A mother in Memphis, Tenn., is outraged after she claims her daughter was told that she couldn’t write about God for a school assignment.
Erica Shead said her 10-year-old daughter, Erin, was recently asked to choose an idol she looks up to. After considering her options, the young girl chose God and proceeded to complete her assignment.
“It was so cute and innocent. She talked about how God created the earth and how she’s doing the best she can,” Shead told WREG-TV.
But Erin claims that her teacher at Lucy Elementary School said that choosing the Lord was an unacceptable act and that her assignment needed to be taken home, as it could not remain at the school.
The young girl, looking for a different idol to write about, then selected Michael Jackson instead and reportedly encountered no push-back on the secondary assignment. Her mother obviously isn’t happy about her daughter’s claims.
“How can you tell this baby, that’s a Christian, what she can say and what she can’t say?,” asked Shead.
It’s unclear if the child’s account is accurate, but the Shelby County School District said that children are not forbidden from writing about their faith. While spokesperson Christian Ross told WREG-TV that it’s unacceptable for teachers to promote religion, students are fully free to express their theological views.
The mother has taken her concerns to the principal, but has not yet heard back. The district declined to comment about potential ramifications for the teacher’s purported actions, should the young girl’s story check out.
