Clay County principal posts controversial comments on memo

Reported by: Ryan Smith
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Updated: 10/22/2011 7:59 am
Clay County, Fla. -- Clay Hill Elementary principal Larry Davis is drawing criticisms from across the country.

It all started with a school memo. Davis informed his staff that a local pastor would be holding weekly prayer sessions underneath the school's flag.

In the memo to about 40 faculty members, Davis quoted an article from a Christian website stating, "Our children need God back in schools," and he is calling Christians nationwide to bring back "the Holy Bible and Christian prayer to schools."

That sparked one parent to take action, calling Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation.

"Utterly unacceptable in a principal, I do not think he should be a principal at a public school," said the group's co-president, Annie Laurie Gaylor.

Davis went on to quote, "The First Amendment was for Christianity, not other religions."

"That would be like if he had sent out a newsletter to the school saying the First Amendment or the constitution was only for white people," said Gaylor.

Davis said he didn't have time for an interview and that he didn't endorse the quotes. The Clay County Schools superintendent stated at a recent school board meeting that Davis' comments were over the line.


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mpineapplecake - 10/23/2011 11:20 PM
Screw you Dis..Whatever and allie(in small letters) both of you Fooll, Idiots knew what I meant. Whatever good or bad thanks for reading the post Jerks.

disillusioned - 10/23/2011 7:24 PM
If this pricipal had been allowing Muslim prayers, you wouldn't see all these idiotic negative comments. Why? Because the PCer's would be too afraid. And, it's MADELINE MURRAY O'HARE. you BUFFOON.

Philo916 - 10/23/2011 4:59 PM
If Larry Davis doesn't have the capacity to be fair, non-preferential, and respect the 1st amendment, then he should be fired.

doug1 - 10/23/2011 12:07 PM
larry davis is a g. d. idiot. he should not even have power over a preschool, leave alone a PUBLIC SHOOL in clay county. fire him now. who the heck was jesus anyway? am i wrong because i believe in a higher power and not someone called jesus? this great constitution was designed to protect all american citizens. not a select few. this "man" does not believe in "God" in the true sense. God is all over. when i see trees and sky, and grass [everyday day], i see God. when i see this davis guy, i see a real jerk. FIRE HIM NOW. NO PENSION, NOTHING!!! dragster1.

allie - 10/23/2011 11:31 AM
mpineapplecake, Maureen O'Hara is alive, get your facts straight. My first thought was, "what, did xstian extremists murder the old lady?..." Geez...

allie - 10/23/2011 11:24 AM
mpineapplecake, Maureen O'Hara is alive, you moron, and she's 91 years old. Good luck to you living that long, with your "gawd and prayer" on your side.

abb3w - 10/22/2011 11:18 PM
(1) You seem to have confused KNOWING the prayers and ACCEPTING the ideas behind them as valid. Given that the average atheist tends to be more knowledgeable about Christianity than the average Christian, that would seem a basic error. (2) Yes, the parents and guardians have a responsibility to childrens' moral instruction. However, a principal must act in loco parentis to all children; it's a violation of that duty for him to push God on the children of secularist parents, who may consider such blind following of authority inferior to instilling an approach based on human empathy. Religious instruction is a job for the home, or for a private school, not a state-run school. (3) "No matter what faith"? So, you'd have no problem with a Muslim principal and teachers using state-supported schools to indoctrinate children in Islam? There was a lawsuit in Michigan over just that, settled earlier this month. There is no greater bulwark against those dangers of Sharia that Christian fundamentalists harp on about than maintaining the antiestablishment barrier for all creeds. Any student of history want to guess where the quote "while insisting upon the fullest measure of religious liberty, we are opposed to any union of Church and State" comes from? (4) Atheists don't pray to Satan. Satanism refers either to the ultimate strain of Christian heresy, or a strain of Randite follower who were fond of ritual and found the name untrademarked. Also, the Jews are more supportive (~80%) of the current case law on school prayer than the unaffiliated (~70%); about 40% of non-baptist christians still think the separation is a good idea, and even 20% of Baptists. Perhaps those last may be the ones who know/remember the antiestablishment history of the Baptist church from around the founding of the country until the north/south schism; but that's speculation. (5) If you have to use corporal punishment strong enough and often to risk jail, you've probably failed as a parent.

nativejax - 10/22/2011 6:13 PM
Crowepps, where are the 'facts' in black and white that states 'that most children know their prayers before they go to school? Thats you personal opinion...because if 'most' DID know their prayers, they sure forget them by the time they are SUPPOSE to graduate. DROP OUTS AND HOODLUMS ARE THE BI-PRODUCTS OF KIDS WHO DON'T OBEY THOSE PRAYERS YOU SO APPLY CLAIM WE SHOULD TAKE OUT OF SCHOOLS. I will take Gods words over the Governments ANY DAY. These children still have the 'choice' not to participate, but WE as parents and guardians have a MORAL duty to lead them to God, NO MATTER what sect of religion: Christianity,Buddism,Judaism,Hinduism,Shintoism,Taoism,Islamic, Muslim,Pantheism, etc..I can go on and on. There is only ONE God and we are his 'subjects'..no matter what faith we 'expose' our children to, its a SIN to keep them from KNOWING A HIGHER POWER OTHER THAN US, no matter what 'religion' its under. THIS is WHY wars are started, people don't realize GOD IS EVERYWHERE and BELONGS TO EVERYONE, and He has MANY names. NO ONE is an exception, EXCEPT the ones who pray to SATAN...and let me tell you the devil goes by many names too. He is the ONLY reason why anyone would complain about their kids being exposed to God, NOT the Government. God warns of of the devils ability to sneak into your heads and 'keep' us from our prayers and lead us astray. Our kids need more religion since we risk jail for whacking their azz when they get in trouble.

abb3w - 10/22/2011 2:56 PM
The religious may have more people on their side at the moment; however, that's been changing. While there are ebb-and-flow waves from year to year, and the demographic tide from the past century may reverse, the current curve fits implies a steady deep trend over at least the last four decades, and that it's only about 40 years until the irreligious become the majority. Just as in that event, US law would protect that eventual Christian minority by prohibiting an atheist from sending out memos condemning Christianity as an antiquated superstition when the few continue their prayer at the flagpole, so too does it protect the current atheist/agnostic minority by prohibit the principal from sending memos endorsing Christianity and encouraging prayer at the flagpole. Care to look up Proverbs 22:8? "Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity, and the rod they wield in fury will be broken." Erode the law now, and your children may live to regret it.

osprey1 - 10/22/2011 12:56 PM
I wonder how Ms. Annie Gaylor would like it if someone who didn't like what she was doing told her she would have to stop. Well I don't like you complaining about religion, and besides I have alot more people on my side that stand for religion than you do that don't.
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