Choice Religious Schools Continue to Make Bad Choices With Our Taxpayer Money!

That smug party of entitlement, Wisconsin’s arrogant Republicans, never miss a chance to complain how they don’t want their tax dollars going to pay for this or that, stirring up resentment over things like removing lead pipes in Milwaukee. But this is just one example, there are so many others.

And yet, when I say I don’t want my tax dollars going to teach religion in private religious schools, I’m un-American and anti-Christian. And while I’m at it, why aren’t we angry over Republicans purposely gaming the Constitution and our own state Constitution by directing school funding directly to students and their families, who then can choose to spend it on religious indoctrination…I mean “education?”

There are two “choice” stories here, one about a Lutheran school hiding reality (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod is considered one of the most conservative synods), and the other is a Catholic school quietly promoting racism, giving us another reason why this was always a bad idea.

Religious Choice School hides “offensive” subjects, and a basic education, with Our Tax Dollars:  Private schools are a personal choice for those who did not agree with public education. Taxpayers should not paying for a “cleansed” version of history and  cultural differences. Here’s one teacher that didn’t

Daniel Dettmann, 56, resigned from his 24-year teaching position at Winnebago Lutheran Academy on Tuesday … because of subject matter the school board deemed inappropriate … for briefly speaking about female circumcision in the context of a geography class discussing different cultures in the Middle East. 

Dettmann said he had touched on the topic with his students for at least a decade and no one ever complained about it, until now. He was told it offended two female students, as well as a third student who was not in the classroom but heard about the lesson. “I believe it is appropriate subject matter because it is a rising problem in the U.S. and young people should be aware of it,” he said.

Winnebago Lutheran Academy apparently doesn’t have to follow Wisconsin law governing choice schools:

The academy receives state funding … Wisconsin’s standards for geography state students should learn to “evaluate the effect of culture on a place and time” and “explain how and why people view places and regions differently as a function of their ideology, race, ethnicity, language, gender, age, religion, politics, social class, and economic status.”

The Lutheran Academy is a mere echo of the far rights attempts to revise history, that’s why they’re pushing religious schools.  Remember this from Texas: 

Kelci Jo Henning, a 2011 academy graduate, said Dettmann was one of the most loved teachers at the school and had a way of keeping students engaged in what he was teaching. “His job is to teach about history and current events and the issue of female circumcision is part of that. Just because it made someone feel uncomfortable he lost his job. These things are not comfortable to talk about but they are necessary.”

Lutharans lie too!!! Well this is uncomfortable:

Although Dettmann says he was told by the board that he was warned and reprimanded several times, he said these claims are untrue. He never received any verbal or written communication regarding his curriculum choices in the past.

The final insult and typical ploy used by Republicans everywhere…misuse of Bible passages:

Corey Dettmann says he’s angry his father was made to feel shame for what he was teaching, and the administration used Bible passages to do so.

UPDATE: Remember this from May 28th:

Senior Prank on Catholic School Spanish Teacher echoes Trump’s “You’re fired” and that Mexicans are drug dealers.

WAOW: A Spanish teacher at Assumption Catholic School said an incident on Thursday was her turning point. Olga Meza is a Spanish teacher and first-generation American … walked into her classroom at Assumption Catholic School to see photos of Donald Trump plastered across the room and the phrase “you’re fired” on the whiteboard. She said they also changed the screens on 22 different iPads to show Trump’s face. She said students often quote the president in class. “They say Mexicans are criminals and all Mexicans are drug dealers and I was like that’s not true. I’m a Mexican American, my parents are from Mexico and they didn’t come here to do that, they taught us.”

 Here’s the latest:

Now, a current Assumption student tells News 9, other students at the school are mocking Meza. 

Victor Quinonez said his classmates repeat Meza’s words, saying they “felt unsafe” in mocking tones. Quinonez, a freshman at Assumption High School, said he has also been a victim to race-based bullying. “It happens all the time,” said Quinonez. “You just got to deal with it.” Even during the interview, her brother Victor said, “I can’t really say anything else or, ya know, what would they do to me?”

His sister Maria Quinones Diaz reflected on her own experience at the school. “We shouldn’t have to be thinking about this,” said Quinones Diaz, referring to racial tensions that she said have existed at the school for since she was a student. “He’s fifteen years old, he just started high school” … she worries about her brother returning to the school after speaking out on the issue. When she was in school, she said, “I couldn’t show that I was soft because they would do it more… if you show it hurts… they live off of that.”

Since our initial reporting on this story, Meza said she and her daughter have not returned to the school over safety concerns.

If the past tells us anything, more of these cases are going to reported, if only in local papers and media. Which begs the question, why aren’t we doing away with choice completely as Gov. Evers first suggested. Remember, choice schools are not answerable to the taxpayers:

Of the Lutheran synods in the state, Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod is considered one of the most conservative synods. As a male employee of the school, Dettmann was classified as self-employed and a minister of the gospel. Female teachers, on the other hand, are not self-employed because they cannot be ministers in the church. According to WELS church doctrine, responsibility involves: “headship for a man, including authority, and submission for a woman.”

The Lutheran Church was involved in another recent issue that drew controversy. Sheboygan Lutheran High School valedictorian Nat Werth was not allowed to give his speech at graduation because he talked about his troubles as a gay student and how he was not allowed to join the school dance team because he was gay.

A former liberal radio talk host who likes to ask the “follow-up question” at Democurmudgeon.blogspot.com