Category: News

In response to a Aug. 20 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of South Carolina, the Fairfield County School District has supplied the civil liberties organization with several of its policies related to prayer and religious displays within the school district and at district events. A complete response to the ACLU’s detailed request, however, would cost the ACLU more than $2,000, according to the school district’s reply letter dated Sept. 13.

In addition to policies, the ACLU’s request seeks records of all programs, schedules, itineraries, calendars, agendas, minutes or news publications referring to, relating to or reflecting the inclusion of prayer, invocations, benedictions, blessings, proselytizing or other religious remarks or exercises in any school-sponsored event, including (but not limited to) graduation exercises, athletic events, school board meetings, ceremonies and banquets, baccalaureate services, school event calendars, daily announcements and school newsletters. According to the district’s reply, compiling these documents would cost the district 120 hours, and at an hourly rate of $19.73 an hour, the cost to the ACLU would be $2,367.60, half of which would have to be paid up front before the district began work pulling the records together.

The ACLU’s request is not limited to the Fairfield County School District, but is part of the statewide “Religious Freedom Goes to School” campaign, launched just eight months after the ACLU prevailed in a legal battle with the Chesterfield County School District.

In Chesterfield, a middle school student was the victim of religious coercion. Teachers were praying over him and he was being sent to detention for not attending evangelical pep rallies, said Victoria Middleton, executive director of the ACLU of South Carolina.

In December 2011, that student’s parent sued the Chesterfield County School District, and in January of this year, U.S. District Court judge R. Bryan Harwell ruled in favor of the parent. As a result, Chesterfield was issued a permanent injunction against prayer at school events, and school officials were enjoined from promoting their religious beliefs to students. The Chesterfield School District was also stuck with the plaintiff’s attorney’s fees. Since then, Middleton said, the ACLU has received several complaints of similar activities in schools across the state.

“(This program) is an effort to get an idea of what the policies are at the districts,” Middleton said, “if they do have policies, and the way they can comply with the First Amendment in regard to freedom of religion.”

While the Fairfield County School District’s reply to the ACLU primarily directed the ACLU to the district’s web site for details on policies, the district did include a copy of three policies in the response.

Policy IHAL, “Teaching about Religion,” states that “Neither the district nor its employees will promote or disparage any religious belief or non-belief. Instead, the district will encourage all students and staff members to appreciate and tolerate each other’s religious views.”

“The district supports the inclusion of religious literature, music, drama and the arts in the curriculum and in school activities, provided it is intrinsic to the learning experience in the various fields of study and is presented objectively,” the policy, which was adopted in August of 1990 and revised in April of 1997, states.

Policy IMDC, “Religious Observances and Displays,” states that the religious and secular holidays that occur during the school year may be observed in district schools and that the “historical and contemporary values and the origin of religious holidays may be explained in an unbiased and objective manner without sectarian indoctrination.” The district will permit the use of religious symbols related to these holidays, the policy states, as a teaching aid, “provided such symbols are displayed as an example of the cultural and religious heritage and are temporary in nature.”

As for school ceremonies, Policy IMD only allows for the pledge of allegiance, and notes that students with religious objections may be excused from saluting the flag or reciting the pledge.

The Fairfield County School Board, which has traditionally opened their meetings with the pledge followed by a prayer, opened their Sept. 18 meeting with the pledge and a moment of silence instead.

Meanwhile, two weeks after the district received the ACLU’s FOIA request, they also received a letter from the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). According to the ADF, the ACLU’s campaign contains “inaccurate and incomplete” information. Furthermore, the ADF said, the ruling in the Chesterfield case does not apply to any other school district. The ADF offered its assistance to the school district regarding the ACLU’s campaign.

The ADF is a conservative Christian non-profit organization founded in 1994 as the Alliance Defense Fund by Bill Bright (founder, Campus Crusade for Christ), Larry Burkett (founder, Crown Financial Ministries), James Dobson (founder, Focus on the Family), D. James Kennedy (founder, Coral Ridge Ministries), Marlin Maddoux (president, International Christian Media) and Donald Wildmon (founder, American Family Association).

The Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a larceny spree that took place in the early morning hours of Sept. 19 on Wateree Estates Road, between the 1400 block and the 2000 block, and which netted thieves more than $900 in cash and other items from unlocked vehicles.

Deputies first responded to a home in the 2000 block of Wateree Estates Road just before 6 a.m. Sept. 19 where the interior contents of two trucks had been rifled by thieves during the night. Suspects made off with $100 in cash and a silver necklace worth $100.

An hour and a half later, deputies arrived at a home in the 1600 block where a car and a pickup truck, both unlocked, had been pilfered. A handgun and other items worth $385 were taken from the vehicles. Deputies recovered what appeared to be a sawed-off broom handle left behind by suspects inside one of the autos.

At 8:47 that morning, deputies were dispatched to a home in the 1400 block of Wateree Estates Road. Again, an unlocked car and an unlocked pickup truck had been entered by unknown suspects, who this time only made off with a handful of loose change, totaling approximately $30.

Back in the 2000 block of Wateree Estates Road at 9:06 a.m., a resident reported two vehicles parked outside his home had been entered. Both were unlocked and suspects stole jewelry worth $150 and $100 in cash. A little more than 10 minutes later, the Sheriff’s Office received a call from a homeowner in the 1900 block. During the night, he said, someone had entered his unlocked Chevrolet Suburban and stolen tools worth $20. A few houses down, also in the 1900 block, a resident reported a similar story. When deputies arrived at her home at 10:37 a.m., she said someone had entered her unlocked car during the night and stolen $30 in cash. A seventh incident is also under investigation by the Sheriff’s Office, although details were not available at press time.

In each of the incidents, no forced entry was necessary, the Sheriff’s Office said, and the vehicles were virtually ransacked each time, with papers and personal items strewn in and around the vehicles. The Sheriff’s Office is encouraging residents to keep their vehicles locked at all times. Furthermore, the Sheriff’s Office said, the best policy is to never leave valuables inside vehicles, locked or otherwise. Meanwhile, the Sheriff’s Office added, investigators are following up on several leads connected to the larcenies.

The Fairfield County School District lost 27 points on the composite SAT scores by graduating seniors in 2012, according to data released this week by the College Board through the S.C. Department of Education. Statewide, numbers fell 5 points, while the national average was down 2 points.

Fairfield test takers saw their biggest drop in math, where seniors lost 13 points between 2011 and 2012, falling from 431 to 418. Seniors also lost 8 points in the critical reading category and 6 points in writing. Overall, the district’s 2012 composite score was 1222, down from 1249 in 2011. More Fairfield seniors took the test in 2012 – 62 in 2012 versus 42 in 2011 – but only 30 percent of eligible students took the exam.

Across South Carolina, 52 percent of eligible public school students took the SAT in 2012 (that percentage for all students – public and private schools – was not available from the College Board). All students – public and private – statewide lost 1 point in critical reading and 2 points each in math and writing between 2011 and 2012.

In neighboring school districts, Chester lost 66 points over last year, Newberry lost 52 and Richland 2 lost 40. Districts with the biggest losses since 2011 were Marion 7, which lost 151 points, and Clarendon 2, which lost 126. Greenwood 51 made the biggest improvement in South Carolina, upping their scores by 80 points.

Mick Zais, State Superintendent of Education, raised issue with the state’s lagging scores, particularly in critical reading and writing.

“Like the other college admission test, ACT, the SAT is not a measure of school effectiveness,” Zais said. “However, within the student population taking the SAT is another data point confirming a troubling trend: there is a wide reading gap between South Carolina and the nation.”

In South Carolina, the average critical reading score was 481, math was 488 and writing was 462 compared to the national average for all schools of 496, 514 and 488.

