This Marine Vet Was Banned From His Kids School After Objecting To Islam Lessons
Feb 23, 2016 12:34:46 #
This Marine vet was banned from his kids school after objecting to Islam lessons
By Emma Brown February 23 at 9:35 AM
John Kevin Wood and his wife, Melissa, have sued Charles County, Md., schools, alleging that lessons on Islam violated their daughters civil rights.
John Kevin Wood says his daughters school has banned him from campus for more than a year, illegally punishing him for raising objections to classroom lessons about Islam. Now hes gone to court for help, asking a judge to remove the ban so he can watch his daughter graduate from high school.
Shes in the final semester of her senior year, and as it stands right now, shes going to have to go through that life experience without her dad there, said Kate Oliveri, a lawyer from the Michigan-based Thomas More Law Center who is representing the Wood family.
The dispute dates to October 2014, when Woods daughter showed him several assignments for her 11th grade World History class at La Plata High in Charles County, Md.
[Do Muslims and Christians worship the same god? College suspends professor who said yes]
She had been asked to memorize the Five Pillars of Islam. She had been asked to write and recite the shahada, the Muslim statement of faith: There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. She had been taught, according to school papers submitted to federal court, that most Muslims faith is stronger than the average Christian.
An exhibit, showing classroom materials used in a high school lesson on Islam, submitted to the court as part of the Wood complaint.
The lessons also taught that Islam was a peaceful religion, court papers say, and that jihad is a holy war waged on behalf of Islam as a religious duty; a personal struggle in devotion to Islam especially involving spiritual discipline. Wood is a Marine veteran who had lost two buddies in combat in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm.
The school wasnt just teaching Islam but was promoting it, it seemed to Wood, and in a way that amounted to an assault on his familys Christian faith.
When Wood called to complain about the assignments and request alternative work for his daughter, school officials issued a no-trespass order against him. Wood has not been allowed to set foot on the campus of La Plata High since October 2014.
The order, which Woods lawyers posted online, says that Wood made verbal threats against the school. The legal battle now centers on whether the school system unfairly punished Wood for speaking out.
In court papers, Wood says he never threatened physical harm against the school or its staff. Instead, he said, he threatened to take his concerns public by going to the media and to lawyers.
The dispute turned into a legal battle last month, when Wood and his wife, Melissa, sued the Charles County school system, alleging that La Plata Highs lessons on Islam violated their daughters civil and constitutional rights.
The First Amendment prohibits the promotion of the religion of Islam over other faiths, such as Christianity or Judaism, in our public schools, says the complaint, filed in U.S District Court in Maryland.
Katie OMalley-Simpson, spokeswoman for the Charles County school system, said she could not comment on pending litigation. But when Wood first raised concerns about the assignments in 2014, the school system released a statement clarifying what students learn in its World History classes.
The unit to which Wood objected is meant to teach about Middle Eastern empires and the role that Islam along with politics, culture, economics and geography played in the history and development of those empires, the statement said. The course covers other religions in other units; students study Christianity when they learn about the Renaissance, for example, and Hinduism and Buddhism in units about India and China.
Now Wood is asking the court to rescind the no-trespass order, alleging that the ban violates his First Amendment rights to speak about and advocate for his daughters activities at a public school. School officials banned him only because they disagreed with him and wanted to quash criticism of their pro-Islamic curriculum, he argued in a motion filed on Monday.
OMalley-Simpson said she had not yet seen Woods motion asking the court to rescind the ban, and therefore could not comment on it.
The dispute is reminiscent of a controversy in rural Augusta County, Va., that drew national attention in December after a teacher assigned a calligraphy lesson that asked students to write the shahada in Arabic. Objections from local parents went viral on social media and cable news, triggering a slew of messages that didnt specifically threaten students but nevertheless persuaded officials to close the county schools.
[Schoolwork about Islam triggers backlash in Virginia county]
Parents elsewhere in the country, including in Tennessee and Georgia, also have raised concerns about lessons that center on Islam.
Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said the Maryland lawsuit is an example of the anti-Islam campaign thats being waged nationwide in schools.
