Normally, I don't write about local politics, but this is beyond local politics as usual:
A Keller school district parent said political correctness has run amok at her daughter's elementary school, where the principal chose to omit the words "In God We Trust" from an oversize coin depicted on the yearbook cover.
[snip]
Keller administrators agreed with the decision, which Travis made in conjunction with a school parents group, district spokesman Jason Meyer said. District policy states, in part: "The District shall take no action respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech."
Principals must strive to remain neutral regarding religion, Meyer said.
"It's not always easy to make everybody happy when we are making decisions," he said. He said Travis was unavailable for comment Friday.
Is the school's job to make everybody happy or to education children? Facts are facts and the nickle actually has "In God We Trust" on it. They see the yearbook and they can learn how easy it is to misrepresent reality just to make some whiny parents "happy".
My children go to Keller schools. The people in charge of my children's educational program will be teaching them how to not appreciate United States history, how to be afraid of offending every conceivable flavor of human being, and overall pansiness masking as political correctness.
Just as I was writing this, I got this email from the district:
May 21, 2006
Dear Parents,
Over the weekend, there have been several news stories regarding the yearbook at Liberty Elementary School and a collective decision made by the Liberty Elementary PTA Board and Principal Janet Travis.
As the PTA Board and principal were discussing a possible cover for the yearbook – a yearbook that was financed by PTA funds – some members of the group thought that it would be very "cute" and "clever" to use the newly minted nickel on the front cover. With the new design clearly marking "Liberty" on the front side, the group thought that it would be a neat way to honor the school. However, it was brought up during a meeting that having "In God We Trust" on the cover might create an issue with people of several religious faiths. Because it was also felt that not including the slogan could also be of issue with other faiths, it was decided by the group that a sticker bearing "In God We Trust" should be included with the yearbook. In this way, families could make the decision whether or not they wished to include the phrase on their individual yearbooks.
Certainly, the use of the newly minted nickel does not in any way violate Keller ISD Board Policy, and we would like to express our regrets for any distress that this decision may have caused some of our families. While it is always easy to look back on campus decisions in hindsight and agree that a different decision could have been made, our principals often find themselves on the front lines of issues regarding the separation of church and state. In most of these cases, school administrators find themselves making decisions that are not going to please all parties involved. Unfortunately, the decision at Liberty Elementary School fell into this category.
Again, on behalf of the Keller Independent School District I would like to express our regrets for any distress that this decision may have caused.
Sincerely,
Dr. James R. Veitenheimer
Superintendent of Schools——————————————————————————–
email: e-news@kellerisd.net
phone: 817-744-1000
web: http://www.kellerisd.net
I read this letter several times and I still don't know if they regret the decision or regret the fact they they included an official Liberty "In God We Trust" sticker without clear instructions.
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