Steven Williams Case - more factual information

[Ed Brayton]

The key question in the Steven Williams case, as Jim Henderson and I 
agreed last week, will revolve around the facts of the case - the 
contents of the handouts that were disallowed by the principal and 
whether they indicate that what Mr. Williams was engaged in was 
proselytizing rather than teaching history. Some of those handouts were 
included in the complaint that the ADF filed 
(http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/media/WilliamsvCupertinoComplaint.pdf), 
and one more has been published at 
http://www.eriposte.com/philosophy/fundamentalism/StevenWilliams_Easter_assignment.jpg. 
The latter is apparently an assignment that Williams handed out about 
Easter to his 5th grade class. Here is the text of that assignment:

----------------------------

Activities on Exploring Easter and Why it's Relevant in our Culture and 
Nation

Christianity has had a huge influence on our nation and so during the 
Easter season it's important to know why Christians celebrate this 
'Holy'-day and what impact Jessu Christ had on our society and nation. 
Pick 2 of the following activities and present them next week.

* Read the East er story in the bible. Start reading Luke, chapter 22 
and continue to the end of the book of Luke. Write a resopnse to some of 
the themes in the Easter story of the bible: betrayal, sacrifice, 
resurrection, love, hope, new life. Write a response to any of the 
themes in the story using references from the bible and how they apply 
to our culture today. Make a diorama of a scene from the story and 
attach your written response.

*Interview a Christian family that celebrates Easter and write about 
what they do and why they do it. Write a summary of your interview and 
give an oral presentation to the class on what you found using props and 
antyhing appropriate to enhancing your presentation.

*John Adams wrote, "Our constitution was made only for a moral and 
religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any 
other." He also wrote a paper called, "American Independence was 
Achieved Upon the Principles of Christianity." Write a one page report 
on why he felt so strongly that this nation should be founded on 
Christian principles and quote from primary sources.

*Review some of the famous teachings of Jesus Christ such as: the Golden 
Rule, the Sermon on the Mount, and parable of the Good Samaritan. Write 
a response to this teaching and how it is applied today in our culture 
and examples of how it has shaped our nation. Present a short oral 
presentation or skit to the class which demonstrates what you learned.

*You will pretend to be a newspaper reporter and you will need to 
interview someone who works for a church near you. Ask them, what will 
their church be doing to remember Jesus' death and resurrection? Why is 
Easter important to them? Write a one page article based on your interview.

Pick 2 of the activities to complete by next Wed. 4/14

-------------------------------------

Assuming this document is authentic, it would certainly seem to me that 
it strongly undercuts Williams' case. The assignment is clearly 
inappropriate proselytizing and it would strongly support the school 
district's argument that Mr. Williams could not be trusted to determine 
what is appropriate or inappropriate when it came to supplemental 
materials and that the administration's oversight on that matter was 
entirely justified.It should also be noted that there are at least 2 
quotes in his other handouts that are entirely fictitious, and quite 
possibly one entire document referenced that is a forgery (Washington's 
"prayer journal").

Ed Brayton