Question:
I have seen this site. I am not aware of any press release from the school. Please let me when there is one and post it.
It’s highly unlikely that there will ever be one. Lawyers for institutions like schools routinely advise their clients to say nothing at all to the press ever. Cases like this are often settled out of court with a clause that no one involved on either side can say anything about it to the press. It’s possible that we may never know anything more than that the case was settled. Oh, that sounds very reasonable to me, but he has done interviews. He did one with the Today show. That is the one I saw.
Ah. I was unaware of how much play this story was getting in mainstream media. The place I first saw it was in one of those "people are sure weird and stupid" columns. I am not charging that he is abusive, I merely feel that he is self-involved to the point that his daughter is getting expelled from school a second time for reasons that we just don’t know about.
It seems very likely that her first suspension was exactly as it is represented in the ACLU complaint. The school officials, freaked out by Columbine, started acting hysterically. This is not unusual. Overreaction to minor incidents has become almost a cliche among school boards. A friend of mine had her daughter suspended for trying to pull off a bully who was attacking her friend. The school officials said she should have let him get beat up while she tried to get the attention of a teacher somewhere. Another young man was suspended for wearing jewelry that depicted a Native American peace pipe because they considered it "drug paraphernalia". It wasn’t a functional pipe at all, just a clay mold an inch long. Stories like these are a dime-a-dozen. This case looks like just another in a long line of idiocities perpetrated by school officials who have chosen to adopt a bunker mentality. He is on TV and in the press, and stands to make some cash in this suit. They ain’t pagans. Let me repeat, they ain’t pagans. They said they were Catholic, I heard them say this, so I ain’t conning you.
As I said earlier, their personal beliefs are not the issue. The issue is freedom of speech and religion. The complaint is harassment. For a witch trial to be unjust, the victim doesn’t have to be a witch. My feelings are not a charge. I make no charge.
You phrased it wrong, then. It certainly represented a charge as it was written.
Response:
Timothy Blackbear is obviously a neglectful if not abusive father, 1. What makes you so sure her father was neglectful? Just a feeling I get from his interviews, and whenever I hear only one side of a story, I know I am being conned.
In other words, you have no evidence that he’s neglectful or abusive, indeed no reason to believe it. Yet for some reason, this didn’t stop you from libeling the man, and lying about it being "obvious." Feh. She ain’t no wiccan, so why are people pretending to care about a lowly xian What makes you think she is Xian? She doesn’t look like she is Chinese. Folks instructing me to use an abreviation like this for christian.
Who instructed you to use it? It’s not necessary. —
Response:
Timothy Blackbear is obviously a neglectful if not abusive father, though now he cares about his daughter cause she is going to make him a bundle. That’s not an accusation one makes lightly, let alone claim is "obvious." Please support or retract the statement. Not an accusation, just a personal impression.
Your phrasing needs a lot of work, then. What you wrote was an accusation. The ACLU will mop the floor with this school especially if they are more accurate in what they say. But we haven’t heard anything from the school which has some brass balls to challenge them. They have only said that the Blackbears had not exhausted their options before seeking financial compensation. One sided arguements leave me uneasy, but probably both sides behaved badly. As an occultist, I would think there would be some concern about whether this girl was playing with wiccan firecrackers without adhering to its "ain harm none" ethic. Funny how nobody is talking about that.
Not funny at all — we’re discussing the civil liberties issue. Whether she actually cast a hex on a teacher, or whether she was justified in doing so, have no bearing on her legal rights. —
Response:
Not funny at all — we’re discussing the civil liberties issue. Whether she actually cast a hex on a teacher, or whether she was justified in doing so, have no bearing on her legal rights.
Civil Liberties? I thought this was alt.magick. Well, since Civil liberties are a myth, I guess it counts.
Response:
I have seen this site. I am not aware of any press release from the school. Please let me when there is one and post it. It’s highly unlikely that there will ever be one. Lawyers for institutions like schools routinely advise their clients to say nothing at all to the press ever. Cases like this are often settled out of court with a clause that no one involved on either side can say anything about it to the press. It’s possible that we may never know anything more than that the case was settled.
Don’t take this personally, but ‘Lawyer Think’ makes me fear for our future evolution. Violence and Politics being the only thing worse. Oh, that sounds very reasonable to me, but he has done interviews. He did one with the Today show. That is the one I saw. Ah. I was unaware of how much play this story was getting in mainstream media. The place I first saw it was in one of those "people are sure weird and stupid" columns.
