Another lawsuit was filed in SAU16/Exeter. If you are keeping track, this is lawsuit #5. This time, the lawsuit was filed against the district charging that they denied a student’s free speech rights.
M. P., who is a believing Catholic, had an exchange with a politically progressive student on a school bus in which he affirmed that there are only two genders: male and female. The progressive student, who is not transgender, later engaged M. P. in an exchange of text messages on the issue, in which M. P. reaffirmed his views. The student then turned a copy of this text conversation over to Vice Principal Dovholuk, who confronted M. P. with printed copies of the text messages. M. P. was then subject to an athletic suspension.
M.P. was respectfully sharing his religious views with another student, but he ended up being punished because his religious views were not tolerated by school officials.
With all of the talk on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice in SAU16, how can this happen? The progressive student was able to share her views without punishment. Why are religious students the targets of punishment in this so-called inclusive school?
This isn’t the first time a parent has noted the intolerance against religious students in this district. At this school board meeting, a father spoke up about how his son was treated in his class when he shared his pro-life views during a discussion on abortion. (1:21:00)
The message to this student was, do not speak, and do not share your religious views. It sounds like a pattern of intolerance in SAU16 towards religious students, has escalated.
During the DEIJ meeting a few months ago, the new DEIJ Direct, Andres Meija confirmed that he was there to also represent students with religious views.
Where is Mr. Meija?
Why did he not come to this student’s defense? Was all of this talk of appreciation for diversity nothing but a farce? How is this school district showing inclusion by punishing students who express their religious beliefs? By punishing this student, they sent a loud message to religious students to stay silent. Why is the DEIJ Director not standing up publicly, to defend M.P.?
WATCH as DEIJ DIRECTOR ANDRES MEIJA CLAIMS HE WILL REPRESENT ALL STUDENTS. RELIGIOUS STUDENTS TOO:
You can see when Mr. Meija is in front of the audience, he says he is there to represent religious students too. But when given the opportunity to come to the aid of a religious student, we’ve heard nothing from him.
How is it, the most vocal district when it comes to DEIJ, managed to punish a student who expressed his religious views?
Many people were skeptical of this commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice in SAU16. It took just a few short months for this administration to prove the critics right.
