2008 Woodie Awards
California teacher required to cut foundational national documents from curriculum due to Christian content
By: Mary Fordham
Issue date: 2/7/07 Section: News
Mary Fordham
Features Editor
California has been listed the most liberal state in the nation for an astonishingly lucid reason. One California teacher has been forbidden to use any documentation in his fifth-grade history class that has any reference to God or Christianity.
Since May of last year, Steven Williams has been required to turn in all lesson plans and additional handouts for approval by Patricia Vidmar, the assistant superintendent for Cupertino Unified School District.
The Declaration of Independence is just one such document that Williams was prohibited from distributing to the children of Stevens Creek School. George Washington's Journal, Samuel Adams' "The Rights of the Colonists," John Adam's diary and William Penn's "The Frame of Government of Pennsylvania" are listed among the other historical documents that have been barred from Williams lessons plans due to their questionable Christian content.
Williams is suing Vidmar for discriminating against him because he is a Christian. The lawsuit was filed Jan. 22, in the U.S. District Court in San Jose. The Alliance Defense Fund, advocates for religious freedom, is representing Williams.
"We are talking about a public school so theoretically the principal would have that right, but it would only be equal or fair if the principal did it to every single professor," said Dr. Jon Boulet, Head of Economics department. "In this case she has played two different standards of justice. She is saying that everyone else has this one standard and can do whatever they want, but as a Christian, I am going to harass you. Her baseline objective is probably to make him quit in order to remove his opinion."
"What makes this completely ridiculous is that fact that without the 'banned' documents the principal would not even know the concept of religious freedom enshrined in the First Amendment," said Dr. Tony Beam, director of the Christian Worldview department. "As it is, she has demonstrated she is completely ignorant of the Founder's intent. She is also in violation of the latest Supreme Court rulings on this issue. Even the Ten Commandments are allowed in school if they are presented in the context of historical documents along with other historical documents."
Features Editor
California has been listed the most liberal state in the nation for an astonishingly lucid reason. One California teacher has been forbidden to use any documentation in his fifth-grade history class that has any reference to God or Christianity.
Since May of last year, Steven Williams has been required to turn in all lesson plans and additional handouts for approval by Patricia Vidmar, the assistant superintendent for Cupertino Unified School District.
The Declaration of Independence is just one such document that Williams was prohibited from distributing to the children of Stevens Creek School. George Washington's Journal, Samuel Adams' "The Rights of the Colonists," John Adam's diary and William Penn's "The Frame of Government of Pennsylvania" are listed among the other historical documents that have been barred from Williams lessons plans due to their questionable Christian content.
Williams is suing Vidmar for discriminating against him because he is a Christian. The lawsuit was filed Jan. 22, in the U.S. District Court in San Jose. The Alliance Defense Fund, advocates for religious freedom, is representing Williams.
"We are talking about a public school so theoretically the principal would have that right, but it would only be equal or fair if the principal did it to every single professor," said Dr. Jon Boulet, Head of Economics department. "In this case she has played two different standards of justice. She is saying that everyone else has this one standard and can do whatever they want, but as a Christian, I am going to harass you. Her baseline objective is probably to make him quit in order to remove his opinion."
"What makes this completely ridiculous is that fact that without the 'banned' documents the principal would not even know the concept of religious freedom enshrined in the First Amendment," said Dr. Tony Beam, director of the Christian Worldview department. "As it is, she has demonstrated she is completely ignorant of the Founder's intent. She is also in violation of the latest Supreme Court rulings on this issue. Even the Ten Commandments are allowed in school if they are presented in the context of historical documents along with other historical documents."
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