Church-state separation proponents owe a debt of gratitude to Matthew LaClair.
Church-state separation proponents owe a debt of gratitude to
Matthew LaClair. The sixteen-year-old whistleblower whis·tle·blow·er or whis·tle-blow·er or whistle blower
n.
One who reveals wrongdoing within an organization to the public or to those in positions of authority: "The Pentagon's most famous whistleblower is . . was successful in
his challenge of history teacher David Paszkiewicz's religious
proselytizing at Kearny High School There is more than one school named Kearny High School: - Kearny High School (New Jersey) in Kearny, New Jersey
- Kearny High School (San Diego, California)
in New Jersey. Disturbed after
hearing his teacher instruct that evolution isn't scientific, that
dinosaurs were aboard Noah's ark, and only Christians get to
heaven, LaClair audiotaped subsequent classes and presented his tapes to
the school board. In settling the dispute, the board agreed to mandate
training for teachers and students about the separation of church and
state - See also: .
Separation of church and state is a political and legal doctrine which states that government and religious institutions are to be kept separate and independent of one another. and publicly praised the student's efforts in bringing the
issue before the board. As a result, LaClair has been named the 2007
Thomas Jefferson Freethought Student Activist by the Freedom From
Religion Foundation The Freedom From Religion Foundation is an American Freethought organization based in Madison, Wisconsin. Its purposes, as stated in its bylaws, are to promote the separation of church and state, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism. .
Karen Ann Gajewski is a freelance editor and an editorial
consultant to the Humanist.
COPYRIGHT 2007 American Humanist Association
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2007, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.
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