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Katy Citizen Watchdog$ |
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We’re Taxpayers. It’s Our Money. |
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Stop The Censorship Now!/A Commentary |
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Back To “Watchdog Archives (Commentary)” NOTE: The below commentary is in response to the recent lawsuit entitled Pounds, et al vs. Katy ISD which has been filed against the district for years of continued religious censorship against students. I'm glad to see that someone has taken the step to formally fight Katy ISD on this issue. This discrimination has been going on for a long time at other schools, also. I personally experienced it at my daughter's school in December 2005 which has been previously documented on the Watchdog$ website. What I find interesting about this lawsuit is Katy ISD's response to this. Their response is obviously damage control. But it is too little too late. Katy ISD has spent years communicating verbally to all employees that they should be very careful about what is said and what is done so that no one will be offended by any religious remarks or actions. In other words, what people are hearing is that they shouldn't say or do anything that relates to religion. Many children, and I would assume teachers/parents, are concerned about the consequences if they dare speak about religion on school district property. The official statement on Katy ISD's website regarding this recent lawsuit states that there is "no real dispute about what would be allowed to happen on Valentines Day". Well, I suggest you tell it to the five families who are the plaintiffs in this lawsuit. Also, the website states that "it is unfortunate that neither the plaintiffs nor their attorneys ever attempted to contact the school district to discuss this matter prior to filing the lawsuit. It was never the intent of the schools in question to limit what messages their students could exchange at tomorrow’s parties." Once again, I must say read the lawsuit yourself and you will see that many attempts were made to talk to several of the employees of Katy ISD but to no avail. After four long years of trying to work with this district, these families decided to take a stand. We, the Watchdog$, support these families in their freedom of speech and freedom of religion. And if it is not the intent of the schools to question what messages their students can exchange why is it that many employees at Katy ISD have told me personally that we have to be very careful about what we say and do at our schools so that no one is offended. Here is a comment from one teacher in December 2005: "As a KISD employee, my hands are somewhat tied and I am asked to simply provide balance." If there is freedom of religion, why does she feel that her hands are tied? Remember, I am not blaming the teachers for this way of thinking. They have been ordered from the leaders of this district that they have to be very careful on speaking or acting on religious themes. In effect, they have been told that they have freedom of religion outside of school but not on school grounds. Here is the official policy of Katy ISD:
Here are responses from our current board members and administrators: "I agree that the tail seems to be wagging the dog and everyone (not just KISD) is afraid of the ACLU and do not want to be a test case." Even our board members are concerned about the repercussions. And guess what, Katy ISD just became a test case. "Regarding Christmas programs, the school district does not prevent employees from selecting Christmas songs for student performances and, as a Board member, I support that. However, given the demographic diversity of KISD, there is recognition that a balance is important to recognize that diversity." "We do not refer to music programs as a Christmas Program because most grade levels are not studying religion as part of the curriculum, and we do have to consider the fact that our student population now includes students from around the world who represent many faiths. At the secondary level, performances are often a mandatory component of a course. In these instances, we can not require a student to participate in an activity that goes against his/her religious beliefs. The challenge for pubic schools is to find ways to create balance in all performances so that we can maintain an environment that is welcoming for all students." Once again Katy ISD employees are more concerned about not offending individuals, more concerned about diversity instead of the freedom of speech and religion which is guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution. Instead of spending time and money on worrying about offending individuals, we should be spending our time and money assuring all employees, parents, and children that in Katy ISD, we will work hard to protect both your freedom of speech and freedom of religion.
© 2006 by Kevin Tatum. All rights reserved. |
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Kevin Tatum, Katy Citizen Watchdog$ |
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Date: 02/14/2006 |