Its just this hysterical knee-jerk negative reaction to anything to do with Islam or Muslims in our society, Hooper said. To merely say the shahada, the declaration of faith, or to understand what Muslims believe it in no way converts you to Islam, thats a ridiculous notion. Islam is a belief system. Youve got to believe in it or youre not a Muslim.
An exhibit submitted to the court, showing an assignment Woods daughter completed.
Experts say that its especially critical for children to learn about Islam and other world religions now, as fears of terrorism linked to jihad have become an increasingly dominant part of the countrys political debate.
To be an educated person, to be a citizen, to be part of the global conversation, to be engaged in our world, religious literacy is essential, Charles Haynes, vice president of the Newseum Institute and founding director of the Religious Freedom Center, told The Washington Post in December. How are we going to live with one another in one of the most religiously diverse societies in the world without understanding one another?
Correction: An earlier version of this story had an incorrect spelling of John Kevin Woods last name. The story has been updated.
Emma Brown writes about national education and about people with a stake in schools, including teachers, parents and kids.
Reader Comments
grapenehi
Absolutely astounded by the number of people that think public schools in Charles Co, MD are somehow
manufacturing Muslims.
USMC1951
Sounds like this school is a group of Ovomit lovers and not fit to teach. Good for this guy, he is trying to protect
his daughter. After all, Muslims are the scum of the earth. They are NOT Americans.
Semper Fi Marine
Hermit1951
Many forms of witch craft are non violent, why not have a lesson about witch craft? Oh wait I know; Witch
craft and Allah don't have a blamed thing to do with Math, English, science, geography or history, which is
what they should be learning. World Religions is a course in College.
Hunter-Z
Religion of ANY kind should never b e taught in public schools. Government
will seize any opportunity that they can to sway the minds of the gullible. Let
religious and private schools do that, if they wish. MY kids attend a private
school, where the parents decide exactly which subjects are to be taught.
With public schools, your kids are taught what the government wants to
"teach" them - that's why the public education system is in such a mess.
Italian Rose
Am I the only one that does not have a problem with this? He should not interfere with progress.
Jack Acer
Is the Government in MD..ALL FASCIST PIGS...
Hunter-Z
Maryland is owned by the blacks, what else is new?
ModeBeast
This is funny, he says: The First Amendment prohibits the promotion of the religion of Islam over other
faiths, such as Christianity or Judaism, in our public schools, I have never seen that in the Constitution,
the singling out of Islam over Christianity, where is that again?
beekeeper6
Well it prohibits PUBLIC institutions from promoting ANY religion, so he's right.
LouieDePalma
I think it is a good thing to teach about Islam. These statements in the example provided are conclusions
that could easily be disputed one way or another by genuine scholars. Can't we just stick to facts?
beekeeper6
Reciting the shahada is how a person CONVERTS to Islam. Clearly a bunch of you "enlightened" liberals aren't aware
of this. It's no different than if you were teaching about religions of the world in a public school, and then wheeled in
a baptismal font and asked the kids to go for a dip.
Jerry Campbell
TRY going to a school in a Muslin country and "LEARNING " about Christianity
talkingheads2014
They do! They use a gun range.
wintersoldier
and they probably eat their camels. (And have sex with their donkeys)
grapenehi
How on earth is that relevant to anything?
Jerry Campbell
It's a good thing I don't have children in any public school systems any longer, otherwise it might result in the SHTF.
beekeeper6
Yeah my daughter is 2 and I dread having to deal with situations like this.
talkingheads2014
In the age of mass shootings and zero tolerance how could the school have gotten any real threat of physical
harm by this man and NOT inform law enforcement?
Jack Acer
Where is America's government? Are all elected Senators and Congressmen of The Islamic religion??
America wake up and Take America Back...
DorisP
Take it back to the time of Cotton Mather and the witch trials? Hmm - no thank you.
Russell Kuespert
The newspapers will teach you what the Islam religion is about.
wintersoldier
Religions are all cults.
razeontherock
If you're going to use a word, you should learn what it means first. "Cult," for example.
talkingheads2014
so are political parties.
redsoxu571
Religions are valuable sources of moral frameworks, but I suppose you can distort their purpose and message if you'd like.
Mike Fulghum
Look, if kids aren't allowed to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in school because of the phrase "Under God" is in it.
