Really, I don't know which part of the school board's new praying policy is the silliest. Perhaps it simply mirrors the doublespeak that pervades all of CCSD's and the school board's communications.Tell me, if you stood up (or sat down) in a meeting, got everyone's silent attention, and began by saying, "Dear most heavenly and gracious father," would YOU be praying? Would the rest of those in the room assume that you were praying?
Not according to the board's policy committee! According to the P&C "The guidelines passed Monday [. . .] don't allow prayer and forbid attempts to have a religious opening to the board's meetings." Yet these are the words said by Nancy Cook Monday night without anyone's objection.
Is this a hoot, or what? The two sensible votes against doublespeak were cast because the board months ago agreed to open its meetings with a prayer, but now, as David Engelman states, "With the way it's written, it makes the board sound 'like it's against prayer.'" No way! Must sound like it because it forbids prayer, I guess.
In fact, up is down and black is white, also. "No invocation may be a prayer" ? Really, if it looks like a duck, sounds like . . . [you get the picture].
Oh, but the BEST part is that Arthur Ravenel says he's "happy with the guidelines," apparently believing that they do not forbid prayer!
Talk about a bunch of wimps. The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals "specifically ruled that [a town council] could not invoke the name of Jesus." From that prohibition the policy committee has interpreted that school boards may not offer prayer. Maybe the nuance here was too much for the policy committee.
It gets better, though. Thanks go to Diette Courrege for pointing out that the BERKELEY County School Board starts its meetings (audience joining in) with the Lord's Prayer.
You can't make this stuff up.
Posts
6 comments:
These are the people we hold up as examples of honesty, intelligence and integrity for our kids??! I think it was T.S. Eliot who said something like, “They set about to underestimate the intelligence of the audience by suggesting they would give the public exactly what it wants; then they proceed to debauch their audience and the entire process by delivering just that.”
Nothing that Board does surprises me anymore (that's sad, isn't it?).
They live in their own little Twilight Zone and they constantly contradict themselves. Welcome to the world of dysfunctional politics. Its too bad the students in our schools are the ones suffering the consequences.
Someone should forward this blog to the State newspaper. I don't know if the stuff about Sanford's or Riley's connections to the Buist scandal can be believed but it should be investigated by a real newspaper. Plus, this prayer thing should get a few laughs in the upstate.
I'd be happy to forward this blog's address to anyone you think my have an interest. I'm so frustrated with the lack of action CCSD is taking regarding all of this...it can't hurt.
Did any of you read the policy CCSD showed Ch. 2 that gives the "Super" the authority to create a new position and allow a principal to become the principal of 2 schools? The policy doesn't say anything about 1 principal serving 2 schools. Once again, it looks like there is NO policy.
If I didn't know better, I'd think you must have been at last night's Dist. 20 board meeting. A parent stated the same quote as you "if it looks like a duck..."
You definitely have some kindred spirits at Fraser.
From things that go bump in the night (specifically the Monday nights when the school board meets), do Lord deliver us.
Post a Comment