LINCOLN PARK -- Metro Detroit witches are calling a letter sent to high school parents discriminatory and uninformed. After being told by his staff that they've seen an "increase in gang and or cult activity," Lincoln Park High School principal Tom Kolka drafted a list of groups the district considers "inappropriate" in the school. Kolka could not be reached Tuesday for comment, but in the letter, he said the district wants to keep "schools and students free from threats or wrongful influence of any groups or gangs which advocate drug use, violence or disruptive behavior." Witches, white supremacists and Satanists were among the groups he named. Kolka said black nail polish and vampire style makeup are undesirable accessories to wear to school. So, he said, is the pentagram or pentacle -- a five-point star sometimes enclosed in a circle that witches wear as a symbol of air, fire, water, earth and spirit. If worn, Kolka said, the symbols would be confiscated and an indefinite suspension could follow. His letter brought an angry response from some. "We thought the administrators at the high school were suppose to be educators, but this letter promotes ignorance," said Garden City witch Veronica Kuclo-Raub, owner of Gundella's Witch Ways and Wares. "Kids need to be individuals. Everyone is not alike, nor do we all believe in the same things. They should be allowed to wear religious symbols. "Unfortunately, there has been a lot of fear associated with witchcraft. But you would hope that in the academic environment tolerance and understanding would be taught." Some in the district believe the witches and other groups mentioned in the one-page letter are taking the district's policy out of context. "We've got to have guidelines in school," said James Hopkins, a board of education member. "We have a dress code, and I don't care if it's my own son, our policy is our policy. We never said that anyone had to stop practicing their religion or stop wearing the cross, pentagram or Star of David. "We are no more to the right or left on this issue. We are straight up the middle and the rule applies to everybody. So there is not discrimination. But we can not tolerate students dressing in attire that distracts others from learning." December 10, 1998 Lincoln Park School Board 1045 Southfield Rd. Lincoln Park, MI 48146 Dr. Thomas Kolka, The Witches Anti-Discrimination League (WADL) has been contacted by a student attending Lincoln Park High School. At issue is the highly discriminatory edict issued in October that forbids students to belong to certain non-traditional and/or non-mainstream religious and social groups. Both the student and the parents have asked us to keep their names confidential pending the outcome of this communication. We have contacted the students parents and have in our possession a notarized permission form allowing us to represent this student. We would prefer to seek a peaceful resolution to this matter. We are sure that Lincoln Park High School would also prefer to continue the educational process rather than divert time and resources in the defense of a discriminatory and illegal policy. In light of this information we are providing you, we will instruct our local Representatives to wait until Wednesday 17, December, 1998 before proceeding with Legal Action on behalf of your student. The Lincoln Park School's "Cult/Gang" policy violates your students' First and Fourteenth Amendment Rights as well as all of the provisions contained with The Equal Access Act. We are sure that Lincoln Park High School has copies of The Constitution available, so we need not print those portions here. We do, however, include a quote from the Statement by President William J. Clinton on this subject, pertinent portions of the Equal Access Act and part of the introduction of the letter issued by Secretary of Education Richard W Riley. Upon reviewing this letter and the enclosed material you may wish to confer with your Corporate Legal Counsel or The American Civil Liberties Union to verify the standing you have regarding your edict. "PREFACE FROM PRESIDENT CLINTON: Nothing in the First Amendment converts our public schools into religion-free zones, or requires all religious expression to be left behind at the schoolhouse door. While the government may not use schools to coerce the consciences of our students, or to convey official endorsement of religion, the public schools also may not discriminate against private religious expression during the school day. Religion is too important in our history and our heritage for us to keep it out of our schools...[I]t shouldn't be demanded, but as long as it is not sponsored by school officials and doesn't interfere with other children's rights, it mustn't be denied."-President Clinton-July 12, 1995 ---------------------------------------------------- From the Equal Access Act: " "Student garb: Students may display religious messages on items of clothing to the same extent that they are permitted to display other comparable messages. Religious messages may not be singled out for suppression, but rather are subject to the same rules as generally apply to comparable messages." Further statement quoted from a letter by Richard W. Riley Secretary of Education: "Dear Superintendent: On July 12th, President Clinton directed the Secretary of Education, in consultation with the Attorney General, to provide every school district in America with a statement of principles addressing the extent to which religious expression and activity are permitted in our public schools. In response to the President's request, I am sending to you this statement of principles. In the last two years, I have visited with many educators, parents, students, and religious leaders. I have become increasingly aware of the real need to find a new common ground and inject fresh air into the growing and, at times, divisive debate about religion in our public schools. President Clinton and I hope that this information will provide useful guidance to educators, parents, and students in