13 Dec 2010
Federal Court of Appeal asked to stop California college proselytizing and imposing religion on students
Secular News Daily - July 13, 2010
Calif. Community College Should Not Impose Religion at Public Events, Americans United Tells Appeals Court
Press Release by Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Americans United for Separation of Church and State has asked a federal appeals court to stop a Southern California community college from proselytizing and imposing prayers at public events.
The legal action comes in a lawsuit filed last year by Americans United on behalf of several students and faculty. At issue is the South Orange County Community College District’s practice of including prayer and other religious content in its events.
“Officials at these public schools are forcing religion on students, faculty and staff,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. “Their actions are unconstitutional and insensitive, and it’s time for this to stop.”
Plaintiffs assert that school officials routinely sponsor official invocations at events for students and faculty at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, including scholarship-award ceremonies, commencements and training programs for faculty.
AU filed the lawsuit in November of 2009. In May, a federal district court denied AU’s motion for a preliminary injunction, saying the request was too broad – although the court conceded that some of the district’s actions might be unconstitutional.
In a legal document filed yesterday [pdf] AU asks the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn that ruling.
“Unless this Court intercedes, students and faculty will continue to be subjected to religiously divisive messages as the price for partaking of college life,” asserts the filing.
The Westphal v. Wagner lawsuit notes that students and faculty members have protested the mandatory prayers many times over several years. The student government of Saddleback College has twice passed resolutions opposing the prayer practice, and similar resolutions have been passed by the faculty’s Academic Senate of Saddleback College, the Academic Senate of Irvine Valley College, the statewide Academic Senate for California Community Colleges and the South Orange County Community College District Faculty Association.
Officials ignored the complaints and, in response, actually increased the religious content of these public events, attacking religious minorities and nonbelievers.
In August of 2009, Saddleback officials showed a video titled “God Bless the USA” during a faculty training session. The video included religious images and closed with two pictures of military personnel carrying a flag-draped coffin. Superimposed on those images was the following text: “Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you. Jesus Christ and the American G.I. One died for your soul, the other died for your freedom.”
Making matters worse, attendance at some of these events is mandatory. For example, students who are awarded scholarships must attend a public ceremony or forfeit the financial aid.
Plaintiffs in the lawsuit are: Karla Westphal, Alannah Rosenberg, Margot Lovett and Claire Cesareo-Silva, all professors at Saddleback College; Roy Bauer, a professor at Irvine Valley College; Ashley Mockett, a former student at Saddleback and two current Saddleback students who have chosen to remain anonymous.
The litigation is being conducted by AU Legal Director Ayesha N. Khan, AU Assistant Legal Director Richard B. Katskee and AU Madison Fellow Jef Klazen, as well as Christopher P. Murphy of Mayer Brown LLP in Los Angeles.
This article was found at:
http://www.secularnewsdaily.com/2010/07/13/calif-community-college-should-not-impose-religion-at-public-events-americans-united-tells-appeals-court/
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Calif. Community College Should Not Impose Religion at Public Events, Americans United Tells Appeals Court
Press Release by Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Americans United for Separation of Church and State has asked a federal appeals court to stop a Southern California community college from proselytizing and imposing prayers at public events.
The legal action comes in a lawsuit filed last year by Americans United on behalf of several students and faculty. At issue is the South Orange County Community College District’s practice of including prayer and other religious content in its events.
“Officials at these public schools are forcing religion on students, faculty and staff,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. “Their actions are unconstitutional and insensitive, and it’s time for this to stop.”
Plaintiffs assert that school officials routinely sponsor official invocations at events for students and faculty at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, including scholarship-award ceremonies, commencements and training programs for faculty.
AU filed the lawsuit in November of 2009. In May, a federal district court denied AU’s motion for a preliminary injunction, saying the request was too broad – although the court conceded that some of the district’s actions might be unconstitutional.
In a legal document filed yesterday [pdf] AU asks the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn that ruling.
“Unless this Court intercedes, students and faculty will continue to be subjected to religiously divisive messages as the price for partaking of college life,” asserts the filing.
