Students in the Cleveland, Okla., School District will no longer be subjected to bible distributions and harassment from teachers about religion.
FFRF received a complaint that a teacher at Cleveland Intermediate School read aloud to the class from a bible. When the complainant’s child asked her to stop because “not everyone believes the same thing,” the teacher allegedly refused because it was “her personal reading material.” The teacher later reportedly singled out the student, saying she bet the student didn’t know a certain bible verse. The school principal and another man also handed out bibles to students as they left school.
In a March 30 letter, Staff Attorney Andrew Seidel detailed the problems with the school employees’ conduct: “Public schools have a duty to ensure that ‘subsidized teachers do not inculcate religion’ or use their positions of authority to promote a particular religious viewpoint.”
In an April 7 response, Superintendent Aaron Espolt said the bible distribution was done without his knowledge, adding that future distributions would not be permitted. In addition, the administration addressed bible reading with the teacher, which Espolt said would “prevent any future incidents.”