ABC news did a piece on wiccans and Fort Hood a little over a year ago, The pagan community in Texas thought it was positive, but it was so insulting that I could only laugh at the irony. George Stephanopolis began with something like "Believe it or not, there are actually people who call themselves ‘witches’. They even jump through fire nekkid". Jeez, I know some of these people and I was embarrassed. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I am not charging that he is abusive, I merely feel that he is self-involved to the point that his daughter is getting expelled from school a second time for reasons that we just don’t know about. It seems very likely that her first suspension was exactly as it is represented in the ACLU complaint. The school officials, freaked out by Columbine, started acting hysterically. This is not unusual. Overreaction to minor incidents has become almost a cliche among school boards. A friend of mine had her daughter suspended for trying to pull off a bully who was attacking her friend. The school officials said she should have let him get beat up while she tried to get the attention of a teacher somewhere. Another young man was suspended for wearing jewelry that depicted a Native American peace pipe because they considered it "drug paraphernalia". It wasn’t a functional pipe at all, just a clay mold an inch long. Stories like these are a dime-a-dozen. This case looks like just another in a long line of idiocities perpetrated by school officials who have chosen to adopt a bunker mentality.
Like, I said, the ACLU will mop the floor with them, whether it is right or wrong. Still, I’d like to know what happened to that teacher. Did any wiccans go to undo the bad mojo? What is his name, I’ll do it. I am more concerned about that than some stupid lawsuit. Now I’m cleaning up wiccan messes, Jeez. He is on TV and in the press, and stands to make some cash in this suit. They ain’t pagans. Let me repeat, they ain’t pagans. They said they were Catholic, I heard them say this, so I ain’t conning you. As I said earlier, their personal beliefs are not the issue. The issue is freedom of speech and religion. The complaint is harassment.
I guess you think one set of violent impulses justifies its reactionary set of violent impulses. If you are honestly concerned about an equal measure of religious freedom for Christians, Muslims and Pagans alike, then I completely agree, but we’ve got a few pagans acting like fundamentalist crusaders too, and I ain’t choking that one down. For a witch trial to be unjust, the victim doesn’t have to be a witch.
Then again she could be a natural. Girl writes stuff down, spreads rumour, teacher gets sick. On the surface, it sounds impressive. Pointless but impressive. My feelings are not a charge. I make no charge. You phrased it wrong, then. It certainly represented a charge as it was written.
Perhaps, you just wanted to take it that way, or perhaps you right. And what do you win if you are right. I still think Timothy Blackbear is an opportunist, but you win.
Response:
In other words, you have no evidence that he’s neglectful or abusive, indeed no reason to believe it. Yet for some reason, this didn’t stop you from libeling the man, and lying about it being "obvious."
OK, he is not abusive or neglectful. Is Asshole permited?
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – icsel wrote Supposedly, she wrote some columbine type stuff, which considering the current political climate, ie..Rosie, Gore the Usurper et al, and that was a very un-PC thing to do. What do think this is, a democracy or something? The girl was suspended twice. The first time was not long after Columbine. The girl alleges that her locker was searched for a gun. No gun was found. But her Steven King like creative writings were seized. That is her version of the story. The school has not told us its version of why she was suspended the first time. After Columbine, this kind of school case is not uncommon. Schools, in their zeal to prevent school violence, go too far and punish speech which is not threatening. Of course, I don’t know what happened in this girl’s first suspension. We’ll have to wait until the case goes to trial to find out what happened.
Waiting to get the real story is what was suggested to me as well. Jumping into emotional waters, without knowing both sides, is wasting valuable energy. This girl has the ACLU on her side, so she ain’t hurtin’. I would point out that my magickal work involves writing things down, not merely in a grimoire or journal. That is why I suspect she is a natural.
