News
2007-02-08
Judge mulls suit
over gay classroom talk
Officials from a
suburban Massachusetts school district asked a federal
judge Wednesday to dismiss a lawsuit filed by two couples
w
Officials from a
suburban Massachusetts school district asked a federal
judge Wednesday to dismiss a lawsuit filed by two couples
who claim their parental rights were violated when
homosexuality was discussed in their children's
classrooms.
U.S. District
Judge Mark Wolf did not immediately issue a decision in the
case from Lexington but peppered lawyers on both sides with
questions and said he understood the importance of the
case to both parents and school administrators.
Tonia and David
Parker sued after their 5-year-old son brought home a
book from kindergarten that depicted a gay family. David
Parker was later arrested for refusing to leave his
son's school after officials would not agree to notify
him when homosexuality was discussed in his son's class.
Another Lexington
couple, Joseph and Robin Wirthlin, joined the Parkers
in the suit after a second-grade teacher read ''King and
King'' to her class. The fairy tale tells the story of
two princes falling in love.
Both couples
claim Lexington school officials violated their parental
rights to teach their own morals to their children.
The case has
attracted a great deal of attention in Massachusetts, the
only U.S. state that allows same-sex marriage.
John Davis, an
attorney for Lexington school officials, argued in court
Wednesday that teaching diversity is a ''legitimate state
interest.'' He said that it would be ''an
administrative nightmare'' for schools in
Massachusetts to try to predict when the topic of gay
marriage will come up and to inform parents ahead of
time.
''The parents do
have rights ... but they don't have the right to dictate
to the public school system what their children can be
exposed to in the way of ideas,'' Davis said.
Robert
Sinsheimer, an attorney for the parents who filed the
lawsuit, called the homosexual discussions and
materials ''a form of propaganda'' that goes against
the parents' religious beliefs. He said the parents do
not want to dictate curriculum, but do want to be able to
remove their young children from classrooms when
homosexuality or gay marriage is being discussed.
''What they fear
is that their children are being brainwashed,'' he said.
About 30 people
on both sides of the issue demonstrated outside the
courthouse. (Denise Lavoie, AP)
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