An unnamed communications “staffer” in Utah’s Alpine School District is hoping a fire he (she?) ignited is soon extinguished by the nearby Great Salt Lake. The luckless employee posted a link to an essay which presumably elaborated on the district’s mission to “educate all students to ensure the future of our democracy.” So, what’s the problem? While the essay writer believes that America is a “representative democracy,” he also believes that Jesus was “one in a long string of ‘historic vampires,’” that we should worship the sun, and that the Virgin Mary was “just an unwed pregnant teenager.” Oh boy. Click-happy, conspiracy-prone parents cried “indoctrination!” and central administrators stuffed themselves with crow. A barrage of calls later, the link vanished into the ether. Note to school districts: If you expect your students to do their homework, you had better do yours, too.
“District parents angry over radical Web link,” by Caleb Warnock, Daily Herald, February 25, 2010