SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT SIDES WITH HOMOSEXUAL PARENT OVER BIBLICAL TRUTHS

Student called "ignorant" by official for pro-family stand

Mathew Staver, Founder and Chairman Liberty Counsel 1/27/2012 Brandon Wegner, a 15-year-old student, has been called “ignorant” by his school system’s superintendent, bullied, censored, punished, and held up to ridicule, all for writing an op-ed article explaining the Biblical view of homosexuality and supporting natural mother-father adoption. Liberty Counsel is representing Brandon and his family at no charge. The actions of these officials are outrageous and we intend to reverse this shocking situation!  Please read my very important message on this crucial legal action – Mat. Conservatives, Shawano, Wisconsin, Community High School student Brandon Wegner is pursuing journalism and writes for the student newspaper “The Hawk’s Post.” Brandon and another student proposed several ideas for article topics to their faculty advisor for the student newspaper. They eventually selected “homosexual adoption” and wrote a point-counter point in parallel columns with Brandon taking the position that homosexual adoption is wrong. He supported his position by citing Bible passages. Brandon wrote about his view of the importance of a family having both a mother and a father. The discussion among the two students was very civil and, frankly, a model of how people should discuss controversial issues with each other. But, a homosexual parent read the article and protested. The school principal called Brandon into his office and told him he could not speak about religion, politics, or social issues in a public school. And, without his parent’s knowledge, Brandon was called into one meeting after another, causing him to miss study time for exams and even missing one exam. He was then hauled before Superintendent Todd Carlson who told him that the column he wrote “went against the bullying policy.” Superintendent Carlson asked Brandon to recant his views, and when he would not, he told Brandon he was “ignorant” for having his belief, and then said “we have the power to suspend you.” The Superintendent then communicated with the school community and apologized for Brandon’s article on homosexual adoption.  School officials then censored Brandon's article, forcing him and his classmates participating in the news writing course to physically rip the page out of the newspaper before distribution at their school. Liberty Counsel is now representing the Wegner family and sent a letter to the school demanding an apology for its unconstitutional and irrational censorship and for Brandon’s humiliation.  You can see Brandon’s article and our 7-page Demand Letter to the Shawano School District Board of Education by clicking here: http://www.libertyaction.org/r.asp?U=68813&CID=330&RID=33965296 ++Shawano school officials got it perfectly upside down! In a statement, the school “sincerely apologized” – NOT for allowing the topic to begin with, or for rushing to judgment, or for violating a student’s constitutional rights, but ONLY for the Biblical viewpoint presented in Brandon’s writing! Under the guise of stopping bullying, the ACTUAL bullying at Shawano High School was perpetrated by Superintendent Todd Carlson and his subordinates – certainly not the student! These school officials have displayed blatant intolerance of a view on homosexuality held by many people in our nation. The school’s actions are shocking and totally unjustified. As outlined in our Demand Letter, the superintendent should immediately apologize and stop HIS bullying! ++Liberty Counsel must be able to show up for battles like this! “Political correctness” and overt anti-Christian bigotry have been relentlessly pounding our culture for several decades and these attacks have taken a terrible toll. As a consequence of the ongoing leftist indoctrination, our values – and people expressing views contrary to the approved ultraliberal script – are now squarely in the REAL bullies’ crosshairs. Sadly, pro-homosexual indoctrination is intensifying.  But Liberty Counsel aggressively defends the rights of Americans who experience anti-Christian bigotry at the hands of misguided public officials. Conservatives, I am asking you to make a special gift today to help us defend the hapless victims of illegal censorship, viewpoint discrimination, and outright persecution for expressing sincerely held religious beliefs. Our representation in these cases is free to those citizens whose values and faith have been assaulted.  But we cannot come to the defense of victims like Brandon and the Wegner family unless we have your support and that of thousands of other concerned Americans. Please click here to make a special donation. When you go to the Donation Page, you can also read Brandon’s op-ed article and Liberty Counsel’s Demand Letter: http://www.libertyaction.org/r.asp?U=68814&CID=330&RID=33965296 Our litigation team is working hard to keep on top of attempts to turn America into just another European-style, godless, socialist state and our caseload is growing as never before. We represent upstanding American citizens… like Jerry Buell, our client in Central Florida, who we helped get reinstated in his teaching duties after his rights were infringed upon by an overzealous and misinformed school administration.  His “offense”?  Jerry expressed his view on his Facebook page that New York’s same-sex marriage law was wrong! Another of our clients, Dakota Ary, a high school freshman in Fort Worth, Texas, was suspended from school for merely stating his Christian view on homosexuality to a classmate which his teacher overheard. Liberty Counsel defended Dakota against that misguided teacher’s accusations and an uninformed administration’s abuse of his rights. Dakota was fully exonerated and the teacher was placed on administrative leave! These cases are representative of today’s intensifying assaults on First Amendment rights by leftist bullies who use intimidation to silence those who speak from a different viewpoint than their own. ++We don’t have to meekly accept moral collapse!  We depend on friends who give $20, $30, $50, $100 – whatever the Lord leads – so we can stay involved in these crucial battles. Would you consider making a special gift to Liberty Counsel to meet these pressing needs?  Please go here to send a special gift, and to read Liberty Counsel’s Demand Letter and Brandon’s “offensive” op-ed piece: http://www.libertyaction.org/r.asp?U=68815&CID=330&RID=33965296 May God bless you!  Thank you for being an integral part of our Liberty Counsel team and a valued co-laborer in Liberty Counsel’s God-given mission. Mathew Staver, Founder and Chairman Liberty Counsel