defining the proper place for religious expression and religious freedom in our public schools. As the President explained, the First Amendment imposes two basic and equally important obligations on public school officials in their dealings with religion. First, schools may not forbid students acting on their own from expressing their personal religious views or beliefs solely because they are of a religious nature. Schools may not discriminate against private religious expression by students, but must instead give students the same right to engage in religious activity and discussion as they have to engage in other comparable activity. Generally, this means that students may pray in a non-disruptive manner during the school day when they are not engaged in school activities and instruction, subject to the same rules of order as apply to other student speech. At the same time, schools may not endorse religious activity or doctrine, nor may they coerce participation in religious activity. Among other things, of course, school administrators and teachers may not organize or encourage prayer exercises in the classroom. And the right of religious expression in school does not include the right to have a "captive audience" listen, or to compel other students to participate. School officials should not permit student religious speech to turn into religious harassment aimed at a student or a small group of students. Students do not have the right to make repeated invitations to other students to participate in religious activity in the face of a request to stop. The statement of principles set forth below derives from the First Amendment. Implementation of these principles, of course, will depend on specific factual contexts and will require careful consideration in particular cases. Although most schools have been implementing these principles already, some problems have arisen where people are unaware of, or do not understand, these obligations. It is my sincere hope that these principles will help to end much of the confusion regarding religious expression in public schools and that they can provide a basis for school officials, teachers, parents, and students to work together to find common ground -- helping us to get on with the important work of education. I want to recognize again the efforts of religious and other civic groups who came together earlier this year to issue a statement of current law on religion in the public schools, from which we drew heavily in developing these principles. I encourage you to share this information widely and in the most appropriate manner with your school community. Accept my sincere thanks for your continuing work on behalf of all of America's children. Sincerely, Richard W. Riley U.S. Secretary of Education" -------------------------------------------------- Again we wish to stress it is our desire to see the Lincoln Park School District voluntarily comply with the provisions of The Equal Access Act, and The First and Fourteenth Amendments. Should you wish to discuss this matter please feel free to reply either by US Mail, email or by telephone to, our Attorney Clare Kelsey. In Our Lady And Our Lord, Steve Foster President, WADL * Dateline: Detroit 22 March, 1999 Press Release from WADL The Witches Anti-Discrimination League is very pleased to announce a settlement in the Crystal Seifferly Lawsuit against The Lincoln Park School Board. Ms. Seifferly filed a lawsuit against the Lincoln Park School board in February of this year challenging the Lincoln Park School District's 4-month-old rule against certain student uses of the pentacle, a five-pointed star that's a symbol of her Wicca faith and common in jewelry. As of today, U.S. District Judge Gerald Rosen defined the terms to a consent decrees between the Lincoln Park School District and Ms. Seifferly. This agreement states that all mentions of the words "Pagan" and "witch" will be removed from the dress code policy. The School Board also agreed to republish the dress code policy within five school days. Additionally, in this decree, all students will be permitted to wear religious jewelry regardless of their denomination or religious/spiritual backgrounds. The word "pentacle" will not be removed from the school dress code however will be allowed if the wearer declares it a profession of religion. As per the agreement, there will be no need for any student to contact the administration informing them of their religious affiliation, however, if stopped by security or the administration, a student will only need to state that the symbol is a profession of their religion. Ms. Seifferly waived her right to seek damages for religious freedom violations in lieu of this consent decree and the Lincoln Park School District agreed to pay all attorney fees. Further information will be posted as it is received. March 22, 1999 The Witches' Voice P.O. Box 4924 Clearwater, FL 33758-4924 http://www.witchvox.com contact: Wren@witchvox.com The Witches' Voice welcomes today's announcement by the ACLU of Michigan that the case brought forward by Teen Witch Crystal Seifferly against the Lincoln Park School District has been satisfactorily settled. U.S. District Judge Gerald Rosen declared the terms of the "consent judgment" as follows: * The words "Pagans" and "Witches" will be removed from the Lincoln Park policy. * An exception is made for students wearing "jewelry or other symbols in the profession of their religion." * Students do not need to initiate the contact informing the administration of their religious preference. If the student is approached by the administration or a security officer, the student simply needs to inform them the symbols are for the professing of their religion. * The school agrees to pay the ACLU attorneys fees. * The school will republish the policy within five school days. "This judgment should send the clear and concise message to all public school districts that policies which single out any religion, religious symbol or other mode of religious expression for restriction