Monday, November 02, 2015



WA: High School Football Coach Suspended for Post-Game Prayer

Like Islam, Leftism is a religion that hates rival religions -- so the Leftists in the Washington State educational system are doing their best to attack Christianity

It’s like straight out of a movie.  High school football coach Joe Kennedy, inspired by the Christian faith-based film “Facing the Giants,” walks to the 50-yard line after games to thank God for the players he has the opportunity to coach.

As of Wednesday, Kennedy has been suspended and is no longer able to participate in football program activities because of his post-game prayers.

A letter sent to Kennedy by the school district informed the coach that he has been placed on paid administrative leave.

“We tried to meet with the school officials in-person but they refused to meet,” Hiram Sasser, deputy chief counsel for Liberty Institute, said in a statement. “We were only able to have a brief hour and a half call with their lawyer, and the result was a letter banning private prayer just a few hours before last Friday’s game. It is unfortunate this school district is choosing litigation instead of a simple meeting.”

Kennedy’s tradition started seven years ago when he thanked God for the game and the players after coaching his first game at Bremerton High School.

A few games into his private practice, students began to ask the coach what he was doing.

“I was thanking God for you guys,” Kennedy remembered saying to his players, according to a Liberty Institute statement. “Then a couple said they were Christians and asked if they could join. I responded, ‘It’s a free country, you can do whatever you want to do.’”

On Sept. 17, the superintendent of the school district issued a letter to coach Kennedy to inform him that he was going against the policies of the school district.

In the letter, Superintendent Aaron Leavell pointed to a policy that includes the following statement:

"As a matter of individual liberty, a student may of his/her own volition engage in private, non-disruptive prayer at any time not in conflict with learning activities. School staff shall neither encourage nor discourage a student from engaging in non-disruptive oral or silent prayer or any form of devotional activity."

Kennedy was informed in the letter of standards that he is expected to adhere to, like not participating when students are engaged in religious activity as to not show “endorsement of the activity.”

He is free to provide “motivational, inspirational talks” to the students, but this does not include “religious expression” such as prayer. Facts about coach Kennedy’s post-game verbal prayers:

He does not pray to a specific religion or deity.

He does not say “amen” after the prayers.

Students voluntarily congregate near Kennedy while he prays.

“Coaches, students, and teachers don’t lose their religious freedom the second they step onto school grounds,” said Melody Wood, who works in the DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society at The Heritage Foundation. “School bureaucrats should stop discriminating against people of faith engaging in completely voluntary prayer.”

On Oct. 14, Liberty Institute sent the school district a demand letter to inform the district that coach Kennedy is not in violation of any law. It states that Kennedy would continue to pray post-game.

“The school district violated federal law by denying Coach Kennedy’s request for religious accommodation,” Mike Berry, senior counsel for Liberty Institute, said in a statement. “Their violation of the law cannot go unanswered.”

The school responded to Liberty Institute by stating that the request to allow Kennedy to pray could not be met due to a “potential liability.”

Despite the order to cease prayer, on homecoming night, Oct. 16., Kennedy walked to the 50-yard line as he always does post-game.

“I’m going to do what I’ve always done and I will do my prayer,” KIRO-TV reported Kennedy stated.

Locals news outlets provided coverage of the post-game prayer as Kennedy found himself surrounded by Centralia Tigers football players—the opposing team—kneeling down with their rival coach.

“If the school is concerned that the coach’s prayer may be interpreted as government speech, there is an easy solution: The school district can simply say that the coach’s prayer is his own speech,” said Sasser. “Then they should stand back and let him pray.”

The school district does not agree. “Any further violations will be grounds for discipline,” an Oct. 23 letter from Superintendent Leavell reads.

Kennedy continued his tradition by kneeling on the field to pray following football games on Oct. 23 and Oct. 26.

Kennedy and his legal team at Liberty Institute began to initiate legal proceedings against the Bremerton School District on Oct. 26.

In a letter sent to the school district this week, 47 members of Congress showed their support for the “admirable and respectable” actions of Kennedy, “as they represent his commitment to the welfare of the young  men on his team.”

