- BURLINGTON, NJ --
On Thursday, March 22, officials at Burlington Township High School enlisted
the help of two local policemen to carry out a mock 'hostage situation'
drill at their school. The drill invoked disapproval from Christian students
as the student body was told that the alleged gunmen were "members
of a right-wing fundamentalist group called the 'New Crusaders' who don't
believe in separation of church and state."
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- According to a report in the local paper, The Burlington
County Times, the mock gunmen pretended to gun down several students in
the hallways before taking 10 students hostage in the school's media
center. Given that the drill was intended to test the disaster response
of students, faculty and local emergency personnel, county officers were
dispatched during the drill to realistically execute an emergency evacuation
of the building.
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- The drill organizers explained that the supposedly Christian
gunmen "went to the school seeking justice because the daughter of
one had been expelled for praying before class."
- School Superintendent Chris Manno praised the drill beforehand
explaining that "You perform as you practice. We need to practice
under conditions as real as possible in order to evaluate our procedures
and plans so that they're as effective as possible."
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- Bob Pawson, National Coordinator of the Scriptures in
School Project, denied that the drill portrayed a possible reality and
instead asserted that the drill was used as an excuse to denigrate Christians.
"So what allegedly real condition was imagineered? A grotesque
scenario saturated with Christian-bashing prejudice and bigotry; a scenario
which could never possibly occur."
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- Pawson explained that the scenario created by the Burlington
school officials could never realistically happen. "Why could it
never happen? Because, as all Burlington school officials know full
well: It is perfectly legal for any student or staff member to pray in
a public school. They know that no student can ever be expelled for praying
before class. Hence, the contrived reason for the mock attack is bogus."
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- Prayer in school has been a contentious issue for schools
in the past despite a 1969 Supreme Court ruling that stated that students
do not "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or
expression at the schoolhouse gate."
- The US Department of Education explicitly affirms the
high court ruling and the national No Child Left Behind educational program
penalizes any school that does not allow for constitutionally protected
religious speech which includes public prayer.
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- While county officials praised the drill saying that
it was the first live test of its sort Pawson explained that he thought
the drill was a test of another sort. "This denigrating drill is
also a test of the reactions and responses of New Jersey 's Christians,
along with all other fair-minded citizens of any faith, to such a blatant
example of anti-Christian animosity."
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- "A public apology is in order. The citizens of Burlington
County could rightly demand the resignation or termination of school
officials who dreamed up and approved this reprehensible scenario."
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- The County Times reported that the drill was observed
by law enforcement, school administrators and state and county officials
from the Office of Emergency Management.
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- To respectfully contact:
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- Mayor Steven M. George
- Burlington Township
- 851 Old York Road,
- Burlington Township, NJ 08016
- 609-386-4444
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- Education superintendents, supervisors
- http://www.burltwpsch.org/
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- Board of Education Member names also listed above but
no email. Address would be same as mayor.
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- Mrs. Marie Phillips
- Principal
- Burlington Township High School
- 610 Fountain Avenue
- Burlington, NJ 08016
- 609-387-1713
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- http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/apr/07040301.html
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