Settlement: Union County Schools Religious Harassment Case

[JaNell]

From the WVLT story:

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. A settlement has been reached in the case of a girl whose parents sued the Union County school system alleging she was harassed because of the family's pagan believes.
The 50-thousand dollar settlement was announced yesterday.

It marks the end to a civil rights lawsuit brought against the Union County Board of Education in February 2003.

India Tracy was a 14-year-old student at Maynardville's Horace Maynard Middle School when her parents filed the lawsuit on her behalf.

In addition to the money, the settlement spells out guidelines for how the school system addresses outside religious events, such as crusades that students attend during school time.

The family practices paganism, an ancient religious tradition that embraces kinship with nature and positive morality.

A federal judge still must approve the settlement.

.

[Scorptrio]

I saw the picture of the girl on a TV news story, and did a double-take because she looks a lot like Mo's daughter SnapDragon. Until they read the name, I was thinking "What has Mo got herself into now?" But this is a great precedent. No one should be forced to participate in a religious event which they don't want to be involved with.

[LordHades]

My first trained reaction was of course to support a victory against the "status quo", but something gave me pause, and looking over the details a couple times, I realized it gave scant little in the way of actual facts. So I'm reserving further opinion until I have a real understanding of what occured.. which is itself unlikely to occur.. but mostly is just me saying that the newspapers should print information that will allow people to understand the facts of the issue at hand, rather than simple summaries denying anyone thier own opinion.

[The Stormstress]

The issue doez raize concern, but I must agree that the article haz 2 lil' info. It seemz that even the media iz afraid 2 get 2 far n2 this issue.

[JaNell]

My first trained reaction was of course to support a victory against the "status quo", but something gave me pause, and looking over the details a couple times, I realized it gave scant little in the way of actual facts. So I'm reserving further opinion until I have a real understanding of what occured.. which is itself unlikely to occur.. but mostly is just me saying that the newspapers should print information that will allow people to understand the facts of the issue at hand, rather than simple summaries denying anyone thier own opinion.

From talking to India, who's a great kid, things were much worse than what's made it into print.



NEWS SENTINEL Story By JEANNINE F. HUNTER, May 17, 2004



Greg and Sarajane Tracy worried for the safety of their daughter India, asserting she was harassed, ostracized and attacked while attending school in Union County. The Tracys filed a federal lawsuit against Union County Schools, charging her religious freedom was violated. India, 15, shows an amulet containing the ashes of her friend Tempest Smith, 12, who committed suicide after she said she was harassed and taunted at her school in Michigan.

She stills wears those ashes...

[Hardcoregirl]

NEWS SENTINEL Story By JEANNINE F. HUNTER, May 17, 2004



Greg and Sarajane Tracy worried for the safety of their daughter India, asserting she was harassed, ostracized and attacked while attending school in Union County. The Tracys filed a federal lawsuit against Union County Schools, charging her religious freedom was violated. India, 15, shows an amulet containing the ashes of her friend Tempest Smith, 12, who committed suicide after she said she was harassed and taunted at her school in Michigan.

She stills wears those ashes...

Not that it makes any difference, but she didn't learn about the Tempest girl until after the lawsuit was filed. She didn't know the girl personally...

The Tracys said Denessa Smith first learned about their family after news reported about their eldest daughter's made headlines for not attending the revival as a middle school student. India was in elementary school at the time. The Tracys said they did not learn about Tempest until after they filed their lawsuit.

I think its a great victory and I hope that it moves this rhinestone studded buckle of the bible belt toward more tolerance and acceptance. I should send my son to school with a pentacle necklace just to see what happens...

[Mother Mo]

No, Gregori, it wasn't me this time... but who knows? My kids have both gotten alot of grief from the little Xian kids who tell them their Mom is going to hell, they are going to hell, & we're all devil worshippers (Xians don't see a difference between pagan ways & devil worship, which gives them a percieved license to harrass).

What really sucks in when it's the grown ups joining in or even leading the charge. My son's last year in elementary school was filled with trips to the principal's office for conferences on why it was inappropriate for his teacher to tell him that listening to Marilyn Manson is going to send his soul to hell, or that there's no such thing as magic & you're an idiot if you believe otherwise. I wasted no time in defending my son's rights & setting the woman straight, but it was a battle all year. At least in middle school, it's just the kids who pick on him again & the teachers are either more professional or withdrawn.

We have a serious problem with this kind of thing in our area of the world. Xian kids are taught intolerance at school as well as at home & church... not all of course, but way too many. Public education is supposed to be secular, but that's a myth, as any pagan in the system knows full well.

Thanks for posting the news, JaNell.

[LordHades]

Ok, if the falculty become involved in a negative way, or refuse to become involved when it's brought to their attention. I say sue the fuckers into the ground.

