School can expel lesbian students, court rules – Los Angeles Times — What do I have to do to get the numbers on this blog back up! Just seems like a funny headline I could not resist.
After a Lutheran school expelled two 16-year-old girls for having “a bond of intimacy” that was “characteristic of a lesbian relationship,” the girls sued, contending the school had violated a state anti-discrimination law.
In response to that suit, an appeals court decided this week that the private religious school was not a business and therefore did not have to comply with a state law that prohibits businesses from discriminating. A lawyer for the girls said Tuesday that he would ask the California Supreme Court to overturn the unanimous ruling by a three-judge panel of the 4th District Court of Appeal.
The appeals court called its decision “narrow,” but lawyers on both sides of the case said it would protect private religious schools across California from such discrimination suits.
If you want to get the numbers on the blog up, how about writing some actual articles instead of regurgitating stuff I can find on Digg? I came here to read what John C Dvorak had to say, but I’ve not seen one article like that in a year.
It is a private institution and is allowed to discriminate as such. This is the same thing Scouts of America does when they disallow nontheists.
Of course, thinking people would also recognize their own rights to drop stupid, antiquated, bigoted religion on its pointy little head.
How would the school even know they are lesbians? Are they kissing or holding hands at school? I wasn’t allowed to kiss or hold hands with a girl at private school either.
Were they just hanging out with each other and excluding others? Lots of girls did that and they were not lesbians.
So either they were doing PDA or they were making their relationship an issue.
#20, Loser,
I agree with you except for when you get to the part about educating the children should not be the government’s concern.
It is in our interest that all children be educated. As with public schools, home schooled children should be verified that they are being taught. The teachers (including home teaching parents) should all meet specific minimum standards. The facilities should all meet minimum standards. And, the materials should all be to a specific standard.
Benjamin, the girls were originally reported to the principal by a student informant. During the principal’s inquisition, the principal claims that the girls admitted to having told other students they were lesbians.
We should all just pray that they will find their way back to the Lord’s divine plan of heterosexuality, even as we also pray not to succumb to the temptation of playing imagined videos of their licentious and lascivious activities in our own heads.
# 34 Mr. Fusion said, “It is in our interest that all children be educated. As with public schools, home schooled children should be verified that they are being taught.”
However, since those “supervising” the public schools aren’t ensuring that THOSE children are being taught, who do you want checking on the Home Schooling?
…wonders if the principal made them prove it during the inquisition….
#35 “During the principal’s inquisition, the principal claims that the girls admitted to having told other students they were lesbians.”
Easy to handle in any case: “But Principal, I only told Gerald, the dorky kid with tape on his glasses, when he asked me out. You won’t tell him I am not really a lesbian, will you?”
What if the school said we are only admitting whites. Would that be OK? How far are you willing to let private schools go with their religious freedom? The bible does say that disrespectful children should be put to death so if they are getting their guidelines from the bible they’d better start obeying the rest of it.
#39 TheBlob
>>What if the school said we are only admitting whites.
This type of racist diversion is not helpful or accurate. The school is not admitting only whites so it is not pertinent.
Most religious schools consider same-sex relationships to be sinful and go to great lengths to adhere to a higher standard… a difficult task at best.
If you don’t agree then don’t go to a religious school.
#36, Cow-Paddy,
However, since those “supervising” the public schools aren’t ensuring that THOSE children are being taught, who do you want checking on the Home Schooling?
Well I can’t answer for your neck of the woods, but here in Indiana the State does require home schoolers to demonstrate they are learning at grade level. They do not take the State Wide tests unless they want their GED.
Now maybe you could offer some evidence that those “supervising” the public schools aren’t ensuring that THOSE children are being taught. You have mentioned this a few times so I’m sure where you can find the information.
the issue under debate here is whether the government can tell the school what to believe. stating that you cannot live by principles you believe in is tantamount to telling you it’s unlawful to believe them. Last time I checked, this was covered in the Bill of Rights:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
If my religion teaches me to bring my children up in the knowledge of God, then I consider teaching them through a school which rigorously believes and practices in ways identical to mine as a direct mode of practicing my religion. If you step in and say the school isn’t allowed to practice that set of beliefs, you strip me of my right to practice my religion.
# 41 Mr. Fusion said, “Now maybe you could offer some evidence that those “supervising” the public schools aren’t ensuring that THOSE children are being taught.”
“According to a 2005 report from the OECD, the United States is tied for first place with Switzerland when it comes to annual spending per student on its public schools, with each of those two countries spending more than $11,000 (in U.S. currency). [59] Despite this high level of funding, according to the OECD, U.S. public schools lag behind the schools of other developed countries in the areas of reading, math, and science.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_the_United_States
Please follow the cites. I did and found them credible…
#40–Hey Contempt==good job with Blob. Made you even seem rational. I guess it all depends on one’s position on the pecking order for contempt for the truth.
Well done.
