaylor and Barker took issue with the appeals court's cavalier assessment that they have suffered no concrete injury, since they must pay taxes on their housing allowance, while ministers are rewarded, simply for being religious leaders, with a unique and substantial tax benefit. The parish allowance is not a tax deduction but an exemption — housing allowances are subtracted from taxable income.

"We will continue to challenge this indefensible favoritism for religion in other forums until the issue cannot be circumvented," Barker said.

FFRF sues praying school board in Chino Valley, Calif.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a prominent national state/church watchdog, filed a federal lawsuit yesterday in the Central District of California, Eastern Division, against the Chino Valley Unified School District Board of Education, whose meetings "resemble a church service more than a school board meeting," FFRF contends.
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School board meetings open with a prayer, and often include bible readings and proselytizing by board members. Board President James Na injects Christianity into many of his official statements, FFRF's legal complaint notes. At one typical meeting, Na "urged everyone who does not know Jesus Christ to go and find Him," after which another board member closed with a reading of Psalm 143.

Students often attend the meetings to receive awards, speak about issues affecting their schools, attend disciplinary hearings and do performances. Student attendance is mandatory in some instances, and a student representative is a member of the board.
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The plaintiffs "feel that the government is taking sides against them on religious questions," and view the prayers, bible readings, and proselytizing as state-endorsed religion. The board is excessively entangled with religion, alleges the complaint, noting there is no secular or educational purpose for prayers, bible readings, or proselytizing. FFRF contends this violates the Establishment Clause, the Equal Protection Clause, and the California Constitution.

FFRF objects to Va. professor’s promotion of Islam in classroom

A Virginia professor's "Introduction to Islam" course crosses the line from objective religious teaching to proselytization, says the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

The national organization of atheists and agnostics, based in Madison, Wis., has more than 21,500 members, including 525 in Virginia. FFRF sent a letter last month asking Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) in Annandale, Va., to investigate Professor Daoud Nassimi's class, which is described as an objective investigation of Islam "in its historical, religious, and political dimensions."

Instead, "this class has been used to proselytize students and advance belief in the existence of a god in an attempt to prove religious belief correct," wrote Staff Attorney Patrick Elliott and Legal Fellow Katherine Paige. An audio recording and PowerPoint slides from a lecture on the existence of god obtained by FFRF show that Nassimi's class is "a one-sided monologue by a government-paid employee whose agenda is to show the truth of religion – namely, the existence of a god."
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"The primary legal issue with this class is Prof. Nassimi's active promotion of his personal religious views. This is not a question of Prof. Nassimi's free speech – Prof. Nassimi is abusing his government position," wrote Elliott and Paige.

The letter concluded by asking NOVA to thoroughly investigate the class and, if the allegations are confirmed, to remove Nassimi from teaching the class. "Given his inability to separate his teaching duties from his religious sensibilities, we fail to see how he can conduct a collegiate course on Islam or religion," FFRF said.

FFRF urges IRS to investigate Noah’s Ark theme park

The Freedom From Religion Foundation yesterday sent a letter to the IRS asking it to investigate the tax exempt status of two nonprofits involved in operating and fundraising for the for-profit “Ark Encounter” theme park in Kentucky. The Noah’s ark-themed park, slated to open in 2016, will center on a full-scale ark built to biblical specifications.

Answers in Genesis (AiG) is a Christian fundamentalist group that advocates a literal interpretation of the bible, and owns the Creation Museum. Through a subsidiary nonprofit, it also owns Ark Encounter, a for-profit LLC, and has fundraised extensively for the park.

Donations to AiG, a nonprofit, are tax deductible, while donations directly to Ark Encounter, a for-profit company, would not be. But AiG fundraising materials include a space for donations to Ark Encounter, and note that donations are “tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.” On the AiG website, donors have the option to designate contributions to Ark Encounter.

A separate Ark Encounter website also states that sponsorship is tax deductible.

Thus it appears that AiG is taking tax-deductible donations and directly giving them to Ark Encounter, LLC, noted FFRF Staff Attorney Patrick Elliott.
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“Answers in Genesis cannot have it both ways,” said FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “Either the Ark Encounter is a religious enterprise and is eligible for tax-exempt donations, or AiG and Ark Encounter can be taken at their word that the park is purely a commercial enterprise.” In the latter case, then AiG is not “‘operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific’ or other exempt purposes,” as required for exempt status, and should lose its tax exemption, FFRF contends.

FFRF flags baptisms on football field - Freedom From Religion Foundation

The Freedom From Religion Foundation sent a letter of complaint Oct. 22 to Russellville City Schools in Russellville, Ala., after receiving a report that the high school football team chaplain baptized players on the football field.