HOWEVER. Kids are kids. I had to deal with being tormented on a daily basis by my "peers". Never considered them that, still probably wouldn't. And I had to bust more than a few faces and bend more than a few arms over the years. But that's part of growing up. People fucking suck in groups. They get into their little groups, they find an easy target, and they hate simply to give them a unifying purpose. Something to do. It's human nature 101, survival of the fittest, or at least the most resiliant. Did it make my life hell? Sure. Did I consider killing myself, or them, on a daily basis? Sure, why the hell not? Do I still bear the emotional scars? Of course! Are there others whose lives were drastically and irrevocably altered due to such abuse, their opinions of others diminished to the point of now return, and their hope for a bright future or happy life smothered beyond any rekindling? Yup indeed! And what happens to these poor, lost souls? They wear lots of black and experiment in fetish play to "make right" what happened to them.

So why "fix" it? C'mon folks! This is the next generation of.. US we're talking about! The goth culture NEEDS new blood! Don't start getting soft now! Sure, they're only children.. But in the words of the great Carlin.. Fuck the children!! We need a steady crop of 18 year old emotionally damaged, scantily clad guys and gals seeking some meaning in a meaningless existance, if we're ever to survive.. Or, you know.. Get laid.

My 2 cents.. For what they're worth.

[abreeskye]

Ok, if the falculty become involved in a negative way, or refuse to become involved when it's brought to their attention. I say sue the fuckers into the ground.

HOWEVER. Kids are kids. I had to deal with being tormented on a daily basis by my "peers". Never considered them that, still probably wouldn't. And I had to bust more than a few faces and bend more than a few arms over the years. But that's part of growing up. People fucking suck in groups. They get into their little groups, they find an easy target, and they hate simply to give them a unifying purpose. Something to do. It's human nature 101, survival of the fittest, or at least the most resiliant. Did it make my life hell? Sure. Did I consider killing myself, or them, on a daily basis? Sure, why the hell not? Do I still bear the emotional scars? Of course! Are there others whose lives were drastically and irrevocably altered due to such abuse, their opinions of others diminished to the point of now return, and their hope for a bright future or happy life smothered beyond any rekindling? Yup indeed! And what happens to these poor, lost souls? They wear lots of black and experiment in fetish play to "make right" what happened to them.

So why "fix" it? C'mon folks! This is the next generation of.. US we're talking about! The goth culture NEEDS new blood! Don't start getting soft now! Sure, they're only children.. But in the words of the great Carlin.. Fuck the children!! We need a steady crop of 18 year old emotionally damaged, scantily clad guys and gals seeking some meaning in a meaningless existance, if we're ever to survive.. Or, you know.. Get laid.

My 2 cents.. For what they're worth.

I disagree.

I would have been who I am, regardless of who gave me shit growing up.

I was this way before they gave me shit, and it is *why* they gave me shit, because I was my own person.

I think it's insane to think that the only reason someone is in our culture, is that they were made fun of, fucked with, and tortured as a kid. Hmm. No way.

Yes, kids are cruel, but this kind of thing goes beyond the normal cruelty kids should be put through.

Man, thats sort of like saying that just because for a while I went to a school that the majority of the students were black, and hated on me for being white, that I should have turned out a racist, hating on black people.....but I didn't. I mean, I just don't get that sort of logic.

Some of us are just different. We shouldn't be screwed around with because of it though.

And, the fact that school faculty get involved in the ways they do...making fun of the kids religious beliefs.....that is beyond wrong. I went through that same shit, and it is wrong.

This is a big win for us that are "different". I mean, when I have children, I don't want them going to school having their teacher telling them they are going to hell.....especially when I don't even believe in such a place!

[The Stormstress]

No, Gregori, it wasn't me this time... but who knows? My kids have both gotten alot of grief from the little Xian kids who tell them their Mom is going to hell, they are going to hell, & we're all devil worshippers (Xians don't see a difference between pagan ways & devil worship, which gives them a percieved license to harrass).

What really sucks in when it's the grown ups joining in or even leading the charge. My son's last year in elementary school was filled with trips to the principal's office for conferences on why it was inappropriate for his teacher to tell him that listening to Marilyn Manson is going to send his soul to hell, or that there's no such thing as magic & you're an idiot if you believe otherwise. I wasted no time in defending my son's rights & setting the woman straight, but it was a battle all year. At least in middle school, it's just the kids who pick on him again & the teachers are either more professional or withdrawn.

We have a serious problem with this kind of thing in our area of the world. Xian kids are taught intolerance at school as well as at home & church... not all of course, but way too many. Public education is supposed to be secular, but that's a myth, as any pagan in the system knows full well.

Thanks for posting the news, JaNell.

Allow me, 1st, 2 say how verrry humorous I hav alwayz found this Xian view ov Paganz az Devil-worshipperz, considering that "The Devil" iz thier own creation.

I'm just sik 2 death ov peepz uzing religion az an x-cuse 4 nearly every fit ov ignorance, hatred, & ntolerance. N-e-1 can clearly c that Jezus set a much different xampl than that which iz being set by soooooooooo many ov Hiz "followerz".

[B_Ko]

I think its a great victory and I hope that it moves this rhinestone studded buckle of the bible belt toward more tolerance and acceptance. I should send my son to school with a pentacle necklace just to see what happens...

Doubtful. Remember, these are conservative republicans. They're so incredibly dense that they're bulletproof. Which is very bad, because they attend NRA meetings drunk and carrying several fully loaded weapons. What im trying to say is, if you're drunk, republican, and your idiot gun buddies are waving weapons around, please, please die.