2023-04-16 - 7:27 a.m.
This is the kind of thing I find goes too far and believe is a misunderstanding of the establishment clause. If you have a teacher who is inspired by some text that is religious and shares a snippet under their signature with a quote in email, as email is sent to parents ( not students) it's a stretch to see that act as any establishment of an official state reunion with attempt to indoctrination and teaching of a particular religion. Anti establishment means that a state can't establish a religion abd teach it and exclude other ideas. Allowing teachers free self expression in the personal touch of their email signature encourages anti establishment in my view as nothing protects against anti establishment better than actusl freedom of speech with plurality of ideas. whether it is from the Bahagadvita, the Bible or Talmud should be irrelevant
But I think fine for some parameters and guide to be sure no particular class has a teacher ACTUALLY indocrtinating KIDS by integrating only religious text and limiting other sources etc.. . Sure sometimes may have to reign in speech or be sure there is not unbalanced materials.....to ensure plurality of sources abd ideas presented to kids. I don't want the only children's books being cutatedby Mom's For Liberty informed by anti semitism and whitewashed in a racist manner rolling back inclusivity and representation in teaching materials. Make no mistake If LCPS asks all teachers to stop with quotes under their name it seems ridiculous and overly policing their teachers and sends a message they don't trust them to not say something stupid ( moreso than the school district seeking to curate any particular philosophy or faith tradition or itself be indoctrinating) yet the act of limiting speech is most often a step of regimes that then also curate what is acceptable speech and yes in fact then do indoctrinate.
That is how, fascist and national and other movements happened, how culture sanitization and destruction of religion abd other artistic traditions happened in communist regimes Mass manipulate of populations gmhaooen To maintain central power Central ideas
And have followers of those So yes I think LCPS goes too far on this judgement call. Let teachers be self expressive in their emails please. It is one person speaking their thoughts not the school indocrinating and frankly I think that is valuable to prevent such indocrination on a systemic level by the power of the state. https://wjla.com/news/local/loudoun-county-public-school-ban-teacher-bible-verse-email-signature-superintendent-daniel-smith-lcps-establishment-clause-employment-censorship-john-316-christian-quotes-pronouns-religious-religion-belief-speech
� �
|