Mark Heaton, head coach and athletic director, and team chaplain Tanner Hall both boasted about the baptisms on social media. Heaton said, "Three baptized after practice Thursday. Building the Kingdom!!" Hall posted, "Man I love that God allows me to do what I do! Baptized players today after practice!"

FFRF Staff Attorney Andrew Seidel noted that it's illegal for a public school to "organize, sponsor or lead religious activity." He added, "Such sponsorship of religion is especially problematic in the context of athletics, given the pressure players feel to conform to what coaches expect of them so as not to affect their playing time or lose favor with the coaches."

Seidel also challenged Hall's position as team chaplain. "It is also inappropriate for a public school to offer religious leaders unique access to befriend and proselytize students. Accordingly, public high school football teams cannot appoint or employ a chaplain, seek out a spiritual leader for the team, or agree to have a volunteer team chaplain, because public schools may not advance or promote religion."

FFRF is asking Russellville City Schools to end the position of team chaplain and ensure there will be no more team baptisms or other inappropriate religious activity.

FFRF flags baptisms on football field - Freedom From Religion Foundation

School to parents: Does your son have to be Buddhist? | Al Jazeera America

You may remember way back in January I posted about the young boy in the Sabine Parish school district in Louisiana who was told, "this is the Bible belt." you. should "change" your faith or transfer to another district school where "there are more Asians," by school administration all because of his Buddhist beliefs. (These statements where made to the parents by school officials after voicing their displeasure, obviously directed toward the boy.) Although the case is "settled" the ramifications and aftermath linger.
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“A lot of the school officials don’t think they are going to get caught,” said Weaver, the ACLU attorney. “And they often don’t because a lot of times, the student of minority faith or belief is not willing to speak up or report what is going on.”

In some instances, there are well-organized groups lobbying teachers to introduce Christian-themed study into the classroom. The Museum of the Bible is the most prominent. Earlier this year, it unveiled a Bible study curriculum for high school students billed as “constitutionally sound, despite the fact that it states that humanity will “suffer” if it ignores God’s rules.

[,,,]
As for the Lanes, the Sabine Parish School Board settled with them earlier this year, agreeing to end any school-sanctioned Christian activity. C.C. is now at a new school and doing better. But the cost on the family has been high. In sticking up for her brother, Anna lost friends. Sharon Lane said strangers menaced her as she was doing yard work.

The Lanes said they've lost a little faith in a community that allowed this to happen. They sometimes wonder whether the superintendent was right. Maybe they would be better off living somewhere else.

“There were times when I felt: ‘How could I do this to him? How could I put him in this situation?’” Sharon Lane said. “He’s at an age where he needs friends and to be accepted. And he asked several times, ‘Can I just go back to Utah?’ … That was one of the hardest times of my life.”

School to parents: Does your son have to be Buddhist? | Al Jazeera America

ADDENDUM::California's Springs Charter Schools Purge 'Christian' Books From School Libraries - The New Civil Rights Movement

Jean Ann Esselink writing over at New Civil Rights Movement offers this bit of narrative:

Brad Dacus, president of PJI, has sent a letter warning the school district that it is "violating the First Amendment by removing library books based on their perceived Christian content." PJI says they will sue if the schools do not cease their "ill-conceived and illegal book-banning policy.”

“It is alarming that a school library would attempt to purge books from religious authors. This is a major sweep by this charter school to eliminate the religious viewpoint. Libraries cannot engage in an open purging of books simply because they are of a Christian perspective.”

Responding to the threat, Springs Charter Schools Superintendent Kathleen Hermsmeyer informed lawyers for PJI that she was attempting to bring the school district into compliance with state law, writing:

“We do not purchase sectarian educational materials and do not allow sectarian materials on our state-authorized lending shelves.”

Pressing their point, the Pacific Justice Institute cited a 1982 Supreme Court ruling that says local school boards may not remove books from school library shelves simply because they dislike the ideas contained in those books, or seek to remove books to "prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion.”

Ms. Hermsmeyer responded to the charge, denying the schools were discriminating against Christian authors or publishing companies, saying all religious material was being removed, no matter the source, writing:

“At no time, however, have we discriminated against Christian authors or publishing companies who create secular educational materials. We are a public school, and as such, we are barred by law from purchasing sectarian curriculum materials with state funds. We only keep on our shelves the books that we are authorized to purchase with public funds.”

California's Springs Charter Schools Purge 'Christian' Books From School Libraries - The New Civil Rights Movement

ADDENDUM::Politichicks.com California Charter School Refuses to Reverse Decision to Ban Christian Books - Politichicks.com

So usually when I look at articles I start from the beginning and work my way through. But what stuck me was how this article ended.