How in the hell can a public school teach Islam in class?
Jerry Campbell
It's a damn good thing I don't have children of school age any longer.
Ancient Hoosier
We should send the faculty of this school on a field trip to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Why aren't the students asked to memorize the ten commandments? There seems to be a drive by this administration and its adherents to Islamify America.
emvirginia
Or how about a field trip to local mosques, where Muslims are happy to be contributing members of American society and have no desire to be violent whatsoever?
Carolyn Marisa
Wood should be ashamed of himself - a disgrace to the Marines. All students should learn ABOUT all religions....it's part of history and EDUCATES people, which is why people go to school. It is NOT "indoctrination." Home school advocates should be ashamed of themselves too....especially those using "faith-based" curricula. When students are taught ABOUT all religions and how religion has affected mankind through the ages, perhaps they'll get smart and stay away from ALL of them.
beekeeper6
Asking kids to recite the shahada has NOTHING to do with "history". That absolutely IS indoctrination, it's no different than asking kids to recite the Nicene Creed, or give baptism a try.
CarolynMarisa
Obviously, you have been indoctrinated by whatever religion you profess to believe in. Learning about the various religions helps people understand cultures and why certain behaviors are practiced.....you IDIOT.
beekeeper6
I don't believe in any religion. Also reported, name calling is completely unnecessary.
Tommy Hamilton
Because you have probably never served, a certain amount of your ignorance can be forgiven, but not all of it.
There is still a 1st Amendment Right to free speech. A right that demotards love to forget when they are challenged.
razeontherock
Carolyn, congratulations on missing the point. ENTIRELY
Gero Lubovnik
The school official(s) that banned this father from school grounds should be taken out to the public square and flogged. The father had every right to complain that the curriculum was not in his daughter's best interest. Personally, I think the family should sue the school district civilly for violation of their civil rights and pain and suffering caused by such a capricious decision.
emvirginia
I understand that the father wasn't banned for having an issue with the lesson, but because he acted in a threatening way toward the school staff. Good reason for him to be banned!
beekeeper6
I'm an engineer so someone correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't "Most Muslim's faith..." grammatically incorrect? It could be reworded as "The faith of most Muslims"...Muslims is plural, not singular...?
DorisP
I might not like the world history curriculum in that county. But it is a world history class and students DO learn a lot about different religious beliefs that had an effect in world history. I might even agree with Mr Woods' sentiments, but I have a big feeling that his opinion was not expressed in a civil manner. We'll see how this case goes.
Russ Barnes
Religion is the parents choice, Some do not allow the learning of other faiths.
talkingheads2014
We homeschool. And I get to have one on one time with the teacher every night to discuss things like our children's progression and curriculum.
Fred Mcdonald
ISLAMIC INDOCTRINATION ???
Jim Crosby
As opposed to christian indoctrination?
George Wagner
So this parent wants his child to be as ignorant as he is.
Tommy Hamilton
George, that is a patently stupid comment.
Are also ok with teaching Christianity in the same manner?
F...U....Moron
beekeeper6
I'm sure you'd say the same if a parent was objecting to their child being asked to recite Christian prayers in a public school, right?
xG-Man
"OMalley-Simpson said she had not yet seen Woods motion asking the court to rescind the ban, and therefore could not comment on it."
So in a month OMalley-Simpson has not scene the documents??? Court documents from someone suing the school district. I certainly find that IMPOSSIBLE to believe, which makes her other statements about physical harm less than convincing.
After reading the above, the following are clearly liberal fools;
Doris P
grapenehi
EMVirginia
Italian Rose
LouieDePalma
CarolynMarisa
Sensible Adults;
Beekeeper
XG-Man
Tommy Hamilton
Jim Crosby
Russ Barnes
TalkingHead2014
Jerry Cambell
Ancient Hoosier
Gero Lubovnik
raseontherock
Mike Fulghum
Russel Keespert
Mode Beast
HunterZ
Looks like the sensible adults win by a landslide, folks! Maybe there's hope yet!
(We'll see what our resident Hillary-loving, Ovomit-worshiping, forum troll, Twurdlow has to say, (even though it will never be "on the subject being discussed"! )
.
