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OC student wins case against Christian-bashing teacher
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Orange County high school student, Chad Farnan, has won a lawsuit in which the court ruled Friday against a teacher who was shown to often use his classroom to attack Christian thought.
In the Farnan v. Capistrano Unified School District case, Farnan, a sophomore at Capistrano Valley High School at the time, stated that his Advanced Placement European History teacher, Dr. James Corbett spends a good portion of each lecture attacking Christianity and other religions.
Farnan, who said he often prayed for his teacher, taped a lecture by Corbett in which he stated that “when you put on your Jesus glasses, you can’t see the truth.”
The judge in the case held that Corbett did violate an establishment clause by stating “an unequivocal belief that creationism is ’superstitious nonsense,’” according to a press release from the group defending Farnan. The court went on to hold that Corbett’s statement “constitutes improper disapproval of religion in violation of the Establishment Clause.”
The Advocates For Faith and Freedom Law group’s statement on the case:
In reviewing hours of statements by Dr. Corbett, we believe he is violating the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution by attacking religion, particularly Christianity, and creating a hostile environment for religious students. We have filed a lawsuit in an attempt to have the teacher removed from teaching this class and to establish precedent that will put teachers on notice that attacking students’ religious beliefs in class is a violation of law.
Following our filing of the First Amended Complaint, the School District and teacher filed a motion to dismiss the case. In opposing the School District, Advocates emphasized the need to interpret the First Amendment in such a way that protects Chad’s right to attend class without being constantly barraged with the teacher’s anti-Christian sentiments.
The Judge denied the School District’s motion to dismiss. Subsequently, the California Teachers Association filed a motion with the Court seeking to intervene on behalf of the School District and Dr. Corbett. The judge has permitted the intervention. Both sides filed a motion for summary judgment, asking the Court to rule in their favor. On May 1, 2009, the Court issued rendered a first-of-its-kind decision in Chad’s favor.
The Orange County Register reports that the decision is the culmination of a 16-month legal battle between Corbett and Farnan – a conflict the judge said should remind teachers of their legal “boundaries” as public school employees.
More from the Register story:
"Corbett states an unequivocal belief that Creationism is 'superstitious nonsense,'" U.S. District Court Judge James Selna said in a 37-page ruling released from his Santa Ana courtroom. "The court cannot discern a legitimate secular purpose in this statement, even when considered in context."
In a December 2007 lawsuit, Farnan, then a sophomore, accused Corbett of repeatedly promoting hostility toward Christians in class and advocating "irreligion over religion" in violation of the First Amendment's establishment clause.
The establishment clause prohibits the government from making any law "respecting an establishment of religion" and has been interpreted by U.S. courts to also prohibit government employees from displaying religious hostility.
Farnan's lawsuit had cited more than 20 inflammatory statements attributed to Corbett, according to the Register story, including "Conservatives don't want women to avoid pregnancies – that's interfering with God's work" and "When you pray for divine intervention, you're hoping that the spaghetti monster will help you get what you want."
In a Web site Farnan setup to tell his side of the story, he previously wrote: “This was not an easy thing for me to do. As my family and I listened to the tapes of Dr. Corbett and his anti-christian views, we prayed for him everyday and hoped that he would stop.”
Video: Chad Farnan interview after court victory
Story originally published in The Scrooge Report.
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