Reading Time: 2 minutes After a long battle by David Croft and his wife Shannon Croft, Texas mandated a moment of silence in all public school classrooms today. A three-judge panel from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans upheld a district court ruling, saying the law is constitutional because it expressly allows for any silent […]
Education
Exploring the world of education from a secular, nonreligious perspective.
Posted inEducation, General, LGBTQ News
Things I Found Out at the Anti-Gay Workshop
Reading Time: 7 minutes Last night, I attended a workshop about “homosexual activism in the public schools.” The meeting took place at a church and it was sponsored by the Illinois Family Institute, a conservative group. About 80 people were packed into a tiny room. My observations: I overheard one man sitting near me talking to a friend of […]
Posted inEducation, General, LGBTQ News
Christian Conservatives Furious Over Homosexual Dance
Reading Time: 2 minutes Conservative Christians are freaking out because an Illinois high school held a dance for GLBT students and their straight allies. Who is to blame for this approval of all-but-certain debauchery? English teachers. And now we have the first dance for students who self-identify as homosexual, which was approved by English teacher, Bill Fritz. It shouldn’t […]
Posted inEducation, General
High School Student Faces Challenges in Starting an Atheist Group
Reading Time: 2 minutes This hits kinda close to home. A student at Johnsburg High School in northwestern McHenry County, IL wants to start an atheist group at her school, but she’s facing a few challenges. Here’s what reporter Diana Sroka writes: Savannah Lanz doesn’t believe in God, follow religion, or look to any higher powers, and she’s hoping […]
Posted inEducation, Myth & Folklore, Parenting & Family, Science
Petition: Thank Politicians Who Say “No” to Creationists
Reading Time: 4 minutes I am occasionally asked by religious friends why I make such a fuss over evolution. Some have suggested that secular types beat the drum for evolution only because it sticks such a sharp object in the eye of theism. One went so far as to suggest that “If you guys would just let that one […]
Posted inEducation, General, Politics
Illinois’ Moment of Silence is Back
Reading Time: < 1 minute It used to be the Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act — a mandatory moment of silence that was really a way to sneak forced prayer into Illinois public schools. After atheist high school student Dawn Sherman successfully filed a lawsuit against the Act, it was changed to the Student Silent Reflection Act. Not mandatory […]
Posted inEducation, General, LGBTQ News
Illinois Family Institute Lashes Out Against Chicago Public Schools CEO
Reading Time: 3 minutes Since Chicago Public Schools’ previous CEO Arne Duncan became Barack Obama‘s Secretary of Education, there’s been a vacancy for the spot. Mayor Richard Daley finally appointed someone to the position yesterday — Ron Huberman: Already, [Huberman] has drafted a plan to bolster school security and laid the groundwork to install — first on the business […]
Posted inEducation, General
One Month Left To Apply for American Atheists Scholarship
Reading Time: < 1 minute If you’re a high school or college atheist, you have a month left to apply for the $2,000 Founders’ Scholarship from American Atheists. Definitely worth pursuing if your atheist identity is a big part of your life!
Posted inEducation, General
Excellent Interview Discussing Illinois’ Mandatory Moment of Silence
Reading Time: < 1 minute It doesn’t take a whole lot to represent yourself well when you’re an atheist being interviewed on television. Just follow a few basic rules: Don’t be unnecessarily contentious. Know your stuff. Smile. Need an example? I just saw a high school student model it beautifully. Dawn Sherman was on a local television talk show talking […]
Posted inEducation, General
Illinois Mandatory Moment of Silence Law Was “Sham,” Says Judge
Reading Time: < 1 minute Remember last year when Illinois had to deal with an absurd mandatory Moment of Silence law? High school student (and atheist) Dawn Sherman filed a lawsuit to put a stop to it (via her father Rob Sherman). Today, a final ruling (PDF) was issued on the matter from Judge Robert Gettleman. After discussing various aspects […]