I’m no catholic but when it came time to think about school for my kids I wanted the school with the best scholastic results. Where I live that means a jesuit catholic school. They don’t confuse science and religion and while there’s a class dedicated to religion, I don’t sweat it, because they test your knowlege of the bible and catholic ritual, they don’t test your faith. Sure you could send your kid to public school, in fact I’m glad most people do. My kids won’t have any trouble at all competing with them.
Actually, on the topic of parochial schools, madrasas and such, it is every religious parent’s responsibility to indoctrinate their child to the greatest degree possible.
As parents, they’ve made a conscious choice to conceive and bring their child into the world. Even under the very best of circumstances, there’s a significant probability that their child will die without faith in the one true religion, whichever one that may be. According to many of their various religious superstitions, the souls of these faithless offspring will spend eternity in the everlasting torture of hell.
Even the smallest chance of raising a child who goes on to die without faith must be an enormously heavy moral burden for any religious parent. Therefore, it is not just the right, but the highest calling and duty of these parents to indoctrinate their children with special schooling and rituals, and even potions where available. Anything a parent can possibly do to reduce the chance that their child will go to hell must be done, and with the greatest moral urgency.
And this is why they forgive Dick Cheney.
#43, Cow-Paddy,
Once again you made a claim you can’t back up. You said those “supervising” the public schools aren’t ensuring that THOSE children are being taught.”
You are claiming individuals are not “supervising”. OK, which supervisors don’t ensure the students are being taught? This isn’t a quality question, it is a factual question.
Remember, making blanket claims on an entire group is stupid. It is also expected of limited intelligence.
#42, Brian,
the issue under debate here is whether the government can tell the school what to believe. stating that you cannot live by principles you believe in is tantamount to telling you it’s unlawful to believe them.
Yup. Not just with the Lutherans, but with several churches the courts have said that religions must live within the laws of society.
That is why the Mormon Church had to give up polygamy.
That is why those who worship marijuana as a sacrament can’t practice what they preach.
That is why some wing nut deviant can’t claim that serial killing is a religious requirement to ascend to heaven.
The point that churches may or may not violate the Civil Rights Act is very relevant. Although homosexuality is not part of the Federal CRA, it is in the California Civil Rights statutes. Because the Lutheran Church and the School do not pay taxes, they are being subsidized by the government. That means they must follow government policy and not discriminate. If they allow the Church and School to pay property taxes, then they can do almost what they wish.
The Government is not telling the Lutherans what they may believe, only that they must practice inside the law.
I have to agree with a few people here.
Mr Fusion again is right, this is a private school and as such they can run it how they want.
Cow Paddy, you are right. US Public Schools blow. Unfortunately not for the reason you think. It is because douches like you are getting creationism taught in public schools where it doesn’t belong because apparently we have the California Lutheran High School taking care of that for us.
Apparently #23 Contempt is a douche since he mistakes Mr Fusion looking at the bigger picture of private vs public as some how agreeing with the other douches here like Cow Paddy.
Dm you are right and Cow Paddy is wrong, this school is getting money from the government through not having to pay taxes. The school is owned and operated by churches like most of these religious schools are.
Now just like the Boy Scouts this school in discriminating, as is their right, and should be have their tax exempt status withdrawn. Just like churches that participate in political speech should.
#50 suckit…BSA and churches don’t lose tax-exempt status, they lose any accommodations provided by government-funded sources.
If they get political, then they should lose tax status.
#34, Poison Twin,
If that is what the local and state governments require, then sure. The federal government has no business in that. And that includes bribe money to the state to set national standards. By forcing the states to adhere to a national standard, you are forcing them to teach a certain way. Not all students can be taught the same way to arrive at the problem. The method of teaching is best understood at the local level.
#51 Baggins,
Both the BSA and this school and its affiliated churches should lose public funding, if any(we could talk at length about churches getting public funding and whether this is in the interest of the public at large) and their tax exempt status. We are talking about organizations that use hate speech to describe their beliefs and would be considered a terrorist organization were it not affiliated with the particular god they worship.
#52, Loser,
I see your point and think we disagree over minutia.
True, local input is important BUT I have a hard time when our local School Board decides to allow their religious influences get in the way of running the schools. Yes, yes, that is the democratic way and I accept it, like it or not.
I think your point deals more with method and I agree. I have long advocated that not every child can be taught with a cookie cutter approach and we must allow leeway in technique, materials, and whatever else to help.
My comment concerning minimum standards has more to do with some semi-illiterate parent teaching a child using the New Testament as the math text. Just because the parent feels good doesn’t mean the child is being taught.
Isn’t god the greatest? Everybody who doesn’t do or think or feel exactly as a few self-absorbed jerk thinks, are condemned to eternity in hell.
I am sooo looking forward to meeting all of them – in hell.
# 53 suckit said, “we could talk at length about churches getting public funding and whether this is in the interest of the public at large”
That’s an interesting topic. Under Bush some churches could get funds to power their charity activities. Bad idea IMO. Obama has promised to increase this program. Bad idea.
Click here for more lesbians:
tinyurl.com/dmo3gm
Their relationship was out in the open or an issue. My school doesn’t allow PDA at all. And I’m in public school.
Why didn’t they just cane the girls hard and let them get on with it?