Friday, July 11, 2008
BACKGROUND CHECKS AND SCHOOL PRAYER
One result of the sexual abuse crisis in the Church has been the institution of background checks on any adult who volunteers to help out at school. There has been compliance with relatively little protest that has made news coverage.
Across the pond there is a school policy of criminal investigation for an adult who comes onto school property to assist. That policy extends to school transportation vehicles as well as school property.
In a strange case reported by the Daily Mail, a mother is barred from accompanying her severely ill son in the taxi used by the school system to transport him 5 miles to school because she has not passed the Criminal Records Bureau check. The son is epileptic and requires special medical intervention when he has a seizure that only his parents are trained to provide, which is why his mother wishes to accompany him.
In reading the story, what comes to mind is Gestapo tactics invading and dividing the family. Could the background checks be used here in America in a similar fashion to separate children from their parents? I'm inclined to believe that it could, especially if someone in power in the school system has an ax to grind with a parent. That's scary.
The Daily Mail carries another story about children age 11 to 12 who were punished with detention for refusing to pray to Allah:
Two schoolboys were given detention after refusing to kneel down and 'pray to Allah' during a religious education lesson.
Parents were outraged that the two boys from year seven (11 to 12-year-olds) were punished for not wanting to take part in the practical demonstration of how Allah is worshipped.
They said forcing their children to take part in the exercise at Alsager High School, near Stoke-on-Trent - which included wearing Muslim headgear - was a breach of their human rights.
One parent, Sharon Luinen, said: "This isn't right, it's taking things too far.
"I understand that they have to learn about other religions. I can live with that but it is taking it a step too far to be punished because they wouldn't join in Muslim prayer.
"Making them pray to Allah, who isn't who they worship, is wrong and what got me is that they were told they were being disrespectful....
Another parent Karen Williams said: "I am absolutely furious my daughter was made to take part in it and I don't find it acceptable.
"I haven't got a problem with them teaching my child other religions and a small amount of information doesn't do any harm.
"But not only did they have to pray, the teacher had gone into the class and made them watch a short film and then said 'we are now going out to pray to Allah'....
"Not only was it forced upon them, my daughter was told off for not doing it right.
"They'd never done it before and they were supposed to do it in another language."
Read the story here...
If I were to project these two stories into the future, I can envision a situation in which Islam is the dominant religion in a European country and school children are forced to participate in that religion even if their parents object. That parental objection, depending upon its nature, might violate a future law, leaving a parent with a criminal record that would prohibit the parent from stepping onto school property, even if it is necessary to aid a sick child.
Scary.
