FFRF Chapter To Hand Out Literature In Central Florida Public Schools

One very small news item.

In a move similar to the Chouinards vs Gideons in Niagara Ontario, the Central Florida Freethought Community will distribute Freethought material to children in public school campuses.  The press release is here:


January 16, 2013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: David Williamson, 941/840-1808, david@cflfreethought.org

Local Freethinkers Organize to Distribute Atheist and Agnostic Literature On Public School Campuses

Orange County, FL—The Central Florida Freethought Community, a chapter of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, has obtained consent this week from the Orange County (FL) School Board to distribute materials about atheism, agnosticism, and secular humanism to students in public schools. This permission comes after the School Board allowed a group of Christians to distribute Bibles to students on campus during school hours for Religious Freedom Day on January 16.

David Williamson, of the Central Florida Freethought Community (CFFC), said, “This group of Biblical Literalists has somehow convinced the School Board that our public schools should be a religious battleground of sorts. This is unacceptable to freethinkers and persons of all religious traditions, including many Christians. But because the school board insists on opening the schools up to Christian proselytizers, we think it’s important that students receive materials countering their religious propaganda.”

Books, pamphlets, and brochures from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, American Atheists, and the Secular Student Alliance are on their way today to Central Florida and distribution will begin as soon as the promised written permission is received from the School Board and volunteers are cleared to come on campus.  Some items being considered for distribution are “An X-Rated Book: Sex & Obscenity in the Bible,” “Ten Common Myths About Atheists,” as well as literature about starting student led secular organizations on campus and books by atheists Dan Barker and Madalyn Murray O’Hair among others.

Persons interested in assisting with the distribution, believers and non-believers alike, should contact:

David Williamson
941/840-1808
david@cflfreethought.org

Central Florida Freethought Community is a secular organization focused on protecting the separation of state and church.

The surprisingly unbiased FOX News story covering this is here.  Must be too early in the morning for them.

This is precisely the same strategy that was used up here in Canada.

The general counsel for Orange County schools said their policy will stand, with very specific rules for what can be distributed. 

"Anything that contains pornographic material, any references to advertising, alcohol, tobacco, illegal drugs, or anything disruptive to school district and their educational facility" will not be allowed, according to Diego "Woody" Rodriguez.

I'd like to emphasize anything disruptive to school district and their educational facility.  We'll see if the board will use that clause in the future.