Monday, April 07, 2014

FL Kindergartner Forbidden to Bow Head Over Lunch

A Seminole County teacher suspected that Gabriella Perez was praying silently over her mid-day meal at Carillon Elementary School in Oviedo, Florida because the 5-year-old girl bowed her head and closed her eyes. "The lunch teacher said, 'You're not allowed to pray. . . . It's not good,'" Gabriella Perez recalled in a YouTube video.
"The principal has pretty much dismissed this. . . . Saying a 5-year-old cannot pray over her chicken nuggets and mac and cheese isn't in line with the Constitution."
-- Jeremiah Dys, Liberty Institute (attorney representing the family)
For background, read God is NOT Your Idol, Teacher Tells Student; Michael Jackson Is as well as Christian Girl Muzzled, Sues Kansas City School

Also read Illegal to Read George Washington's Prayer in Public, but in South Carolina, Prayer at School Board Won't Stop

In addition, read America Going to Hell; Christians Lose Convictions

-- From "Seminole County family demands apology after prayer controversy" posted at WKMG-TV8 (Orlando, FL) 4/1/14

. . . Gabriella described that she was bowing her head to pray at her lunch table when a lunchroom teacher told her she wasn't allowed to.

The family said the school district should fire the lunchroom monitor who told their daughter to stop praying. Although Gabriella was able to provide her parents with the physical description of the school employee, the family says they have not gotten around to sharing the details with the district.

The Liberty Institute, a legal organization that defends religious freedom, sent a letter to the school district on Tuesday asking for the apology and demanding the district explain what steps it is taking to prevent religious discrimination.

A Seminole County school spokesman said the district doesn't have any policies prohibiting students from praying, as long as it is not disruptive.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Kindergartner says she was stopped from prayer over lunch" by Lauren Roth, Orlando Sentinel, 4/1/14


The family said the incident happened the week of March 10. Seminole County Public Schools officials say Principal Analynn Jones spoke to staff who could have been in the cafeteria at the time and could not find anyone who recalled it.

"She wanted to pray, but she's a rule-follower," said Kathy Perez, Gabriella's mother, during a news conference Tuesday near the school. "I told her she did the right thing. I don't doubt for a minute that my daughter is telling the truth."

Marcos Perez said he posted the [YouTube] video because "I felt like this is a story that's important and people needed to hear." He contacted the principal shortly after the video went up.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Dad: Teacher Told My Kid to Stop Lunchtime Prayer" by Todd Starnes, FoxNews

[Marco] Perez said he and his wife were so upset over the incident they sat down with a video camera and had their daughter recount what happened. They posted the video to YouTube. And they also tried to reassure their daughter that she had done nothing wrong.

“We tried to reaffirm to her and let her know that according to our own family values and according to the biblical values we are raising our children in that she did nothing wrong,” Perez said.

The Perez family said they are now going to home school their daughter.

It’s disappointing, he said, because they bought a house in that area of Florida because of the academic reputation of Seminole County.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

However, read of countless examples of citizens banding together to defy the atheists and pray in school and other local government bodies, and also read the long list of states enacting laws to bring prayer back to schools.