STOKKA REMOVES RELIGION FROM UNITY PLEA.Byline: Karen Maeshiro Daily News Staff Writer Taking a second stab at resolving conflicts on race and religion among students and staff, high school trustee Sue Stokka is urging the district to highlight the values Americans hold in common, rather than their disagreements. Stokka will introduce a resolution at Wednesday's school board meeting that states, ``The focus on diversity is not a positive means to resolve conflict but is in itself divisive di·vi·sive adj. Creating dissension or discord. di·vi  sive·ly adv.di·vi . ``Public education is making a grave mistake in giving diversity credit for getting people together when in reality it's diversity that divides us. In America, we have survived and grown because people have come from all over the world and ultimately have become Americans. Differences don't bring you together, it's commonality com·mon·al·i·ty n. pl. com·mon·al·i·ties 1. a. The possession, along with another or others, of a certain attribute or set of attributes: a political movement's commonality of purpose. that brings people together.'' Stokka's resolution is a revised version Revised Version n. A British and American revision of the King James Version of the Bible, completed in 1885. Revised Version Noun of one she originally presented to her fellow trustees in May. The first resolution included a statement on ``reaffirming the contributions of religion to individual Americans and the American culture as a whole,'' but Stokka eliminated that statement in her second resolution. ``I don't want the emphasis to be totally on religion,'' Stokka said. ``I don't want it to be seen as a religious venture.'' The Antelope Valley Union High School District The Antelope Valley Union High School District (A.V.U.H.S.D.) is located in the Antelope Valley area of California, in northern Los Angeles County. The district includes eight public high schools, one trade school, and two continuation high schools in the cities of Palmdale board meeting will start at 6 p.m. at 44811 Sierra Highway Sierra Highway is a road in Southern California, United States. It runs from Tunnel Station near the north limit of the City of Los Angeles, where it intersects with San Fernando Road and Foothill Boulevard, as well as Interstate 5, and continues north to Mojave, mostly paralleling . Stokka's second resolution also states, ``Positive conflict resolution calls for the ability of individuals to look beyond their own differences in order that they might find common grounds This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Alone, primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of this article are not sufficient for an accurate encyclopedia article. for agreement.'' Stokka said she hopes the principles listed in her resolution will become part of the overall philosophy of the district in its dealings with students, teachers, parents and the community. ``It becomes part of the system,'' Stokka said. ``You work with it on a daily basis when you work with students or in union negotiations. A lot of it comes down to treat others as you would have them treat you.'' Stokka wants the board to adopt a philosophy she discovered in ``Finding Common Ground: A First Amendment Guide to Religion and Public Education,'' produced by the Freedom Forum First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University, at Nashville, Tenn.; coeducational; chartered 1872 as Central Univ. of Methodist Episcopal Church, founded and renamed 1873, opened 1875 through a gift from Cornelius Vanderbilt. Until 1914 it operated under the auspices of the Methodist Church. in Tennessee Tennessee, state, United States Tennessee (tĕn`əsē', tĕn'əsē`), state in the south-central United States. . Public schools may not provide religious instruction, but they may teach about religion. Stokka says teaching about religion and the various forms it takes can help smooth over tensions and lead to better understanding by touching on respect for the rights of others. |
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