Florida Teacher Banned Bible from 'Free Reading' Time in Classroom

Here's another example of somebody that can't seem to stand it.

Now we have a teacher in a Broward County, Florida Public School that decided to ban a 5th grade student from reading the Bible in a classroom during "free reading" time.

The student's Father was notified by the teacher at the student's request.

The Father has retained the Liberty Institute to figure out why this teacher and possibly the entire school system there is against the 1st Amendment.

Obviously this is yet another example of somebody (the teacher) rising way above their thinking abilities.

Officials at Broward County Public Schools banned a fifth grader from reading the Bible during “free reading” time, according to lawyers from the Liberty Institute who are threatening to sue the school for violating the First Amendment.

Giovanni Rubeo is a fifth-grade student at the school, who had been given a Bible at church as a Christmas gift. It’s his favorite book, so he decided he’d like to read it during the time in class where students are allowed to read anything they choose.

Swornia Thomas is Giovanni’s teacher. On April 8, Thomas told Giovanni he’s not allowed to read the Bible in her class and ordered him to put it away. Giovanni asked her to call his father, Paul Rubeo, about the incident. .................

Florida Teacher Banned Bible from 'Free Reading' Time in Classroom

Very Dangerous Indeed !!

Where in the hell is the ACLU?

If this kid were a Muslim...mind

It's not like the kid was reading it aloud or anything. It wasn't x rated. It shouldn't have been a problem.

Well Ms. Swornia Thomas, you're a douche bag. As long as the kid isn't reading Hustler, wtf do you care?

That said, what's more of a concern? This kid's teacher not letting him read the bible in class (petty, kind of ridiculous) or entire states that want children to read religion in science class (scary as hell)?

Out of curiosity, were you similarly up in arms about the student in Louisiana whose teacher told him in front of his class that his religion (Buddhism) was stupid and that the bible was "100% correct?"

During less than a month at the school in August and September of last year, the lawsuit claims C.C. was told those who didn't believe in God were "stupid" and was given low marks on tests when he didn't answer questions pertaining to religious doctrine.

One particular question was a fill-in-the-blank statement: “ISN’T IT AMAZING WHAT THE _____________ HAS MADE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

When C.C. left the blank empty, Roark wrote in "LORD" in large red letters and marked the answer wrong. The Lanes said students in Roark's class, in which their daughter "S.L." is also a member, get extra points for citing Scripture at the bottom of tests. They allege Roark also skipped over the chapters in the textbook that discuss evolution.

Sabine Case TEST
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When the Lanes wrote a complaint letter to Principal Wright, they said he read it out loud over the school loudspeaker. Superintendent Ebarb, before reminding the Lanes they were "in the Bible Belt," suggested they transfer C.C. to another school that has "more Asians," the court documents said.

This is what the Lanes did, taking C.C. out of Negreet and enrolling him at Many High School. Their other two children remain at Negreet, where Christian paraphernalia can be found in the entryway, hallways and classrooms, and where the Lanes said students are required to attend compulsory assemblies that feature official school prayers.

The school's motto, once "We believe that God exists," has now been removed from the website and replaced with a statement that says, "Our students are more than just a number...they are family

source

I was pretty appalled by that but I don't recall seeing it talked about on ATS.

They always conveniently leave out details in these stories. Like the one about a teacher forcing a kid to throw out her candy canes she wanted to give her class mates.

(In reality she was asked to remove the religious indoctrination cards attached to the candy canes, and told she could give them out off school property but not on school grounds.)

And another similar one as well... just a few months ago but the specifics elude me.

Oh well, in any case. Free reading time doesn't mean you can read any bloody thing you choose. If they kid was pulling out a playboy I get the feeling you guys wouldn't be asking "where's the ACLU!!!???". Okay, so playboy is a little extreme. But in our day it was cracked and MAD magazine... Which all of us had in our backpacks and we all tried reading in free reading times. OOPS! Not allowed though...

It didn't violate our rights. It was simply not considered a literary book suitable for free reading time. Free reading times are not for kids to read whatever the hell they want, it's to read books that will help develop their reading abilities and vocabulary. So, if the teacher decided to say no bibles, simply because it was not the type of book intended for free reading times, he is certainly within his bounds to do so.

