It looks like the White Oak ISD superintendent, Michael Gilbert, has folded like a cheap suit. And we were hoping for a battle!!
This should be a lesson to every atheist: stand up for your rights; stand up for the Constitution! Don't let the theists foist their BS on you.
So far, it looks like we have won. But we'll be keeping an eye on this guy and the ISD.
White Oak ISD: No more 'chapter and verse' from Bible
An East Texas high school principal no longer will include a reading of Bible Scripture as part of his morning announcements after a national uproar over the practice, the district's chief said Saturday. White Oak ISD Superintendent Michael Gilbert said that while the principal would continue to offer his "thought for the day," it "will not include chapter and verse from Scripture."
Gilbert earlier suggested "adjustments" would be made to the daily intercom announcement by White Oak High School Principal Dan Noll, but didn't specify what those would be. The issue gained attention last week after a student sent recordings of some of Noll's readings to an atheist blogger who forwarded them to the Freedom From Religion Foundation in Wisconsin. The foundation contacted the district, calling for disciplinary action against Noll and demanding he cease the daily Bible readings.
On Saturday, he said Noll's thought for the day would remain a part of the high school's morning announcements. "It will consist of material intended to encourage students to consider positive choices in their daily life and plans for the future," Gilbert said. "The thought for the day will come from a variety of sources and will not include chapter and verse from Scripture."
The news came amid a spirited discussion, largely on social media, among people who defended Noll and others who questioned the legality of his actions. A previous News-Journal story had drawn about 150 comments by Saturday afternoon. In its demands to the district, the Freedom from Religion Foundation cited the Supreme Court case of Abbington Township School District v. Schemmp (1963), in which the court ruled that school officials reciting Scripture during school hours represented an unconstitutional establishment of religion.
The foundation said it would pursue legal action if the practice was not changed. That was the stance taken by a San Antonio resident who identified himself as a U.S. Air Force veteran and said he'd sue the district if Noll's practice wasn't changed.
"If the Bible readings, or any sectarian announcement, is still being done by March 30, 2015, I will file a lawsuit against the White Oak ISD," Patrick Greene said Wednesday in an email to Gilbert that was shared with the News-Journal. "Unlike from the Freedom from Religion Foundation, I am a Texan who takes it personally when the Texas and United States Constitutions are being completely ignored. You cannot teach love of country and respect for the law of the land to our children, then flagrantly show your hypocrisy by publicly showing the children how to break the law."
The rest of the story is
here.
Next?!
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