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TEACHER SUES SCHOOL DISTRICT

A fifth-grade Cupertino (Calif.) public school teacher, Stephen
Williams, is suing his principal and school district because they
banned him from using handouts containing excerpts from historical
documents -- such as the Declaration of Independence and George
Washington's Prayer Journal, as well as writings by John Adams,
William Penn and others -- because of their references to God and
Christianity.
Appearing this week on TV's "Hannity and Colmes," Williams
explained that the controversy began in the classroom at the beginning
of last year when he responded to a question from a student. "After
studying the Pledge, the student asked, 'Mr. Williams, why do we have
'under God' in the Pledge?'" According to Williams, the topic was only
discussed for three or four minutes, but later in the day, the school
received a complaint from a parent. As a result, the principal started
requesting his lesson plans and handouts in advance.
"It's like being asked to teach architecture without being allowed
to talk about cathedrals," said Williams' attorney Terry Thompson of
the Alliance Defense Fund. "It's hard to teach American history when
you expunge Christianity. After all, this country was not founded by
the Boston Agnostics Club," he said.
In a news release issued this week, the Cupertino Union School
District stressed that "there has been no ban of such documents [like
the Declaration of Independence or the United States Constitution] or
their underlying principles in the CUSD."