Tuesday, May 05, 2009

Wilson County Schools Act Like Their Students

Have you ever asked a three-year-old to leave the playground, but then the kid screams "No!" and runs off to the slide again, at which point you get angry at the kid, which doesn't make the kid come to you but instead makes him stand there pouting with arms folded, refusing to leave, until eventually you have to carry him kicking and screaming from the playground? For some reason, that's the scene that comes to mind when I think about the recent events surrounding the Wilson County, TN public schools.

First, about a year ago, the school system was hit with a lawsuit over their endorsement of a "praying parents" group that went into schools and prayed for kids. As a result, they were told to add disclaimers to posters in order to make sure that students knew that religious activities that took place on school property were not endorsed by the school. However, WCPS' powers-that-be, being three years old, threw a tantrum and decided that no religious events could be advertised on school property, even if the students and parents are doing the advertising and running the event themselves. Naturally, the courts have issued a "no, you dolts can't do that either" response.

Is neutrality with respect to religion really that difficult to figure out?

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