What we have here is an overt control of the thought police. When people practice bullying (whether verbal or physical) or murder, the motivation is first and the thought is second. Historically, it has always been the negative act was prosecuted which was sufficient. Now we have a double jeopardy, adding an extra penalty for the thoughts that preceded the cause. This is overkill; but even worse, the thought policy is being embraced—very chilling indeed!

So upon discovering that this was a state funded charter school, that the term "library" was misapplied, and by all accounts the issue is curriculum and text books, Sloane has chosen the route of Christian persecution and being bullied..  Surprise, surprise,,,NOT!!

You see there are two very important points being left out of this narrative. The first being that this incident occurred over the summer. Second, Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Hermsmeyer addressed the issue concerning what the "library" actually is but yet PJI is grossly missing the point and pushing an issue that doesn't even exist.

Sloane in her OP cited Hermsmeyer's press release. Pay attention to the ellipses,,,

“On August 22, Michael Peffer of the Pacific Justice Institute contacted my office at Springs Charter Schools about a conversation…between a parent of a Springs Charter Schools’ student and an employee of Springs Charter Schools, neither of whom were identified. The conversation took place in the Springs Resource Library, which is a warehouse for textbooks we use in our school programs…

Now here is the actual press release, the bold text is what Sloane left out.

“On August 22, Michael Peffer of the Pacific Justice Institute contacted my office at Springs Charter Schools about a conversation that had occurred last summer between a parent of a Springs Charter Schools student and an employee of Springs Charter School, neither of whom were identified. The conversation took place in the Springs Resource Library, which is a warehouse for textbooks we use in our school programs (it is not actually a library, in fact, we have since renamed it the Curriculum Warehouse to eliminate any confusion). Due to the fact that our schools are independent study charter schools, we do not maintain traditional lending libraries. According to the letter, the unidentified Springs employee told the unidentified parent that he/she was instructed to “remove all books with a Christian message, authored by Christians, or published by a Christian publishing company.”

So why is this important, that this occurred over the summer?

Like any brick and mortar school with a library (in this case a curriculum warehouse), the summer months are taken up with administrative duties which included cataloging, organizing, repair and/or replacement, cleaning and much more. Part of those duties would also include making sure that materials the school supplies are compliant with the laws of their respective state. My guess is that disgruntled parent came in on a day of organizing and, observed a staff member removing donated sectarian reading material. Wondering as to why, a question was asked, but the answer may not have been as clear and concise as it should have been.

I can see the disgruntled parent being a bit perplexed. I can even see them contacting JPI for clarification. What I can't see is how JPI, Starnes et al can so ignore the clarification presented by Hermsmeyer

As Hermsmeyer stated in her letter to JPI,

,,,like every other public school in the State of California, we cannot legally maintain religious textbooks on our warehouse shelves for distribution to our families. Donated items are made available to our families at no cost. Any and all donated items are not incorporated onto the shelves of our Curriculum Warehouse. The only materials we maintain on the shelves of our Curriculum Warehouse are items we have purchased ourselves in accordance with the laws of our State.

I don't know much more succinct Hermsmeyer could be.  JPI's response to Hermsmeyer also make no sense what-so-ever. Their insistence on using the word "library" when they know it is not a library is mind boggling.

I saw the school’s press release, and this is not a reversal of their decision at all. People might argue whether or not they are legally obligated to take the books off the shelves if they are text books or part of the curriculum. We’re not talking about that. We’re talking about books that have a library book type marking, as opposed to donated books being given away because they can’t have them in the library. The school’s press release has made the issue more confusing than it was before. She appears to be mushing together the issue of textbooks versus non-textbooks.
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Is the employee who told our clients they had to “remove all books with a Christian message, authored by Christians, or published by a Christian publishing company” right or wrong? If that happened, it doesn’t matter—it’s way too overbroad; however, if we get information that shows we’re wrong, we’ll say it. We always do. In this case, we believe the information we obtained from a parent is reliable.

Whether the employee spoke hastily or mis-worded their response is moot. Whether the disgruntled parent heard only what they wanted to hear is moot. What matters is the law.

Politichicks.com California Charter School Refuses to Reverse Decision to Ban Christian Books - Politichicks.com

UPDATE::School accused of 'purging' Christian books

So I have been trying to get more info about this incident and it hasn't been easy.  MSM either is unaware or they are taking a wait and see approach.  Other than some cranky "we Christians are a persecuted bunch" type sites using Starnes and PJI as source there isn't much out there.  But I did find one article that had an interesting discussion taking place in the comments that may offer some clarity to the matter.

It starts with Peggy Muller's, September 28, 2014 at 3:42 pm comment.