SOURCE






UK: Migrant pupils should ditch their accent and learn to speak received pronunciation, says trailblazing black TV presenter Floella Benjamin

Leftists outraged of course.  They refuse to see that she has herself had great success in doing so.  RP is Britain's prestigious accent, associated mostly with the upper middle and upper classes and known outside the Home Counties only among those who have been to "Public" (independent) schools

A former children's TV presenter from Trinidad sparked outrage after telling migrant children to pronounce words properly if they want to succeed in life.

Floella Benjamin OBE moved to Britain aged 11 and became one of the most famous faces among Britain's children as the presenter of Play School.

But she has recently revealed that when she first moved to south London, a teacher called her guttersnipe because of her thick West Indian accent.

The former presenter, now a prominent equality campaigner, has now invited other migrant children to adopt more 'received pronunciation'.

Baroness Benjamin, now 66, said: 'That teacher did me a huge favour. If someone's seeing you like that, you must prove them wrong.

'After that, I was the idol of her class. You have to be able to adapt to the situation and you have to be able to communicate,' she told The Times Educational Supplement.

However, her comments have sparked outrage among some who have suggested that the comment encourages discrimination.

Kauser Jan of the National Union of Teachers said: 'Because a black person is saying it, we think it's OK? It's almost giving a green light to people: "By being racist, you're helping me".'

It's a surprising move for the former presenter, who is a prominent campaigner for equality, has an OBE for her contribution to broadcasting and was appointed a Liberal Democrat life peer.

SOURCE






Australia:  Christian school exercises its freedom of religion

Christian school told homosexual his daughter, seven, could not talk about her parents because they did not want her to 'promote' homosexuality, which is well within the teachings of scripture (See Romans Chaps. 1 & 2, for instance, where Paul condemns Roman sexual practices, including sodomy)

A private school has publicly announced that children of same-sex parents are not welcome to attend, after it was discovered that a Year One pupil at the school has gay fathers.

A school parent is accusing Western Australia's Foundation Christian College of discriminating against his family due to his homosexuality, according to the Mandurah Mail.

Brendan, who would prefer not to disclose his surname, claims the school forbade his seven-year-old daughter from discussing her two fathers or the topic of homosexuality with her classmates.

The Mandurah school principal Andrew Newhouse responded to the controversy by openly confirming that children of same-sex parents will not be allowed to enroll at the Christian school.

Mr Newhouse – a former Family First candidate in the 2013 Federal election – has allegedly accused Brendan of 'fooling' the school during the initial interview and says Brendan's daughter would never have been accepted if they'd known she had two fathers.

The conflict was instigated by a conversation the little girl had with her classmates in which she mentioned she has two fathers, the Mandurah Mail reports.

'(My daughter) got talking about Tony Abbott and gay marriage and mentioned that her dad is with (my partner) and she was shut down by her teacher and then the teacher had to explain to the class what 'gay' is,' Brendan told the publication.

The girl's parents were called into a meeting with the school, who informed the parents that the student could not mention having two dads or broach the topic of homosexuality, as the school doesn't promote 'gay'.

Brendan is living with his male partner while sharing custody of his daughter with his ex-wife, according to the Mandurah Mail.

After another confrontation with the principal, Brendan chose to remove his daughter from the school. The ordeal has left the little girl confused and upset, according to her father.

'She doesn't like it that they don't like her dad,' said Mr Newhouse. 'Why does my daughter have to go through this and lose her best friends due to the person I am? 'I carry a lot of guilt and I hate that my daughter has to deal with her dad not being accepted.'

Mr Newhouse released a statement in the wake of the controversy to stand by his actions.

'The Board has a clearly enunciated Christian world view which all parents are made aware of before enrollment is confirmed,' said Mr Newhouse.

'Recently, a father withdrew his Year 1 (sic) daughter from the college as he came to understand the College was unable to support his worldview.

'A same-sex world view is not congruent with our Christian world view.'

'While we respect the rights of others to hold different world views, the College has an obligation to the parents to maintain the Christian worldview in all aspects of the college.'

SOURCE




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