kanozas
se ven las caras pero nunca el corazón
[I'm sure you've heard of the Virginia district that was shut down when parents and the school board reacted to the assignment in world religion to write the "shahada," declaration of the islamic faith, in calligraphy as part of the course. I do think the district overreacted or if they decided to close for protection, then they were doing so to thwart off extremists (christian). But it's not the first time this type of assignment has happened. What if a Jewish kid or Hindu were obligated to not only memorize the Nicene Creed but to recite it? The "shahada" has happened in Tennessee earlier this year]:
http://insider.foxnews.com/2015/09/...nly-god-tennessee-middle-school-history-class
Tennessee parents are voicing their concerns about a middle school history assignment in which students were asked to write "Allah is the only God."
Brandee Porterfield joined "Fox and Friends" this morning, saying she has no problem with her seventh-grade daughter learning about Islam as part of world history, but believes time should also be devoted to Christianity.
"They did this assignment where they wrote out the Five Pillars of Islam, including having the children learn and write the Shahada, which is the Islamic conversion creed," she explained.
Porterfield said she spoke with the Spring Hill Middle School teacher and principal, who said there would not be similar lessons on Christianity and Judaism.
She said she reviewed the state standards and there are upcoming lessons on Hinduism and Buddhism.
Unlike the lessons on Islam, however, Porterfield said students would not be expected to memorize a creed dealing with those religions.
"They don't study any other religions to this extent. ... It is the state sponsoring religion in schools. They're not going over anything else. For the students to have to memorize this prayer, it does seem like it's indoctrination," said Porterfield.
Maury County Director of Schools Chris Marczak issued the following statement on the curriculum:
Our teachers work together to make sure that our students are learning what is expected through the Tennessee academic standards. For this last section on the Islamic World this past week, our educators had students complete an assignment that had an emphasis on Islamic Faith. The assignment covered some sensitive topics that are of importance to Islamic religion and caused some confusion around whether we are asking students to believe in or simply understand the religion.
Marczak disputes that the school is emphasizing one religion over another or trying to "indoctrinate" students.
______________________________________
Today's story:
http://time.com/4154591/islam-arabic-school-virginia/
A school district in Virginia is closed Friday over an assignment that some parents and community members felt was a form of Islamic indoctrination.
On Dec. 11 during a Geography lesson on world religions, teacher Cheryl LaPorte at Riverheads High School had her students write out an Islamic statement of faith to practice calligraphy, the Staunton News Leader reports. The statement translates to, “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.”
The students were not asked to translate or speak the sentence, but local parents were outraged at the assignment, seeing it as a form of Islamic proselytization in a public school.
In a post on the Augusta County Public Schools website, the school board announced the district would be closed Friday “following parental objections to the World Geography curriculum and ensuing related media coverage… voluminous phone calls and electronic mail locally and from outside the area.”
The statement says there “has been no specific threat of harm to students,” but that the closure was ordered “based on concerns regarding the tone and content of those communications.”
According to the Washington Post, the school district serves about 10,000 students in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia about 150 miles outside Washington, D.C.
http://insider.foxnews.com/2015/09/...nly-god-tennessee-middle-school-history-class
Tennessee parents are voicing their concerns about a middle school history assignment in which students were asked to write "Allah is the only God."
Brandee Porterfield joined "Fox and Friends" this morning, saying she has no problem with her seventh-grade daughter learning about Islam as part of world history, but believes time should also be devoted to Christianity.
"They did this assignment where they wrote out the Five Pillars of Islam, including having the children learn and write the Shahada, which is the Islamic conversion creed," she explained.
Porterfield said she spoke with the Spring Hill Middle School teacher and principal, who said there would not be similar lessons on Christianity and Judaism.
She said she reviewed the state standards and there are upcoming lessons on Hinduism and Buddhism.
Unlike the lessons on Islam, however, Porterfield said students would not be expected to memorize a creed dealing with those religions.
"They don't study any other religions to this extent. ... It is the state sponsoring religion in schools. They're not going over anything else. For the students to have to memorize this prayer, it does seem like it's indoctrination," said Porterfield.
Maury County Director of Schools Chris Marczak issued the following statement on the curriculum:
Our teachers work together to make sure that our students are learning what is expected through the Tennessee academic standards. For this last section on the Islamic World this past week, our educators had students complete an assignment that had an emphasis on Islamic Faith. The assignment covered some sensitive topics that are of importance to Islamic religion and caused some confusion around whether we are asking students to believe in or simply understand the religion.
Marczak disputes that the school is emphasizing one religion over another or trying to "indoctrinate" students.
______________________________________
Today's story:
http://time.com/4154591/islam-arabic-school-virginia/
A school district in Virginia is closed Friday over an assignment that some parents and community members felt was a form of Islamic indoctrination.
On Dec. 11 during a Geography lesson on world religions, teacher Cheryl LaPorte at Riverheads High School had her students write out an Islamic statement of faith to practice calligraphy, the Staunton News Leader reports. The statement translates to, “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.”
The students were not asked to translate or speak the sentence, but local parents were outraged at the assignment, seeing it as a form of Islamic proselytization in a public school.
In a post on the Augusta County Public Schools website, the school board announced the district would be closed Friday “following parental objections to the World Geography curriculum and ensuing related media coverage… voluminous phone calls and electronic mail locally and from outside the area.”
The statement says there “has been no specific threat of harm to students,” but that the closure was ordered “based on concerns regarding the tone and content of those communications.”
According to the Washington Post, the school district serves about 10,000 students in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia about 150 miles outside Washington, D.C.
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