Response:
Timothy Blackbear is obviously a neglectful if not abusive father, 1. What makes you so sure her father was neglectful? Just a feeling I get from his interviews, What interviews make you think it is "obvious" that he is neglectful or abusive? I haven’t seen any interviews with him at all. Have you? I have seen this: http://www.aclu.org/court/blackbear_complaint.html
I have seen this site. I am not aware of any press release from the school. Please let me when there is one and post it. and whenever I hear only one side of a story, I know I am being conned. Sounds to me like you’re doing some conning yourself, with your spurious and baseless charges of child abuse against a man whose only quoted comment was, "It’s hard for me to believe that in the year 2000 I am walking into court to defend my daughter against charges of witchcraft brought by her own school, but if that’s what it takes to clear her record and get her life back to normal, that’s what we’ll do."
Oh, that sounds very reasonable to me, but he has done interviews. He did one with the Today show. That is the one I saw. I am not charging that he is abusive, I merely feel that he is self-involved to the point that his daughter is getting expelled from school a second time for reasons that we just don’t know about. He is on TV and in the press, and stands to make some cash in this suit. They ain’t pagans. Let me repeat, they ain’t pagans. They said they were Catholic, I heard them say this, so I ain’t conning you. My feelings are not a charge. I make no charge. I know America is a Dictatorship of legalilties, but lets pretend that an occultist can knock at the door of truth with a critical mind and perhaps delude him or herself that free will or thought may exist, but let him or her knock, please. The ACLU for all the good work it does is only one side of the story. As an occultist, you know that both sides are probably full of shit. If you always believe one side of any debate, what are you learning. You have merely surrendered your will to one set of impulses. Yuck.
Response:
I correponded with a reporter in Tulsa who told me that we haven’t heard the story. What we have heard is suspect. It should be noted that she is ROMAN CATHOLIC. She ain’t no wiccan,
Her personal religious beliefs are not really the issue. She was ordered not to display Wiccan symbolism, despite allowing the symbols of at least one other faith. That’s the primary reason that the ACLU got involved. It’s a constitutional freedom of religion question. No matter what the story is, it was profoundly foolish to officially punish a child for "hexing" someone. The last time we got into that, we ended up with nine people in Salem, Massachusetts, put to death at the behest of some hysterical children who later openly repudiated their own actions. Now, if she was accused of displaying open disrespect for a teacher and punished accordingly, none of this furor would have ensued. The dangerous ignorance and superstition implied by a supposedly responsible school board conducting a witch trial is at issue, not the child’s behavior.
Response:
What do <they think this is, a democracy or something?
Of course not, the U.S. is a republic, not a democracy. Before you buy.
Response:
Tom Schuler wrote . She was ordered not to display Wiccan symbolism, despite allowing the symbols of at least one other faith. That’s the primary reason that the ACLU got involved. It’s a constitutional freedom of religion question.
That is her side of the story. The school denies that it prohibits anyone from wearing religious jewelry of any type. I have seen what seem to be the relevant excerpts from the current dress code and it does not appear to ban religious jewelry of any sort. I have an open mind on the question of whether the school stopped her from wearing Wiccan/religious jewelry. No matter what the story is, it was profoundly foolish to officially punish a child for "hexing" someone. The last time we got into that, we ended up with nine people in Salem, Massachusetts, put to death at the behest of some hysterical children who later openly repudiated their own actions. Now, if she was accused of displaying open disrespect for a teacher and punished accordingly, none of this furor would have ensued. The dangerous ignorance and superstition implied by a supposedly responsible school board conducting a witch trial is at issue, not the child’s behavior.
You seem to be assuming or already have decided that the girl’s version of events is correct. The school denies that and says that it will contest the law suit vigorously. At this time there has not been one witness testify, one attorney augue in court, not one hearing. I am going to wait until I see the evidence before I form an opinion as to what happened.
Response:
Tom Schuler wrote . She was ordered not to display Wiccan symbolism, despite allowing the symbols of at least one other faith. That’s the primary reason that the ACLU got involved. It’s a constitutional freedom of religion question. That is her side of the story.
That is true. It is also the side of the story that the ACLU is telling. Since the ACLU is composed of people who have a good grasp of the law and one overriding purpose of challenging infringements on individual rights under the US Constitution, one can reasonably conclude that there is a constitutional issue here. They would not have instituted a suit without at least some facts that support her contentions that they were willing to take into court. So it is unlikely that she is flat-out lying about all this, even if the school hasn’t told its side of the story.
