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Tag: Prayer In School

  • Kindergartner Praying Controversy Headed To Court?

    The controversy surrounding whether or not an Carillon Elementary teacher stopped a five-year-old from praying is now the subject of a lawsuit.

    It’s a turn of events that isn’t too surprising given what’s at the heart of the matter.

    Marcos and Kathy Perez of Oviedo, Flordia are claiming that their young daughter Gabriella was getting ready to say grace when a teacher approached her. She was apparently instructed not to pray and told that prayer is “not good”.

    The event was alleged to have occurred on or around March 10th. A video was uploaded to Youtube on March 25th which details what Gabriella’s parents have said is her version of events.

    Prior to the video being uploaded, Marcos Perez said that he had emailed Carillon Elementary Principal Analynn Jones to complain about what had happened.

    Officials launched an investigation in the wake of the controversy and they say that none of the teachers or cafeteria workers recall the incident.

    Perez isn’t surprised by the continued denials because as he puts it, he “didn’t expect anyone to step forward and take blame.”

    The family is being represented by the Texas-based Liberty Institute law firm.

    Lawyer Jeremiah Dys accused the principal at Carillon Elementary of “pretty much dismiss[ing] this”.

    The parents are suing in order to get an apology to their child and a more serious investigation of the matter by Carillion Elementary. They also desire the adult responsible to no longer be a teacher at the school.

    Perez and his wife have admitted that they will likely home-school their daughter.

    There is another aspect of the suit that is somewhat to blame for lingering doubt as to the authenticity of the claims being made.

    Perez decided to post the video about the event because he “felt like this is a story that’s important and people needed to hear.” It’s also suggested that the suit is meant to shed light on an anti-prayer and anti-Christian agenda allegedly found in America’s schools.

    It’s almost as if the entire situation could be taken from the pages of God Less America: Real Stories From the Front Lines of the Attack on Traditional Values. The book is being promoted by the company Perez works for and was written by Fox News host Todd Starnes.

    It was Starnes who helped the story gain national attention by covering the it on Fox News Radio. Perez was even interviewed about the matter.

    Perez said he did the interview because he is “passionate about the cause.”

    The promotion of an alleged anti-Christian agenda in schools or demanding justice for his wronged daughter: Which is the “cause” in question?

    According to Perez, he is fighting for his daughter’s First Amendment rights. He also resents any insinuation of an ongoing publicity stunt.

    “I’m a father first, a VP of sales second.”

    The school maintains that they’ve never denied children the ability to pray and that this has since been emphasized as the story has garnered considerable attention.

    Image via YouTube

  • Kindergartner Praying Controversy: Potential Hoax?

    Outrage is swirling around the story emerging from Oviedo, Florida involving a five-year-old girl who was allegedly interrupted during her lunchtime prayer.

    According to a story told to the Orlando Sentinel, a kindergartner was preparing to pray over her meal when a ‘lunch teacher’ at Carillon Elementary stopped her.

    “My lunch teacher told me that, when I was about to say something…you’re not allowed to pray.”

    The child said that she responded, “It’s good to pray.”

    The teacher apparently countered that prayer is “not good”.

    The young girl was instructed to share her story in a video recorded by her father, Marcos Perez. Perez’s video has garnered thousands of views and made local and national news.

    A mean godless educator bullying a poor child just trying to say grace over lunch?

    While the event is most certainly plausible, early investigation is raising a few red flags.

    First, there is the fact that Seminole County Public School officials report that cafeteria workers have no knowledge of the incident or of interacting with Perez’s daughter on March 10th, the date the family claimed the incident took place.

    Second, Marcos Perez is the vice president of sales at Charisma House, a Lake Mary-based Christian book publisher.

    “God Less America: Real Stories from the Front Lines of the Attack on Traditional Values” is a book currently being promoted by Perez’s company.

    It was written by Fox News host Todd Starnes, who reported on the incident for Fox News Radio.

    The coincidence and timing is enough to have some people declaring this entire thing a publicity stunt and hoax.

    It is terrible to think that a father might not be above coaching his daughter through a blatant lie “for a good Christian cause”. Nevermind slandering innocent school officials in the process and opening himself up to a defamation lawsuit.

    Still, it wouldn’t be the first time a father has gotten his children to lie for purely selfish reasons.

    The balloon boy hoax that happened three years ago involved a father who coached his child into lying in order to potentially get a television deal. Something the child unwittingly admitted to on CNN.

    Given how visibly upset that young boy was when forced to play a role in the hoax (he would vomit whenever the matter was brought up in interviews), it’s something Perez needs to consider if he’s electing to put the same emotional strain on his daughter for profit and not because this actually happened.

    If an incident did occur, hopefully further investigation will uncover the truth and reveal which teacher is responsible.

    Given the viral nature of this story and the strong reaction, an update is inevitable.

    Until such time, it’s best to wait for all the facts before jumping to any definite conclusion in this matter. Or adults once again using partisan talking points to beat home their own one-sided point of view while forgetting something very important.

    A little girl was either told that she couldn’t exercise her religious beliefs or was coached to lie for profit and slander.

    Either potential outcome is both sad and disturbing, and indicative of adults setting terrible examples for young and impressionable children.

    Image via Youtube

  • Kindergartner Praying In School Told To Stop

    Was a kindergartner told that she couldn’t pray at lunch?

    That’s what folks in Oviedo, Fla. are trying to figure out, after a 5-year-old by the name Gabriella Perez accused a staff member at Carillon Elementary School of stopping her from praying in the cafeteria.

    After the alleged incident, Gabriella went home and told her parents about what happened, and right away her dad posted a YouTube video about it.

    “The lunch teacher said, ‘You’re not allowed to pray,’” said the 5-year-old in the video. “I said, ‘It’s good to pray.’ She said, ‘It’s not good.’”

    But here’s the thing: Staff members at the school say none of this ever happened and no one in the cafeteria recalls any of this taking place.

    A spokesperson for the Seminole County School System believes Gabriella misunderstood what was told to her, and he’s confused why her father would make a video instead of coming to the school.

    “The situation as stated by the parent has not occurred according to the school’s investigation,” said Michael Lawrence, who holds the title of communications officer.

    “We’re dealing with very young children here, so there’s quite a bit of an opportunity for miscommunication to occur. The time and the issues were very odd considering that the first thing that happened was that a video was done, it was on YouTube.”

    Since the video has gone viral a few advocacy groups, like the Liberty Institute of Plano, have reached out to the Perez family and are demanding a deeper investigation by the school, as well as an apology. But based on Carillon’s response so far, it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen any time soon.

    Kathy Perez, Gabriella’s mother, commended her daughter and said she believes every word she says about the alleged incident.

    “She wanted to pray, but she’s a rule-follower,” said Kathy. “I told her she did the right thing. I don’t doubt for a minute that my daughter is telling the truth.”

    Image via YouTube