River Springs Charter School is a public charter school which supports homeschool families. The problem here is the term “library” is confusing people. This is not a library in the traditional brick and mortar sense of a on site public school library. This is actually a resource center which carries public school curriculum which parents can borrow. As such it cannot stock specifically Christian materials to be used by the parents to implement what is a public school education.

Let me clarify. I would not be able to demand a public school use Bob Jones or Abeka math curriculum at a traditional public school,,, On the other hand, the school cannot stock textbooks and curriculum which is produced by Christian textbook/curriculum publishers,,, they have to abide by state criteria in that curriculum offered and paid for by the school must be non-sectarian. Again, this is not a “library.” It is a resource center to house public school curriculum, not necessarily recreational reading material, to be used by the parent to implement a public school education.

Muller then continues to clarify some of the points asked by the OP.  What is important and IMO what Starnes and PJI intentionally "blurred" in their presentation of their facts, this is not a traditional library, "This is actually a resource center which carries public school curriculum which parents can borrow."

So PJI is either a bunch of lazy lawyers who have no clue how to fact check, and the last people I would want representing me in a court of law.  Or they have and agenda, which we already know that they do.

Lawmakers plan student prayer bill in Alabama; concerns raised over constitutionality | AL.com

Hemant Mehta over at Friendly Atheist has a good take on the recent asshatery in Alabama comparing this brilliant legislative move to what occurred in North Carolina earlier this year.

For those unfamiliar N Carolina passed SB 370:

AN ACT TO CLARIFY STUDENT RIGHTS TO ENGAGE IN PRAYER AND RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY IN SCHOOL, TO CREATE AN ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS FOR REMEDYING COMPLAINTS REGARDING EXERCISE OF THOSE STUDENT RIGHTS, AND TO CLARIFY RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY FOR SCHOOL PERSONNEL.

A point that Hemant highlights in regards to SB 370 is also present in the Alabama version:

Local boards of education may not prohibit school personnel from participating in religious activities on school grounds that are initiated by students at reasonable times before or after the instructional day so long as such activities are voluntary for all parties and do not conflict with the responsibilities or assignments of such personnel.

So, yea OK, let's waste taxpayer money on a piece of unneeded legislation to protect rights that are already protected.

Lawmakers plan student prayer bill in Alabama; concerns raised over constitutionality | AL.com

School accused of 'purging' Christian books | Fox News

Starnes may be at it again, waiting on more information to become available. Whether legally right or wrong, I do not believe in the banning of any book.

“We do not purchase sectarian educational materials and do not allow sectarian materials on our state-authorized lending shelves,” Superintendent Kathleen Hermsmeyer wrote in a letter to attorneys at the Pacific Justice Institute (PJI).

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Pacific Justice Institute is representing a parent who discovered what they called a “Christian purging” of the charter school’s library.

“She was told by one of the library attendants that the library has been instructed to remove all books with a Christian message, authored by Christians, or published by a Christian publishing company,” read a letter PJI sent to the public charter school. “The attendant advised that the library would no longer be carrying those books. Indeed, our client was told that the library was giving those books away, and she actually took some.”

Among the books deemed inappropriate, the PJI said, was “The Hiding Place” the biography of Corrie ten Boom, a Dutch Christian who was imprisoned by the Germans for helping Jews escape the Holocaust.

Odd that they choose this book to highlight as I met Ten Boom in 86 or 87 when she was doing a book tour for Tramp for the Lord.  There was a screening of "The Hiding Place" prior to her "talk" (she had recently had a stroke so another individual spoke in her place).  Through high-school and college I did numerous book reports and a speech on the inspiration gained for her "testimony." Oh the memories,,,

“It is alarming that a school library would attempt to purge books from religious authors,” said Brad Dacus, president of the religious advocacy group. “This is a major sweep by this charter school to eliminate the religious viewpoint. Libraries cannot engage in an open purging of books simply because they are of a Christian perspective.”

Dacus said the charter school must reverse “their ill-conceived and illegal book-banning policy.” If they fail to do so, he said, PJI is prepared to take further legal action.

And there is a first for everything, Starnes actually cited case law.  To bad the case isn't actually there which is odd since the last update occurred at 9:01AM today,

Pacific Justice Institute said the charter school has violated the First Amendment. They cited a 1982 Supreme Court ruling that said “local school boards may not remove books from school library shelves simply because they dislike the ideas contained in those books and seek by their removal to ‘prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion.’” If you’d like to read the entire case – it’s “Board of Education, Island Trees Union Free School District No. 26 v. Pico.”

Here is the actual case if interested.

School accused of 'purging' Christian books | Fox News