will not go unchallenged," stated TWV Chairperson, Rev. Wren Walker. "Religious freedom as guaranteed in the Constitution of the United States applies to all religions and religious beliefs equally. This right has once again been verified and reinforced here today." "Public school students who express an deep religious belief quite simply are guaranteed their rights under a "higher authority" than that allocated to the local school board." "The settlement terms announced today," added TWV President Fritz Jung, "should aid in setting a new standard on how similar types of school code policies will be implemented in the future." * The ACLU Press Statement For more information contact: Kary L. Moss, Executive Director or Tom Schram, Public Education Director 313-961-7728 Lincoln Park Changes Policy on Witch As part of a settlement with the American Civil Liberties Union, Lincoln Park High School changed its policy prohibiting the wearing of pentagrams Monday, allowing senior Crystal Seifferly to outwardly wear the symbol of her religion for the first time since October. At a March 2 hearing before U.S. District Judge Gerald Rosen, the ACLU argued that the district's policy violated Seifferly's religious rights. Seifferly, 17, is an honor student and a witch - a member of the Wicca religion. Wiccans consider pentacles - five-pointed stars enclosed in a circles - icons of their religion. On Monday, Lincoln Park High School agreed to make an exception to its gang policy for students wearing religious jewelry or other symbols as a profession of their religion. It did away with the provision of its policy that stated that pagans and witches are inappropriate in a school setting. And it agreed to pay attorney's fees to the ACLU. "I'm happy; I'm pleased; I'm glad it's over," Seifferly said. "The longer it went on and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it wasn't just about me and just about Wicca. It was about a lot of other people and religions," she said. ACLU Michigan Executive Director Kary L. Moss applauded the school district for amending the policy and Seifferly for bringing the issue to the forefront. "We are pleased that Lincoln Park High School recognizes the importance of religious freedom for its students. Ms. Seifferly should be applauded for her courage in standing up for what she believes is right." The Wicca religion has been recognized in United States courts and by the United States Army Chaplain's Handbook. It stresses individual enlightenment and celebrates the seasons and the four elements: earth, wind, fire and water. Proselytization is forbidden. Founded in 1920, the American Civil Liberties Union is the nation's foremost advocate of individual rights -- litigating, legislating, and educating the public on a broad array of issues affecting individual freedom in the United States. Brightest Blessings from the WADL Staff and Officers The American Civil Liberties Union is representing a 17-year-old witch in a lawsuit against a Michigan school district for allegedly trampling her right to worship and free speech. Crystal Seifferly filed the suit challenging the Lincoln Park School District's 4-month-old rule against certain student uses of the pentacle, a five-pointed star that's a symbol of her Wicca faith and common in jewelry. Seifferly claims she's been a witch since age 13, and that the school district rules discriminate against her by lumping Wicca together with the Ku Klux Klan and hate groups. At an ACLU-sponsored news conference today with her mother, Seifferly said she "will not be forced into shame" by opponents of her religion. Lincoln Park Schools Superintendent Randall Kite says he can't comment on the charges because he has not seen the lawsuit. But Kite also says, "Our aim is not to discriminate." Kite says the dress-code rule that triggered the suit passed in October as an amendment to a longstanding ban on gang-related clothes and symbols. Kite says the pentagram another name for the pentacle was added to the list of banned symbols "if it's worn in connection with other things and causes a disruption." Seifferly's mother says she and her husband are Christian but support their daughter's lawsuit as well as her freedom to choose a religion. From: Lowell McFarland (lowell@nassau.cv.net) WADL Senior Media Advisor President Steve Foster, Witches Anti-Discrimination League (WADL) has just informed me that a joint press conference was conducted this morning, Tuesday February 9, 1999, in Detroit, Michigan, USA., with The Witches Voice (TWV) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), in which the ACLU announced that it has filed a lawsuit against the Lincoln Park High School, Lincoln Park, Michigan, USA., on behalf of Pagan students relative to their right to peacefully display their religious beliefs by way of appropriate jewelry, pentacles, etc., in school and during school time. The above is a voice report and I am awaiting the actual ACLU filing. As the press covering this press conference included CBS-TV News, there is the possibility that a CBS report on this press conference may appear on this evening's CBS News. Wren Walker (TWV) has just informed me that some local and national new media are already carrying this story. "Religious freedom is for everyone, including Wiccans. As more pagan children enter the public school system, it is imperative that educators and administrators alike become better informed on the practices and beliefs of all earth-based religions," Walker said. Additionally, Steve Foster indicated that WADL and TWV are working on joint press releases, to be soon released on the Internet, to inform Pagan leaders, groups, covens, groves, circles, solitaires, etc., and others, of this important anti-discrimination effort by WADL/TWV/ACLU. Steve Foster has indicated that this lawsuit by the ACLU may go a long way to establish proper respect and religious rights for all Pagan students in America. Return to the main JOURNEY TO THE ONE home page All site content copyright 1998-2005 Journey, except where noted |