A third grade student in a Palmer, Alaska elementary school was suspended for bullying when she allegedly told a classmate, “I do not want to play with you at recess because you are not Christian.” The comment was supposedly made to a boy who, together with no other student, teacher, or staff, recalls exactly what was said. Nevertheless, the elementary school principal stated that the suspended girl was being a bully because she her alleged comments excluded the other admittedly non-Christian student. The school apparently believed that the suspension of the Christian girl was necessary to protect the boy’s rights and views.

Interestingly, several weeks before the incident, religious beliefs were a discussion in the third grade classroom. Students discussed whether they went to church and what their respective religious beliefs were. The girl who was suspended had identified herself as a Christian. The boy who she supposedly bullied said he was not. No one was taken to the principal, counseled, or disciplined for any of these discussions.

As it turns out, the school administration suspended the girl only after learning that she said something about being a “Christian” during her subsequent conversation with the boy. Not surprisingly, the parents of the suspended girl contacted the school repeatedly for an explanation for why an eight year old child would be suspended for bullying even if she really had said “I do not want to play with you at recess because you are not Christian.” The school has refused the parents’ request to interview all the parties. The suspended girl has no prior record of bullying. Nor can the school document any other instance where the eight year old had any inappropriate discussions regarding religion or any other topic.

In short, the school suspended the little girl (without any due process) solely because it thought that it was very wrong for a child to demonstrate a religious preference for play and friendship, even though students make friends on other types of preferences all the time.

This type of hostility toward religion is inexcusable. Public classrooms have increasingly become a battlefield in the struggle to maintain religious liberty in America as well as freedom of speech and preference. It shouldn’t be surprising that the battle lines are present in Alaska as well.

The real issue here is that a very young third grader is being taught that her rights to practice her religion can be trumped by the government. She has also been taught that she really doesn’t have freedom of speech. The hostility toward religion here is clear: if the girl would have stated to the boy that she would not play with him because he was a boy, wore a funny shirt, or for any other preference, then the school would have done nothing. It seems public schools want to brainwash children early, stripping away the vestiges of America’s true heritage.