By Emma Brown February 23 at 9:35 AM
John Kevin Wood and his wife, Melissa, have sued Charles County, Md., schools, alleging that lessons on Islam violated their daughters civil rights.
John Kevin Wood says his daughters school has banned him from campus for more than a year, illegally punishing him for raising objections to classroom lessons about Islam. Now hes gone to court for help, asking a judge to remove the ban so he can watch his daughter graduate from high school.
Shes in the final semester of her senior year, and as it stands right now, shes going to have to go through that life experience without her dad there, said Kate Oliveri, a lawyer from the Michigan-based Thomas More Law Center who is representing the Wood family.
The dispute dates to October 2014, when Woods daughter showed him several assignments for her 11th grade World History class at La Plata High in Charles County, Md.
[Do Muslims and Christians worship the same god? College suspends professor who said yes]
She had been asked to memorize the Five Pillars of Islam. She had been asked to write and recite the shahada, the Muslim statement of faith: There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. She had been taught, according to school papers submitted to federal court, that most Muslims faith is stronger than the average Christian.
An exhibit, showing classroom materials used in a high school lesson on Islam, submitted to the court as part of the Wood complaint.
The lessons also taught that Islam was a peaceful religion, court papers say, and that jihad is a holy war waged on behalf of Islam as a religious duty; a personal struggle in devotion to Islam especially involving spiritual discipline. Wood is a Marine veteran who had lost two buddies in combat in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm.
The school wasnt just teaching Islam but was promoting it, it seemed to Wood, and in a way that amounted to an assault on his familys Christian faith.
When Wood called to complain about the assignments and request alternative work for his daughter, school officials issued a no-trespass order against him. Wood has not been allowed to set foot on the campus of La Plata High since October 2014.
The order, which Woods lawyers posted online, says that Wood made verbal threats against the school. The legal battle now centers on whether the school system unfairly punished Wood for speaking out.
In court papers, Wood says he never threatened physical harm against the school or its staff. Instead, he said, he threatened to take his concerns public by going to the media and to lawyers.
The dispute turned into a legal battle last month, when Wood and his wife, Melissa, sued the Charles County school system, alleging that La Plata Highs lessons on Islam violated their daughters civil and constitutional rights.
The First Amendment prohibits the promotion of the religion of Islam over other faiths, such as Christianity or Judaism, in our public schools, says the complaint, filed in U.S District Court in Maryland.
Katie OMalley-Simpson, spokeswoman for the Charles County school system, said she could not comment on pending litigation. But when Wood first raised concerns about the assignments in 2014, the school system released a statement clarifying what students learn in its World History classes.
The unit to which Wood objected is meant to teach about Middle Eastern empires and the role that Islam along with politics, culture, economics and geography played in the history and development of those empires, the statement said. The course covers other religions in other units; students study Christianity when they learn about the Renaissance, for example, and Hinduism and Buddhism in units about India and China.
Now Wood is asking the court to rescind the no-trespass order, alleging that the ban violates his First Amendment rights to speak about and advocate for his daughters activities at a public school. School officials banned him only because they disagreed with him and wanted to quash criticism of their pro-Islamic curriculum, he argued in a motion filed on Monday.
OMalley-Simpson said she had not yet seen Woods motion asking the court to rescind the ban, and therefore could not comment on it.
The dispute is reminiscent of a controversy in rural Augusta County, Va., that drew national attention in December after a teacher assigned a calligraphy lesson that asked students to write the shahada in Arabic. Objections from local parents went viral on social media and cable news, triggering a slew of messages that didnt specifically threaten students but nevertheless persuaded officials to close the county schools.
[Schoolwork about Islam triggers backlash in Virginia county]
Parents elsewhere in the country, including in Tennessee and Georgia, also have raised concerns about lessons that center on Islam.
Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said the Maryland lawsuit is an example of the anti-Islam campaign thats being waged nationwide in schools.
Its just this hysterical knee-jerk negative reaction to anything to do with Islam or Muslims in our society, Hooper said. To merely say the shahada, the declaration of faith, or to understand what Muslims believe it in no way converts you to Islam, thats a ridiculous notion. Islam is a belief system. Youve got to believe in it or youre not a Muslim.
An exhibit submitted to the court, showing an assignment Woods daughter completed.