Response:
Tom Schuler wrote – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Tom Schuler wrote . She was ordered not to display Wiccan symbolism, despite allowing the symbols of at least one other faith. That’s the primary reason that the ACLU got involved. It’s a constitutional freedom of religion question. That is her side of the story. That is true. It is also the side of the story that the ACLU is telling. Since the ACLU is composed of people who have a good grasp of the law and one overriding purpose of challenging infringements on individual rights under the US Constitution, one can reasonably conclude that there is a constitutional issue here. They would not have instituted a suit without at least some facts that support her contentions that they were willing to take into court. So it is unlikely that she is flat-out lying about all this, even if the school hasn’t told its side of the story.
I agree. I think you make a good point. I’m wondering if she might have said something like "That teacher is going to die, and soon, believe me." A statement such as that might be construed as a threat or a curse. Just idle speculation.
Response:
Supposedly, she wrote some columbine type stuff, which considering the current political climate, ie..Rosie, Gore the Usurper et al, and that was a very un-PC thing to do. What do think this is, a democracy or something? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – [anybody got updates on this story?] The most recent press release from the ACLU offers a bit more information. http://www.aclu.org/news/2000/n102600.html The school has denied that the reason she was suspended was because of Wicca or because of a hex. The school said that it will contest the law suit vigorously. There is more information and some explanation in the post I made in the "Witch Trial" thread on 11-12-00. I will try to post updates as events warrant. There is an interesting ACLU web page on religious liberty in schools that has a number of Wiccan cases. I made a mistake when I posted the URL before so let me try again. http://www.religioustolerance.org/sch_clot.htm
Response:
icsel wrote Supposedly, she wrote some columbine type stuff, which considering the current political climate, ie..Rosie, Gore the Usurper et al, and that was a very un-PC thing to do. What do think this is, a democracy or something?
The girl was suspended twice. The first time was not long after Columbine. The girl alleges that her locker was searched for a gun. No gun was found. But her Steven King like creative writings were seized. That is her version of the story. The school has not told us its version of why she was suspended the first time. After Columbine, this kind of school case is not uncommon. Schools, in their zeal to prevent school violence, go too far and punish speech which is not threatening. Of course, I don’t know what happened in this girl’s first suspension. We’ll have to wait until the case goes to trial to find out what happened.
Response:
Timothy Blackbear is obviously a neglectful if not abusive father, though now he cares about his daughter cause she is going to make him a bundle.
That’s not an accusation one makes lightly, let alone claim is "obvious." Please support or retract the statement. It should be noted that she is ROMAN CATHOLIC. She ain’t no wiccan, so why are people pretending to care about a lowly xian? This story is a small scale version of the nastiness happening in Palm Beach.
Personally, I know plenty of CHristians I care about. Did I miss a metting in which it became OK to treat Christians in the manner reported? If not, it hardly has any bearing here. What’s Palm Beach got to do with all this? —
Response:
[anybody got updates on this story?] Oklahoma school suspends girl for casting spell By Ben Fenwick OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) – An Oklahoma high school suspended a 15-year-old student after accusing her of casting a magic spell that caused a teacher to become sick, lawyers for the student said on Friday. The American Civil Liberties Union said it had filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on behalf of student Brandi Blackbear, charging that the assistant principal of Union Intermediate High School in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, suspended her for 15 days last December for supposedly casting a spell. The suit also charged the Tulsa-area Union Public Schools with repeatedly violating Blackbear’s civil rights by seizing notebooks she used to write horror stories and barring her from drawing or wearing signs of the pagan religion Wicca. "It’s hard for me to believe that in the year 2000 I am walking into court to defend my daughter against charges of witchcraft brought by her own school," said Timothy Blackbear, Brandi’s father. His daughter is now a 10th grader. Joann Bell, executive director of the ACLU’s Oklahoma chapter, said the "outlandish accusations" had made Blackbear’s life at school unbearable. "I, for one, would like to see the so-called evidence this school has that a 15-year-old girl made a grown man sick by casting a magic spell," Bell said. A lawyer for the school district