First-grader reprimanded by police for distributing Bible verses at school in California
A police officer visited the home of a first grade student in California to order him to stop giving out Bible verses at school.
The student, an unnamed seven-year-old boy who goes to Desert Rose Elementary School in Palmdale, caught the attention of school authorities when he began to hand out little notes with Bible verses in them to his classmates at lunchtime.
Palmdale School District superintendent Raul Maldonado said he is "concerned" about the incident and wants it investigated.
"I am very concerned about this incident. I have directed that a speedy investigation be conducted, and I can assure you that all appropriate action will be taken once the facts are known," Maldonado told TheBlaze.
The controversy began when the boy's mother, Christina Zavala, slipped a small note with a Bible verse into her son's lunch. Although the note was meant for him, he showed it to his classmates and read it to them.
After some time, his classmates began to "eagerly anticipate the next days' lunchtime note and Bible verse," according to a May 24 letter from Liberty Counsel, a nonprofit organization promoting religious freedom that is helping Zavala on the case.
Soon after, the boy's friends began asking to have their own copies of the notes, and Zavala gladly made copies for them, which her son gave out at lunchtime.
A teacher learned about it when a student showed her the note and told her "it was the most beautiful story" she had ever seen.
The teacher instructed the boy to stop distributing the notes. She promptly called Zavala and told her to remind her son about "the separation of church and state," according to the letter.
Zavala told the teacher that her son should be allowed to share his religious beliefs at lunchtime. However, the following day, as her son was distributing Bible verses, the teacher announced in front of everyone that he was not permitted to do it except at the school gate.
The boy went home crying, so Zavala went with her son the next day and stood with him at the school gate after class to hand out the notes, in compliance to the instruction. By this time, there were 15 students excitedly waiting for their daily Bible verses.
In early May, the school principal approached the family and informed them that the note distribution is "against school policy." They were told to do it at a public sidewalk. So they stopped.
Later that day, however, a police officer went to their home and told them to end the note distribution because "someone might be offended."
The school's action, according to the Liberty Counsel, is an "unconstitutional suppression and censorship of student religious speech."
The organization said in a June 4 statement that the incident was a "gross violation of the rights of a child," and the school enlisting the help of a police officer to try to bully the family was "outrageous."
The organization said it will pursue further action if the school would not lift the "ban" on the note distribution anywhere on the school grounds during breaks and "verbally inform" the students that they have First Amendment rights to talk about their beliefs during recess or lunchtime.