In the public school sector, seniors graduating in South Carolina scored a composite of 1422, down 5 points from 2011. The national average was 1477, down 4 points from 2011. Critical reading was 477, math was 487 and writing was 458. The national public school averages were 491 for critical reading, 506 for math, and 481 for writing.

“Addressing the reading gap in elementary school must be our top priority, because reading is fundamental to everything else in a student’s education. If students cannot read, they will not succeed in school,” Zais said. “To accomplish this goal, we must transform education from a one-size-fits-all system to one that delivers a personalized and customized education to each student.”

All South Carolina colleges and universities accept either SAT or ACT scores for admission. The five South Carolina universities receiving the most scores from all South Carolina SAT test-takers were the University of South Carolina (Columbia), Clemson, College of Charleston, Coastal Carolina and Winthrop. Eighty-nine percent of the state’s SAT participants said they hope to earn a two-year degree or higher in their postsecondary career. Their most popular fields for majors are Health Professions, Business, Engineering, Visual and Performing Arts and Education.

Blythewood High School’s Class of 2012 lost 43 points on their composite SAT scores, according to data released this week from the College Board through the S.C. Department of Education, falling from 1409 in 2011 to 1366 in 2012.

Numbers were down for graduating seniors in high schools across the Richland 2 School District, with the district’s composite scores as a whole falling 39 points between 2011 and 2012. Statewide, the average SAT composite score for all graduating seniors was 1431, down 5 points from 2011. In the public school sector, seniors graduating in South Carolina scored a composite of 1422, also down 5 points from 2011. The national average was 1477, down 4 points from 2011.

Blythewood tested 66 percent of its seniors in 2012, above the state public school average of 52 percent. Graduating seniors at Blythewood High lost 15 points in the critical reading category, 13 in writing and 14 in math.

Graduating seniors in high schools across the district also experienced a drop-off. Richland Northeast, which tested 62 percent of its seniors, lost 20 points in critical reading, 17 points in writing and 12 points in math. Ridge View test takers lost 14 points in critical reading and 9 points in math, while breaking even in writing. Spring Valley test takers lost 17 points in critical reading, 10 in writing and 10 in math.

As a district, Richland 2 tested 65 percent of its seniors, who lost 17 points in critical reading, 11 in writing and 12 in math. Richland 1, meanwhile, saw their composite scores edge up 4 points from 2011, from 1343 to 1347. Although test takers there lost 4 points in writing, they gained 2 points in both critical reading and math. Neighboring Fairfield County School District lost 27 points on composite scores between 2011 and 2012.

The Marion 7 School District lost 151 points in 2012, while Clarendon 2 lost 126. Greenwood 51 made the most gains in South Carolina, lifting their composite scores by 80 points.

Mick Zais, State Superintendent of Education, raised issue with the state’s lagging scores, particularly in critical reading and writing.

“Like the other college admission test ACT, the SAT is not a measure of school effectiveness,” Zais said. “However, within the student population taking the SAT is another data point confirming a troubling trend: there is a wide reading gap between South Carolina and the nation.”

The state average for critical reading was 477, math was 487 and writing was 458. The national averages were 491 for critical reading, 506 for math and 481 for writing.

“Addressing the reading gap in elementary school must be our top priority because reading is fundamental to everything else in a student’s education,” Zais said. “If students cannot read, they will not succeed in school. To accomplish this goal, we must transform education from a one-size-fits-all system to one that delivers a personalized and customized education to each student.”

All South Carolina colleges and universities accept either SAT or ACT scores for admission. The five South Carolina universities receiving the most scores from all South Carolina SAT test-takers were the University of South Carolina (Columbia), Clemson, College of Charleston, Coastal Carolina, and Winthrop. Eighty-nine percent of the state’s SAT participants said they hope to earn a two-year degree or higher in their postsecondary career. Their most popular fields for majors are Health Professions, Business, Engineering, Visual and Performing Arts, and Education.