How do you feel about reading the bible in kindergarten?  Wesley was participating in a curriculum unit called “All About Me,” in which kindergarteners would identify individual interests, learn about others, and bring a snack and their favorite stuffed animal to share.  Parents were invited to read to the class, and Wesley asked his mother to read from his favorite book, the bible.  She selected psalm 118, which begins “give thanks unto the Lord for he is good because his mercy endures forever.”  After the school principal informed Wesley’s mother that reading the bible to the class would be against the law, Wesley’s mother sued.  She claimed that other parents read The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and The Best Easter Eggs Ever, and one parent even read The Matzo Ball Fairy.  Wesley’s mother apparently felt that to allow The Matzo Ball Fairy but deny psalm 118 made her feel like chopped liver.  But the Court ruled for the school stating that the younger the student, the more control the school can have.  So there it is – Dr. Seuss is in, God is out, let’s just say it’s the principle of the matter.

THIS IS NEIL CHAYET LOOKING AT THE LAW™

Busch v. Marple Newton School Dist., No. 07-2967, slip op. (3d Cir. Jun. 1, 2009).

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