Heather Clark, Christian News Network — (Cheektowaga, New York)A teacher that was ordered to cleanse Christianity from her classroom under threat of termination has filed a lawsuit in federal court to challenge what she believes in an unconstitutional mandate.
Joelle Silver works as a high school teacher for the Cheektowaga Central School District near Buffalo, and is a born again Christian. In June of last year, Silver received a letter from the district, signed by the superintendent, commanding her to keep religion out of the classroom.
One of the items that she was told to remove was a poster that quoted from 1 Corinthians 6:13-14: “Be on guard. Stand true to what you believe. Be courageous. Be strong. And everything you do must be done in love.”
Silver was also mandated to take down a printout of a quote from former President Ronald Reagan, which read:
“Without God there is no virtue because there is no prompting of the conscience . … Without God there is a coarsening of the society. Without God, democracy will not and cannot long endure . … If ever we forget that we are one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”
[...] The teacher had also kept sticky notes discreetly inside her desk for her own personal encouragement, which contained either Bible verses or inspirational messages. The district suggested that that Silver ensure that she keep the items secret by hiding them in a folder.
“If you need to be able to occasionally glance at inspirational Bible verses between classes during the course of the day, I suggest that you keep such material in a discreet folder that only you will have access to,” the letter stated. “You may keep such a folder in a drawer of your desk, so long as you take precautions not to share it or disclose its content to your students or their parents or guardians.”
However, the items weren’t the only matter that the district asked Silver to eradicate. They also ordered her to cleanse her speech of anything that referenced God.
“Except for wearing religious jewelry, such as a cross, I am also directing you to refrain from all other forms of communication with students during the school day (whether verbal, email, texting, written, etc.) that would conflict with your duty to show complete neutrality toward religion and to refrain from promoting religion or entangling yourself in religious matters,” the letter continued.
Silver was then warned that if she did not comply with the mandates outlined in the letter, that she would be fired.
“Please be advised that your failure to follow any of the above directions will be considered insubordination, which could lead to serious disciplinary consequences, including the termination of your employment,” the district threatened.
[...]
The American Freedom Law Center asserts that teachers should not have to stop being a Christian the moment they enter the workplace.
“As a devout Christian, Silver’s faith defines who she is as a person, and it guides all aspects of her life, both public and private. She does not cease being a Christian because she is employed by the school district,” the organization outlined. “As a Christian, Silver is inspired by the Word of God, which guides her actions, including her actions as a public school teacher.”
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