Running Head: CASE SCENARIO 1

Case Scenario – Artifact #4

Christopher A. Jez
College of Southern Nevada
Case Scenario 2

Case Scenario

Karen White, an elementary school teacher, was dismissed from her job after she adopted

the Jehovah’s Witnesses religion. The school principal Bill Ward decided to release her after

complaints from the community. White’s new religion prohibits her from doing several

activities, including singing happy birthday, decorating for holidays, and reciting the Pledge of

Allegiance. Do White’s newly adopted religious views get in the way of teaching and justify her

dismissal, or was she wrongfully dismissed?

Before 1962, there was an official school prayer that was practiced by numerous states.

This eventually caused concern among parents and led to the landmark case of Engel v. Vitale

(1962). This case may help show that White’s religious decision may have deeper repercussions

than not. With the abandonment of holidays, and other variances, the school district may

speculate that White may use other religious practices in the classroom which may lead to

inadequate teaching methods. The school may further speculate that due to the young age of

White’s students, they may be more at risk to be influenced by religion. After receiving the

complaints from parents, the school may seek to avoid such religious complications and therefor

is justified by relieving White of her position.

Epperson v. Arkansas (1968) is a case that dealt with teaching evolution in schools. At

the time, there was a law in Arkansas that prohibited the teaching evolution. The court found that

even in a religious institution, the state does not have to protect any religion from views that the

religion may not agree with and overturned any laws prohibiting the teaching of evolution.

White’s school may see her change in religious view as a disassociation with standards that she

may be required to teach, and therefor she should be released. In other words, the school district
Case Scenario 3

may suggest that White may leave out key parts of the mandated curriculum, due to religious

reasons, and would be inadequate as an educator.

White may use the case of Agostini v. Felton (1997) in her favor. Agostini v. Felton

(1997) overruled a decision made 12 years earlier, which stated that a non-religious teacher may

not teach at a religious school. The court decided that teaching secular and neutral material by a

non-religious teacher is acceptable within a religious institution. Using this argument, White may

exclaim that her oath as an educator stands, regardless of religious ideology, and that all material

required by the curriculum will be taught. The acts White could no longer perform, such as

singing the birthday song, are not school related and therefor she has the right to refuse such

action(s). Refusing such behavior does not prove to any means that White is an inadequate

educator, so her dismissal may not be justified.

White could also reference the case of Freshwater v. Mt. Vernon City School Dist. (2013)

in her defense. John Freshwater was an advocate of creationism and was terminated from his

teaching position for various offenses. White could impose that Freshwater had always been

religious, yet he was once commended as a good educator. He was only fired when he refused to

oblige to some of the school’s rational demands. White could claim that she was not presented

with any “necessary adjustments” of unfavorable behavior, and because of such she did not have

a chance to improve on such behavior.

The complaints made against her were minimal and should not interfere with her job as

an educator. Any concerns should have first been made clear to White before her dismissal,

along with an adequate amount of time for cooperative adjustments. As in Freshwater v. Mt.

Vernon City School Dist., Freshwater was asked to remove religious material from his classroom,

and he did not oblige. White received no such complaint, or any complaint of religious coercion.
Case Scenario 4

Even though some of the complaints that were registered may help an educator communicate

with young students, I feel that none of the complaints acknowledged are essential to teaching. I

feel that White’s dismissal was not justified and should be reversed.
Case Scenario 5

References

Agostini v. Felton, 521 U.S. 203 (1997)

Engel v. Vitale, 370 U.S. 421 (1962)

Epperson v. Arkansas, 393 U.S. 97 (1968)

Freshwater v. Mt. Vernon City School Dist. Bd. of Edn., 137 Ohio St.3d 469 (2013)