Students suspended for praying in school

[Sis]

2 Students Sue California College District for Threatening to Suspend Them for Praying
Friday , April 10, 2009




Two California students can sue their community college district after their school threatened to suspend them for praying on campus, a federal judge ruled.

Kandy Kyriacou and Ojoma Omaga said the College of Alameda accused them of "disruptive behavior" after they had prayed with an ailing teacher in a faculty office in December of 2007, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The students said the school issued suspension notices to them.

Although public colleges are prohibited from endorsing religion, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston ruled that the women can proceed with a lawsuit against Peralta Community College District.

Illston said college students have the right to pray in private outside the classroom, according to the Chronicle.

The lawsuit seeks an acknowledgment of that right and an apology, and wants all disciplinary action be rescinded, said one of the pair's lawyers, Steven Wood.

The women want no damages apart from attorneys' fees, the paper reported.

The district's attorneys argued that faculty offices were "places for teaching and learning and working" not "protests, demonstrations, prayer" or other disruptive activities.  (My bolding)

from the San Francisco Chronicle

To see the rest of the article:  http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,514175,00.html

[CDAGeek]

That...makes me want to organize a prayer march on my community college campus.

[Sis]

I would hardly call praying for a sick teacher being disruptive. AND the constitution says they have no right stopping us from practicing our religion, but they try at every turn.

[dnr1128]

Apparently other peoples "right" not to be offended trumps our right to practice our faith. 

[Sis]

Apparently, even though ours is spelled out in the first amendment and theirs isn't.

[dnr1128]

Their freedom "from" religion is greater than our freedom "of" religion.

[Sis]

In their minds only.

[CDAGeek]

In my mind, I am the emperor of cheese in a can.

[Gingerale]

*bol!!*

[myhaloisintheshop]

Im thankful there is still prayer in my children's schools.

[Tsalagi]

In my mind, I am the emperor of cheese in a can.

Mmmm...cheese in a can. 

[Brother Dad]

Thank God the students stood up for what is right.  Too often people sit back and let folks run over their right to pray.  If more of us would learn to stand up for what is right, we would see the left letting up some.  The problem is we have given the left an open door to offend us. 

[Melody]

ugh...  On one hand I am so glad I have started homeschooling my kid(s) (because Hannah will start in the fall) but on the other, I admire those that stick in there and fight for what's right.

[Sis]

Well, don't forget this was college. Kids who are brought up going through the school system, even if they try to hang on to religious things, have been taught that it's not good to do some things. They have no energy to fight it because they've been brainwashed from Kindergarten up that some things are right when they're not.