Wesley Busch was excited about his mom coming to his Pennsylvania kindergarten class to read from his favorite book. But when she stood to read from the Psalms, the teacher stopped her.
“The principal was brought in and the decision was made, ‘You can’t read that,'" said Jeremy Tedesco, with the Alliance Defense Fund.
Instead, it was suggested Mrs. Busch read a book about “witches and Halloween.” School officials labeled her actions as “proselytizing” and “promoting a specific religious point of view” even though another parent was allowed to read a book about Hanukkah and explain the holiday.
“There’s just absolutely no reason; in fact, it’s against the Constitution to treat Christians differently," Tedesco told Family News in Focus.
“Especially when the school does what it has done here, which is open up a forum for kids to say who they are and what they believe. What are they supposed to take away from this assignment? That everything is valid to talk about except for your religious beliefs or your Christian beliefs?”
Ironically, three out of four Pennsylvania education standards encourage teaching religion. Eric Buehrer with Gateways to Better Education said the directive falls on deaf ears.
“Unfortunately, a lot of educators see teaching about another religion as a cultural exercise," he said, "but teaching about the Bible or Christianity is a violation of the separation of church and state.”
A federal district court sided with the school. That decision is being appealed.
