Every single school in a Virginia county in the US was closed on Friday after parents of students reacted angrily after a teacher handed out a homework assignment on Islamic calligraphy.
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“Neither of these lessons, nor any other lessons in the world geography course, are an attempt at indoctrination to Islam or any other religion or a request for students to renounce their own faith or profess any belief”, Augusta County Schools Superintendent Eric Bond said in a statement. Many in this Shenandoah Valley community defended LaPorte and the school district. The lesson that the teacher drew from also included assignments that discussed the Jewish and Christian faiths. “She gave it up and gave it to Mohammed”. In Tennessee, there has been an uproar over teaching about Islam and ancient Islamic civilization to middle schoolers, prompting state lawmakers to consider legislation limiting the teaching of world religions to high schoolers, according to the Tennessean. Students weren’t asked to translate the statement or recite it.
As passions overflow, for fear of their potential effects, Augusta County Schools will remain shuttered over the weekend for all activities.
As part of those precautionary measures, the sheriff’s office said it would increase the number of patrols near school facilities in response to the messages.
“My kids are still very small, but it scares me to live in a community where the reaction by some parents to a fairly innocuous school assignment is so frightening and over-the-top that schools are forced to close”, said Erika Zipser, 31, a parent of two infants who she said will one day attend Augusta public schools.
“These children were deceived when they were told it was calligraphy”, the parent, Kimberly Herndon, told NBC29 television.
The teacher, Cheryl LaPorte, declined comment. A Facebook group supporting LaPorte had more than 2,000 members on Friday.
“They were simply asked to attempt to artistically render written Arabic in order to understand its artistic complexity”, continued the district, adding that schools also cover other religions.
“Although students will continue to learn about world religions as required by the state Board of Education and the Commonwealth’s Standards of Learning, a different, non-religious sample of Arabic calligraphy will be used in the future”, Doug Shifflett, Augusta County’s assistant superintendent for administration.
In its statement announcing the closure late Thursday, the school district said that “no lesson was created to promote a religious viewpoint or change any religious belief”.
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But some in this deeply religious area in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains said the lesson angered them, especially because of what they said were efforts to marginalize Christianity in the schools. Her parents called the school to object after Laurel was told a picture of her wearing the head scarf would be submitted to the yearbook, she said.