declined to comment. The lawsuit, filed on Thursday, alleges that Blackbear was summoned to the office of assistant principal Charlie Bushyhead last December after a teacher fell ill, and was questioned about her interest in Wicca. According to the lawsuit, Brandi Blackbear had read a library book about Wicca beliefs and, under aggressive interrogation by Bushyhead, said she might be a Wiccan. In fact, Blackbear is a Roman Catholic, according to the newspaper Tulsa World. "The interview culminated with Defendant Bushyhead accusing Plaintiff, Brandi Blackbear, of casting spells causing (a teacher at the school) … to be sick and to be hospitalised," the lawsuit said. The lawsuit stated that because of the "unknown cause" of the teacher’s illness, Bushyhead advised the 15-year-old girl "that she was an immediate threat to the school and summarily suspended her for what he arbitrarily determined to be a disruption of the education process." Doug Mann, the school district’s attorney, declined to comment, saying laws protecting the school records of juveniles barred him and the district from responding outside of court. "It’s totally unfair that we are gagged by federal and state law and they can say anything they want," Mann said. "If the parents will sign a release for what’s in the girl’s files, we will talk about the true facts." The lawsuit alleged Blackbear’s civil rights also were violated when school officials prohibited her from wearing or drawing in school any symbols related to Wicca, a religion that dates back to pre-Christian nature worship. The ACLU is seeking an undisclosed amount of punitive and financial damages for Blackbear, a declaration that the school violated the girl’s rights, an injunction preventing the school from banning the wearing of any non-Christian religious paraphernalia and an order expunging her school record. — emailed replies may be posted; cc replies if response desired
Response:
Timothy Blackbear is obviously a neglectful if not abusive father, though now he cares about his daughter cause she is going to make him a bundle. That’s not an accusation one makes lightly, let alone claim is "obvious." Please support or retract the statement.
Not an accusation, just a personal impression. The ACLU will mop the floor with this school especially if they are more accurate in what they say. But we haven’t heard anything from the school which has some brass balls to challenge them. They have only said that the Blackbears had not exhausted their options before seeking financial compensation. One sided arguements leave me uneasy, but probably both sides behaved badly. As an occultist, I would think there would be some concern about whether this girl was playing with wiccan firecrackers without adhering to its "ain harm none" ethic. Funny how nobody is talking about that. It should be noted that she is ROMAN CATHOLIC. She ain’t no wiccan, so why are people pretending to care about a lowly xian? This story is a small scale version of the nastiness happening in Palm Beach. Personally, I know plenty of CHristians I care about. Did I miss a metting in which it became OK to treat Christians in the manner reported? If not, it hardly has any bearing here.
I was being a little sarcastic. Most pagans are easy going, but there are a few who treat others like crap. You know I read a thread once in which my pagan brethren and sisters were making confession. "Forgive me, I own a SUV". I’m not kidding. What’s Palm Beach got to do with all this?
Actually, I am also pleased with the Palm Beach mess because people are getting a first hand glimpse into the divisive cesspool of the mass mind. The only connection to the Blackbears are the ambulance chasers.
Response:
Timothy Blackbear is obviously a neglectful if not abusive father, 1. What makes you so sure her father was neglectful?
Just a feeling I get from his interviews, and whenever I hear only one side of a story, I know I am being conned. This story is a small scale version of the nastiness happening in Palm Beach. 2. What does this have to do with Palm Beach?
Ambulance chasers, duh? She ain’t no wiccan, so why are people pretending to care about a lowly xian What makes you think she is Xian? She doesn’t look like she is Chinese.
Folks instructing me to use an abreviation like this for christian.
Response:
Timothy Blackbear is obviously a neglectful if not abusive father, 1. What makes you so sure her father was neglectful? Just a feeling I get from his interviews,
What interviews make you think it is "obvious" that he is neglectful or abusive? I haven’t seen any interviews with him at all. Have you? I have seen this: http://www.aclu.org/court/blackbear_complaint.html and whenever I hear only one side of a story, I know I am being conned.
Sounds to me like you’re doing some conning yourself, with your spurious and baseless charges of child abuse against a man whose only quoted comment was, "It’s hard for me to believe that in the year 2000 I am walking into court to defend my daughter against charges of witchcraft brought by her own school, but if that’s what it takes to clear her record and get her life back to normal, that’s what we’ll do." .
