How schools overlook religious harassment and what to do about it (COMMENTARY)

[rug]

Linda K. Wertheimer | January 8, 2016

(RNS) My American history teacher spoke in a monotone as he read a few paragraphs from the textbook about the Nazis killing six million Jews during the Holocaust. The boy sitting behind me leaned forward and whispered in my ear: “Kike. My grandfather was in the KKK.”

I said nothing and stared forward, refusing to reveal just how much the slur stung. My high school teacher did not hear anything, and I never told him.

That incident happened decades ago, but I remember it as if it were yesterday.

In my rural Ohio school, where my two older brothers and I were the only Jews, I would face questioning by peers who knew nothing about Judaism. They couldn’t understand how I couldn’t believe in Jesus. Some outright condemned me to hell.

http://www.religionnews.com/2016/01/08/schools-overlook-religious-harassment-commentary/

[yeoman6987]

1. Overlook harassment?

The person didn't tell the teacher and the teacher didn't hear it.

[Humanist_Activist]

2. True, but that's just one incident, those who "come out" as non-Christians face...

everything from being ostracized to death threats and other types of threats, not to mention misunderstanding and bigotry escalating, in some cases, to physical attack.

Whether its Jessica Ahlquist, or C.C. Lane, or Janie Oyakawa, or Dakota Cohen, and so many others, I actually lost count on the google search, and tried to limit it to just the past few years or so. What is common is official negligence or outright encouragement of the harassment taking place, with the adults(Parents, Faculty, Community) sometimes spearheading attempts at harassment, mostly with the stated goal of intimidation or trying to drive people out of town.

These aren't isolated incidences, they don't just happen rarely, but are actually occur far too often, and yes, with those who are supposed to protect students failing to do so, many times on purpose.