Experts say that its especially critical for children to learn about Islam and other world religions now, as fears of terrorism linked to jihad have become an increasingly dominant part of the countrys political debate.
To be an educated person, to be a citizen, to be part of the global conversation, to be engaged in our world, religious literacy is essential, Charles Haynes, vice president of the Newseum Institute and founding director of the Religious Freedom Center, told The Washington Post in December. How are we going to live with one another in one of the most religiously diverse societies in the world without understanding one another?
Correction: An earlier version of this story had an incorrect spelling of John Kevin Woods last name. The story has been updated.
Emma Brown writes about national education and about people with a stake in schools, including teachers, parents and kids.
Reader Comments
grapenehi
Absolutely astounded by the number of people that think public schools in Charles Co, MD are somehow
manufacturing Muslims.
USMC1951
Sounds like this school is a group of Ovomit lovers and not fit to teach. Good for this guy, he is trying to protect
his daughter. After all, Muslims are the scum of the earth. They are NOT Americans.
Semper Fi Marine
Hermit1951
Many forms of witch craft are non violent, why not have a lesson about witch craft? Oh wait I know; Witch
craft and Allah don't have a blamed thing to do with Math, English, science, geography or history, which is
what they should be learning. World Religions is a course in College.
Hunter-Z
Religion of ANY kind should never b e taught in public schools. Government
will seize any opportunity that they can to sway the minds of the gullible. Let
religious and private schools do that, if they wish. MY kids attend a private
school, where the parents decide exactly which subjects are to be taught.
With public schools, your kids are taught what the government wants to
"teach" them - that's why the public education system is in such a mess.
Italian Rose
Am I the only one that does not have a problem with this? He should not interfere with progress.
Jack Acer
Is the Government in MD..ALL FASCIST PIGS...
Hunter-Z
Maryland is owned by the blacks, what else is new?
ModeBeast
This is funny, he says: The First Amendment prohibits the promotion of the religion of Islam over other
faiths, such as Christianity or Judaism, in our public schools, I have never seen that in the Constitution,
the singling out of Islam over Christianity, where is that again?
beekeeper6
Well it prohibits PUBLIC institutions from promoting ANY religion, so he's right.
LouieDePalma
I think it is a good thing to teach about Islam. These statements in the example provided are conclusions
that could easily be disputed one way or another by genuine scholars. Can't we just stick to facts?
beekeeper6
Reciting the shahada is how a person CONVERTS to Islam. Clearly a bunch of you "enlightened" liberals aren't aware
of this. It's no different than if you were teaching about religions of the world in a public school, and then wheeled in
a baptismal font and asked the kids to go for a dip.
Jerry Campbell
TRY going to a school in a Muslin country and "LEARNING " about Christianity
talkingheads2014
They do! They use a gun range.
wintersoldier
and they probably eat their camels. (And have sex with their donkeys)
grapenehi
How on earth is that relevant to anything?
Jerry Campbell
It's a good thing I don't have children in any public school systems any longer, otherwise it might result in the SHTF.
beekeeper6
Yeah my daughter is 2 and I dread having to deal with situations like this.
talkingheads2014
In the age of mass shootings and zero tolerance how could the school have gotten any real threat of physical
harm by this man and NOT inform law enforcement?
Jack Acer
Where is America's government? Are all elected Senators and Congressmen of The Islamic religion??
America wake up and Take America Back...
DorisP
Take it back to the time of Cotton Mather and the witch trials? Hmm - no thank you.
Russell Kuespert
The newspapers will teach you what the Islam religion is about.
wintersoldier
Religions are all cults.
razeontherock
If you're going to use a word, you should learn what it means first. "Cult," for example.
talkingheads2014
so are political parties.
redsoxu571
Religions are valuable sources of moral frameworks, but I suppose you can distort their purpose and message if you'd like.
Mike Fulghum
Look, if kids aren't allowed to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in school because of the phrase "Under God" is in it.
How in the hell can a public school teach Islam in class?
Jerry Campbell
It's a damn good thing I don't have children of school age any longer.
