Aficionados of the news feed will recall the following news story from a couple of weeks ago. It seems that a school in Acton, California gave middle-schoolers the option to draw illustrations on their worksheets about the history of Islam. The possible candidates for pictorial representation included Mohammed, and one parent — ONE parent, mind you, and probably not even a Muslim — objected, calling the assignment offensive.

As a result, the school district banned all depictions of any religious figure. No more Jesus. No more Krishna. No more Flying Spaghetti Monster. Everyone’s religious sensibilities must remain unoffended, no matter what!

Here’s the story from the Daily Caller:

Ban on ALL Religious Figure Art for Islam The seventh-grade history assignment at High Desert School in Acton, Calif. was a worksheet called “Vocabulary Pictures: The Rise of Islam.” It featured several words including Quran, Mecca, Bedouins and Muhammad. There was space for students to sketch their own images representing the various words. The parent who found the assignment offensive is Melinda Van Stone, a chiropractor in nearby Palmdale. After her 12-year-old son brought home the assignment a couple weeks ago, Van Stone was “very upset,” she said. “It’s not appropriate to have our children go to school and learn how to insult a religious group,” she told the Daily News. Van Stone refused to indicate her own religion or her son’s religion.

However, a week later the superintendent for the school district was telling a very different story. I don’t know if there is any connection, but in between the first report and the second one came this well-reasoned and eloquent presentation to the Agua Dulce Town Council by Chris Burgard, a local resident.

Notice that Mr. Burgard is well-informed on the history of Islam, Islamic Law, the Explanatory Memorandum, and the Muslim Brotherhood’s blueprint for Civilization Jihad in the United States:

Did the school district backpedal and change its mind? Or did the L.A. papers report the original story incorrectly? You decide.

This follow-up report was published by Breitbart:

CA School Allows Students to Draw Muhammad The mother of a 7th grade student at High Desert School in Acton had complained when her 12-year-old son brought home a worksheet from his history class two weeks ago titled “Vocabulary Pictures: The Rise of Islam.” The worksheet listed words such as Quran, Mecca, Bedouins and Muhammad, and asked for students to draw images related to the words. She then complained that the assignment, which turns out to be part of the approved curriculum, was inappropriate and suggested it taught children “how to insult a religious group.” The Los Angeles Daily News reported that district superintendent Dr. Brent Woodard told staff permanently to prohibit the drawing of all religious figures in order to prevent the offending of all religious groups. During Thursday night’s town hall meeting, Woodard disputed the Daily News story. “There was never an intention to ban the drawing of all religious figures,” he explained, noting that he had called for a suspension of drawing the figures until he had discussed the issue with the school district’s board members. “We believe very strongly in the First Amendment… No child would be required to draw religious figures if they object to that kind of the assignment.” Woodard told Breitbart News that “we will no longer require students to participate in something that they find offensive.” But he would not ban students from drawing Muhammad and other religious figures just because others were offended. He noted that to ban something would be in direct violation of the First Amendment. “That’s not the case here.”

Hat tip: Vlad Tepes.