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Tom Schuler wrote . She was ordered not to display Wiccan symbolism, despite allowing the symbols of at least one other faith. That’s the primary reason that the ACLU got involved. It’s a constitutional freedom of religion question. That is her side of the story. That is true. It is also the side of the story that the ACLU is telling. Since the ACLU is composed of people who have a good grasp of the law and one overriding purpose of challenging infringements on individual rights under the US Constitution, one can reasonably conclude that there is a constitutional issue here. They would not have instituted a suit without at least some facts that support her contentions that they were willing to take into court. So it is unlikely that she is flat-out lying about all this, even if the school hasn’t told its side of the story. I agree. I think you make a good point. I’m wondering if she might have said something like "That teacher is going to die, and soon, believe me." A statement such as that might be construed as a threat or a curse. Just idle speculation.
This is the main question I have, and there is no answer to it. Only the ACLU and the blackbears have address the public. What do you think they will say?
Response:
[anybody got updates on this story?]
The most recent press release from the ACLU offers a bit more information. http://www.aclu.org/news/2000/n102600.html
Response:
[anybody got updates on this story?] The most recent press release from the ACLU offers a bit more information. http://www.aclu.org/news/2000/n102600.html
The school has denied that the reason she was suspended was because of Wicca or because of a hex. The school said that it will contest the law suit vigorously. There is more information and some explanation in the post I made in the "Witch Trial" thread on 11-12-00. I will try to post updates as events warrant. There is an interesting ACLU web page on religious liberty in schools that has a number of Wiccan cases. I made a mistake when I posted the URL before so let me try again. http://www.religioustolerance.org/sch_clot.htm
Response:
Three questions… Timothy Blackbear is obviously a neglectful if not abusive father,
1. What makes you so sure her father was neglectful? This story is a small scale version of the nastiness happening in Palm Beach.
2. What does this have to do with Palm Beach? She ain’t no wiccan, so why are people pretending to care about a lowly xian
What makes you think she is Xian? She doesn’t look like she is Chinese. — Yohan the Lost House of the Crooked Path Hail Eris! All Hail Discordia! "The truth may be inane and moronic, but it’s still the truth."
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – If this girl spread a rumour that she cast a spell on a suggestable teacher in the bible belt, she friggin hexed him. At least according to some hermiteic schools of thought. Personally, I think she is merely a member of an opportunistic family. It is about money, and nothing else. Timothy Blackbear is obviously a neglectful if not abusive father, though now he cares about his daughter cause she is going to make him a bundle. The suit was filed before the family exhausted its options. I correponded with a reporter in Tulsa who told me that we haven’t heard the story. What we have heard is suspect. It should be noted that she is ROMAN CATHOLIC. She ain’t no wiccan, so why are people pretending to care about a lowly xian? This story is a small scale version of the nastiness happening in Palm Beach. [anybody got updates on this story?] Oklahoma school suspends girl for casting spell By Ben Fenwick OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) – An Oklahoma high school suspended a 15-year-old student after accusing her of casting a magic spell that caused a teacher to become sick, lawyers for the student said on Friday. The American Civil Liberties Union said it had filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on behalf of student Brandi Blackbear, charging that the assistant principal of Union Intermediate High School in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, suspended her for 15 days last December for supposedly casting a spell. The suit also charged the Tulsa-area Union Public Schools with repeatedly violating Blackbear’s civil rights by seizing notebooks she used to write horror stories and barring her from drawing or wearing signs of the pagan religion Wicca. "It’s hard for me to believe that in the year 2000 I am walking into court to defend my daughter against charges of witchcraft brought by her own school," said Timothy Blackbear, Brandi’s father. His daughter is now a 10th grader. Joann Bell, executive director of the ACLU’s Oklahoma chapter, said the "outlandish accusations" had made Blackbear’s life at school unbearable. "I, for one, would like to see the so-called evidence this school has that a 15-year-old girl made a grown man sick by casting a magic spell," Bell said. A lawyer for the school district declined to comment. The lawsuit, filed on Thursday, alleges that Blackbear was summoned to the office of assistant principal Charlie Bushyhead last December after a teacher fell ill, and was questioned about her interest in Wicca. According to the lawsuit, Brandi Blackbear had read a library book about Wicca beliefs and, under aggressive interrogation by Bushyhead, said she might be a Wiccan. In fact, Blackbear is a Roman Catholic, according to the newspaper Tulsa World. "The interview culminated with Defendant Bushyhead accusing Plaintiff, Brandi Blackbear, of casting spells