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Students told to list the benefits of Islam
http://www.myfoxny.com/story/27177741/students-told-to-list-the-benefits-of-islam
A father and
military veteran says he has been banned from a school because he got
into an argument with faculty over his child's homework assignment.
Kevin Wood received his no trespassing order on Tuesday. This all stems from a run-in between Wood and the vice principal at his daughter's school.
He says he challenged a history class assignment that had students list the benefits of Islam.
The school says Wood crossed the line and threatened the vice principal.
Both sides are talking, but they have very different versions of this assignment and the fallout that followed.
"A lot of people do not understand where my husband is coming from,” said Melissa Wood.
Melissa says her husband Kevin, a United States Marine and Iraq veteran, is the most patriotic person she has met. But now, he is banned from even stepping foot near their daughter's high school.
"I don't force my religious views on them, so don't force your religious views on me," Kevin told us.
This started when their eleventh grader came home from La Plata High School with a three-page assignment. It asked for explanations of Islam's Five Pillars, Mecca and Muhammad.
Kevin and Melissa didn't like it and feel religion should not be taught in public schools. They say Islam should not get priority over Judaism or Christianity.
"We cannot discuss our Ten Commandments in school, but they can discuss Islam's Five Pillars?" said Melissa.
Kevin went to the school to talk with a vice principal, but things got heated. Kevin would end up getting slapped with a notice banning him from the school property.
"I have witnesses that have said I did not threaten anybody in any way shape or form,” said Kevin.
"He was threatening to cause a disruption or possible disruption at the school,” said Katie O'Malley-Simpson, spokesperson for Charles County Public Schools.
She says the high school was in its rights to ban Kevin from school property. They also that defended the assignment on Islam and say his objections are off base.
"We're not teaching religion,” said O'Malley-Simpson. “We're teaching world history.”
"None of us parents knew about this and they didn't tell anybody,” Kevin said.
For now, both the Woods and school officials have been talking about the dispute and hope to come to a resolution. But for Melissa, the hardest lesson of all has been hearing her husband described as something she says she knows he is not.
"They're making him sound like he's some bad person,” she said. “He's not a bad person. He fought for your country.”
The Woods' daughter has been allowed to go to the high school library during the class where the assignment was handed out.
Kevin Wood received his no trespassing order on Tuesday. This all stems from a run-in between Wood and the vice principal at his daughter's school.
He says he challenged a history class assignment that had students list the benefits of Islam.
The school says Wood crossed the line and threatened the vice principal.
Both sides are talking, but they have very different versions of this assignment and the fallout that followed.
"A lot of people do not understand where my husband is coming from,” said Melissa Wood.
Melissa says her husband Kevin, a United States Marine and Iraq veteran, is the most patriotic person she has met. But now, he is banned from even stepping foot near their daughter's high school.
"I don't force my religious views on them, so don't force your religious views on me," Kevin told us.
This started when their eleventh grader came home from La Plata High School with a three-page assignment. It asked for explanations of Islam's Five Pillars, Mecca and Muhammad.
Kevin and Melissa didn't like it and feel religion should not be taught in public schools. They say Islam should not get priority over Judaism or Christianity.
"We cannot discuss our Ten Commandments in school, but they can discuss Islam's Five Pillars?" said Melissa.
Kevin went to the school to talk with a vice principal, but things got heated. Kevin would end up getting slapped with a notice banning him from the school property.
"I have witnesses that have said I did not threaten anybody in any way shape or form,” said Kevin.
"He was threatening to cause a disruption or possible disruption at the school,” said Katie O'Malley-Simpson, spokesperson for Charles County Public Schools.
She says the high school was in its rights to ban Kevin from school property. They also that defended the assignment on Islam and say his objections are off base.
"We're not teaching religion,” said O'Malley-Simpson. “We're teaching world history.”
"None of us parents knew about this and they didn't tell anybody,” Kevin said.
For now, both the Woods and school officials have been talking about the dispute and hope to come to a resolution. But for Melissa, the hardest lesson of all has been hearing her husband described as something she says she knows he is not.
"They're making him sound like he's some bad person,” she said. “He's not a bad person. He fought for your country.”
The Woods' daughter has been allowed to go to the high school library during the class where the assignment was handed out.
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