Ancient Hoosier
We should send the faculty of this school on a field trip to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Why aren't the students asked to memorize the ten commandments? There seems to be a drive by this administration and its adherents to Islamify America.
emvirginia
Or how about a field trip to local mosques, where Muslims are happy to be contributing members of American society and have no desire to be violent whatsoever?
Carolyn Marisa
Wood should be ashamed of himself - a disgrace to the Marines. All students should learn ABOUT all religions....it's part of history and EDUCATES people, which is why people go to school. It is NOT "indoctrination." Home school advocates should be ashamed of themselves too....especially those using "faith-based" curricula. When students are taught ABOUT all religions and how religion has affected mankind through the ages, perhaps they'll get smart and stay away from ALL of them.
beekeeper6
Asking kids to recite the shahada has NOTHING to do with "history". That absolutely IS indoctrination, it's no different than asking kids to recite the Nicene Creed, or give baptism a try.
CarolynMarisa
Obviously, you have been indoctrinated by whatever religion you profess to believe in. Learning about the various religions helps people understand cultures and why certain behaviors are practiced.....you IDIOT.
beekeeper6
I don't believe in any religion. Also reported, name calling is completely unnecessary.
Tommy Hamilton
Because you have probably never served, a certain amount of your ignorance can be forgiven, but not all of it.
There is still a 1st Amendment Right to free speech. A right that demotards love to forget when they are challenged.
razeontherock
Carolyn, congratulations on missing the point. ENTIRELY
Gero Lubovnik
The school official(s) that banned this father from school grounds should be taken out to the public square and flogged. The father had every right to complain that the curriculum was not in his daughter's best interest. Personally, I think the family should sue the school district civilly for violation of their civil rights and pain and suffering caused by such a capricious decision.
emvirginia
I understand that the father wasn't banned for having an issue with the lesson, but because he acted in a threatening way toward the school staff. Good reason for him to be banned!
beekeeper6
I'm an engineer so someone correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't "Most Muslim's faith..." grammatically incorrect? It could be reworded as "The faith of most Muslims"...Muslims is plural, not singular...?
DorisP
I might not like the world history curriculum in that county. But it is a world history class and students DO learn a lot about different religious beliefs that had an effect in world history. I might even agree with Mr Woods' sentiments, but I have a big feeling that his opinion was not expressed in a civil manner. We'll see how this case goes.
Russ Barnes
Religion is the parents choice, Some do not allow the learning of other faiths.
talkingheads2014
We homeschool. And I get to have one on one time with the teacher every night to discuss things like our children's progression and curriculum.
Fred Mcdonald
ISLAMIC INDOCTRINATION ???
Jim Crosby
As opposed to christian indoctrination?
George Wagner
So this parent wants his child to be as ignorant as he is.
Tommy Hamilton
George, that is a patently stupid comment.
Are also ok with teaching Christianity in the same manner?
F...U....Moron
beekeeper6
I'm sure you'd say the same if a parent was objecting to their child being asked to recite Christian prayers in a public school, right?
xG-Man
"OMalley-Simpson said she had not yet seen Woods motion asking the court to rescind the ban, and therefore could not comment on it."
So in a month OMalley-Simpson has not scene the documents??? Court documents from someone suing the school district. I certainly find that IMPOSSIBLE to believe, which makes her other statements about physical harm less than convincing.
After reading the above, the following are clearly liberal fools;
Doris P
grapenehi
EMVirginia
Italian Rose
LouieDePalma
CarolynMarisa
Sensible Adults;
Beekeeper
XG-Man
Tommy Hamilton
Jim Crosby
Russ Barnes
TalkingHead2014
Jerry Cambell
Ancient Hoosier
Gero Lubovnik
raseontherock
Mike Fulghum
Russel Keespert
Mode Beast
HunterZ
Looks like the sensible adults win by a landslide, folks! Maybe there's hope yet!
(We'll see what our resident Hillary-loving, Ovomit-worshiping, forum troll, Twurdlow has to say, (even though it will never be "on the subject being discussed"! )
.
I Never Scream! I Never Swear! I Never Lie! I Never Get Pissed Off! (Except When I Do )
I'm Not A Radical! I'm A Progressive, Liberalized, Worn-Out, Old Hag
I Can't Help It If My Damned Face Looks Like A Damned Prune!
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