causing (a teacher at the school) … to be sick and to be hospitalised," the lawsuit said. The lawsuit stated that because of the "unknown cause" of the teacher’s illness, Bushyhead advised the 15-year-old girl "that she was an immediate threat to the school and summarily suspended her for what he arbitrarily determined to be a disruption of the education process." Doug Mann, the school district’s attorney, declined to comment, saying laws protecting the school records of juveniles barred him and the district from responding outside of court. "It’s totally unfair that we are gagged by federal and state law and they can say anything they want," Mann said. "If the parents will sign a release for what’s in the girl’s files, we will talk about the true facts." The lawsuit alleged Blackbear’s civil rights also were violated when school officials prohibited her from wearing or drawing in school any symbols related to Wicca, a religion that dates back to pre-Christian nature worship. The ACLU is seeking an undisclosed amount of punitive and financial damages for Blackbear, a declaration that the school violated the girl’s rights, an injunction preventing the school from banning the wearing of any non-Christian religious paraphernalia and an order expunging her school record. — emailed replies may be posted; cc replies if response desired
Response:
If this girl spread a rumour that she cast a spell on a suggestable teacher in the bible belt, she friggin hexed him. At least according to some hermiteic schools of thought. Personally, I think she is merely a member of an opportunistic family. It is about money, and nothing else. Timothy Blackbear is obviously a neglectful if not abusive father, though now he cares about his daughter cause she is going to make him a bundle. The suit was filed before the family exhausted its options. I correponded with a reporter in Tulsa who told me that we haven’t heard the story. What we have heard is suspect. It should be noted that she is ROMAN CATHOLIC. She ain’t no wiccan, so why are people pretending to care about a lowly xian? This story is a small scale version of the nastiness happening in Palm Beach. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – [anybody got updates on this story?] Oklahoma school suspends girl for casting spell By Ben Fenwick OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) – An Oklahoma high school suspended a 15-year-old student after accusing her of casting a magic spell that caused a teacher to become sick, lawyers for the student said on Friday. The American Civil Liberties Union said it had filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on behalf of student Brandi Blackbear, charging that the assistant principal of Union Intermediate High School in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, suspended her for 15 days last December for supposedly casting a spell. The suit also charged the Tulsa-area Union Public Schools with repeatedly violating Blackbear’s civil rights by seizing notebooks she used to write horror stories and barring her from drawing or wearing signs of the pagan religion Wicca. "It’s hard for me to believe that in the year 2000 I am walking into court to defend my daughter against charges of witchcraft brought by her own school," said Timothy Blackbear, Brandi’s father. His daughter is now a 10th grader. Joann Bell, executive director of the ACLU’s Oklahoma chapter, said the "outlandish accusations" had made Blackbear’s life at school unbearable. "I, for one, would like to see the so-called evidence this school has that a 15-year-old girl made a grown man sick by casting a magic spell," Bell said. A lawyer for the school district declined to comment. The lawsuit, filed on Thursday, alleges that Blackbear was summoned to the office of assistant principal Charlie Bushyhead last December after a teacher fell ill, and was questioned about her interest in Wicca. According to the lawsuit, Brandi Blackbear had read a library book about Wicca beliefs and, under aggressive interrogation by Bushyhead, said she might be a Wiccan. In fact, Blackbear is a Roman Catholic, according to the newspaper Tulsa World. "The interview culminated with Defendant Bushyhead accusing Plaintiff, Brandi Blackbear, of casting spells causing (a teacher at the school) … to be sick and to be hospitalised," the lawsuit said. The lawsuit stated that because of the "unknown cause" of the teacher’s illness, Bushyhead advised the 15-year-old girl "that she was an immediate threat to the school and summarily suspended her for what he arbitrarily determined to be a disruption of the education process." Doug Mann, the school district’s attorney, declined to comment, saying laws protecting the school records of juveniles barred him and the district from responding outside of court. "It’s totally unfair that we are gagged by federal and state law and they can say anything they want," Mann said. "If the parents will sign a release for what’s in the girl’s files, we will talk about the true facts." The lawsuit alleged Blackbear’s civil rights also were violated when school officials prohibited her from wearing or drawing in school any symbols related to Wicca, a religion that dates back to pre-Christian nature worship. The ACLU is seeking an undisclosed amount of punitive and financial damages for Blackbear, a declaration that the school violated the girl’s rights, an injunction preventing the school from banning the wearing of any non-Christian religious paraphernalia and an order expunging her school record. —
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