Comics, bibles, smut, Playstation 4 instruction manuals... Yes, there are some things that are not totally suited to "free reading" times. It should be up to the teachers discretion. Their job is to make sure the kids are learning current, modern day English, not getting their daily dose of Jesus, Muhammed, or flapjack the faery prince of planet Xenu...

originally posted by: Night Star
It's not like the kid was reading it aloud or anything. It wasn't x rated. It shouldn't have been a problem.

What about comic books?

a reply to: TiedDestructor

Why would they when the family already retained council?

originally posted by: Kali74
a reply to: TiedDestructor

Why would they when the family already retained council?

I'm guessing he was just looking for a reason to put ACLU and Muslim in a sentence. Then again, maybe they didn't want help from the ACLU because they view them as the unholy defenders of Muslims who are certainly all going straight to hell.

"He's not permitted to read those books in my classroom . . ."

Perhaps her class room isn't an approved "First Amendment Zone?

My bet is the school backs down, or changes the policy so that the "Free Reading Period" becomes the "Free Reading From Our Approved List Period"

Free reading is free reading. teach has no case, school, if authorized, will be in a bit o trouble.

I remember in 5th grade a teacher tried to stop me from reading 1984.

As I shouldn't be reading such an adult book, I remember at the time chuckling at the thought of a teacher telling me to not read something and 1984 at that...

Anytime, anyone seeks to impose "thought" policing on anyone, it should be fought.

The bible, if just a book, should be held with the same protections of any literary work, and the thought of banning its reading due to an ideological difference should be anathema to any true american.

Banning thoughts, banning books, thats everything we are supposed to be against.

no brainer, here.

teacher fired.

school settles quickly.

kid reads his bible during 'free reading time'


THAT ... OR

nah .... this is but a school marm who apparently outgrew their britches, me thinks.???

darn site better be ...

I'm assuming breitbart is leaving something out but... on the premise alone, a kid reading the Bible in school isn't the same thing as a teacher teaching from the Bible. The teacher is in the wrong here.

I am not going to go too far into it but The Catcher in the Rye was banned from Freeport High School in De Funiak Springs, Florida, in 1985, and it was removed from the required reading list in 1986 in Medicine Bow, Wyoming, Senior High School because of sexual references and profanity. The bible has some pretty raunchy demented stuff in it like:


Just saying

If i was in that class and one of the other students was reading a bible, i would have shown up with a quran to read silently to myself.

Either all religions are allowed, or none are. If you can't handle someone with a quran in school, you can't expect a bible to be acceptable.

a reply to: theantediluvian

Although your comparison is different, there sure was a thread on your diversionary topic.....

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Comics, bibles, smut, Playstation 4 instruction manuals... Yes, there are some things that are not totally suited to "free reading" times.

Even from a secular standpoint, do you have any idea how impossible it would be to understand a huge portion of the western literary canon, culture and tradition that we've inherited without a familiarity with the Bible? Do you even have a clue about the impact that the Bible has had on the founding of this country and of Western Society as a whole? The Bible's influence in creating the world we live in has been profound, whether you agree/believe in it or not.

As much as you might like it to be the case; the Bible, doesn't deserve to be grouped in with comics, smut and play station manuals. How incredibly disrespectful and ignorant.

a reply to: Grimpachi

So are you then saying we should ban historical reading concerning
The Civil War, World War 1, WW2, and perhaps The War on Iraq also?

**Rolls Eyes**

originally posted by: benrl
I remember in 5th grade a teacher tried to stop me from reading 1984.

As I shouldn't be reading such an adult book, I remember at the time chuckling at the thought of a teacher telling me to not read something and 1984 at that...

Anytime, anyone seeks to impose "thought" policing on anyone, it should be fought.

The bible, if just a book, should be held with the same protections of any literary work, and the thought of banning its reading due to an ideological difference should be anathema to any true american.

Banning thoughts, banning books, thats everything we are supposed to be against.

I must have gone to the most liberal schools in Georgia because 1984 was on one of my reading lists.

There are limits to the protections of the first amendment granted to children in school settings as established by precedent set by the SCOTUS in a number of landmark cases but I honestly can't think of one that is going to backup this teacher.

a reply to: burntheships

I never stated that anything should be banned but, I am trying to put a perspective out there about the content of said books we are talking about.

The bible seems to get a pass on questionable content many times well because its the bible I just wonder if people would feel the same about other fiction with the same type of content being allowed at free reading time.