The Westphal v. Wagner lawsuit notes that students and faculty members have protested the mandatory prayers many times over several years. The student government of Saddleback College has twice passed resolutions opposing the prayer practice, and similar resolutions have been passed by the faculty’s Academic Senate of Saddleback College, the Academic Senate of Irvine Valley College, the statewide Academic Senate for California Community Colleges and the South Orange County Community College District Faculty Association.
Officials ignored the complaints and, in response, actually increased the religious content of these public events, attacking religious minorities and nonbelievers.
In August of 2009, Saddleback officials showed a video titled “God Bless the USA” during a faculty training session. The video included religious images and closed with two pictures of military personnel carrying a flag-draped coffin. Superimposed on those images was the following text: “Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you. Jesus Christ and the American G.I. One died for your soul, the other died for your freedom.”
Making matters worse, attendance at some of these events is mandatory. For example, students who are awarded scholarships must attend a public ceremony or forfeit the financial aid.
Plaintiffs in the lawsuit are: Karla Westphal, Alannah Rosenberg, Margot Lovett and Claire Cesareo-Silva, all professors at Saddleback College; Roy Bauer, a professor at Irvine Valley College; Ashley Mockett, a former student at Saddleback and two current Saddleback students who have chosen to remain anonymous.
The litigation is being conducted by AU Legal Director Ayesha N. Khan, AU Assistant Legal Director Richard B. Katskee and AU Madison Fellow Jef Klazen, as well as Christopher P. Murphy of Mayer Brown LLP in Los Angeles.
This article was found at:
http://www.secularnewsdaily.com/2010/07/13/calif-community-college-should-not-impose-religion-at-public-events-americans-united-tells-appeals-court/
RELATED ARTICLES:
Advocacy group battles illegal Christian fundamentalist proselytizing in U.S. public schools
Fundamentalist Christian 'punk' band uses deception to evangelize and indoctrinate in U.S. schools
Radical Christian extremists aim to undermine public education by targeting high school kids for indoctrination into fundamentalist worldview
Christian fundamentalist boot-camp for kids indoctrinates them to fight 'bloody' religious war
Hearing for Ohio science teacher sacked for evangelizing and teaching anti-science shows great divide in U.S. society
Child Evangelism Fellowship complains it is banned from converting children in public housing project
Catholic parents upset that teen son was peer-pressured into baptism in Baptist church while on school trip
European Court of Human Rights rules crucifixes in Italian schools violates children's religious freedom to believe or not
Parental rights vs children's rights: debating the role of religious institutions in Irish education system
Church of England's proselytising plans will target children for recruitment and indoctrination
David Lynch Foundation infiltrating schools world-wide to promote Transcendental Meditation
'Spirituality for Kids' class draws fire
Scientology's African evangelism targets children for indoctrination, opens new 'school' in Ghana
Scientology Recruiting Children in South Africa
School unaware of link to Scientologists
Scientology link at Montessori school alarms parents
Dahn Yoga uses common cult recruitment tactic of targeting children for surreptitious indoctrination
Dahn Yoga cult infiltrates 300 U.S. schools with unproven brain education exercises
B.C. Education Minister defends a ministry publication that identifies a Scientology website as a potential resource for teachers
Religious indoctrination thrives in B.C. private schools because education ministry does not vet textbooks or courses
Does religion have any proper role in education?
The dangers of creationism in education
Atheist group files complaint with B.C. Ministry of Education over Christian school teaching creationism in science class
Strong Secularism: "Religious education can be a form of mental abuse."
Radical Christian extremists aim to undermine public education by targeting high school kids for indoctrination into fundamentalist worldview
Faith schools that indoctrinate children commit child abuse
What can humanist parents use in the battle against religious indoctrination?
Bob Jones University science textbook for home schoolers ignores science and critical thinking
New Hampshire court orders home-schooled Christian girl to attend a public school
Home schooling 'could be a cover for child abuse and sexual exploitation'
Get tough on home-schooling to weed out abuse, says UK review
Home school custody battle turns on religious freedom
German family seeks US asylum to homeschool kids
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