Officials at a North Carolina middle school cut out Bible verses on the back cover of more than 600 academic planners that were donated by a local church, WSOCTV reported.
Roger Hayes, a parent at East Alexander Middle School, said he cannot believe that school’s administration would cut up the planners to remove two passages from Philippians and Jeremiah.
“That hurt my feelings, it really did,” Hayes said. “This society right now, I think we need God in our lives and Jesus in our lives and this tears my heart apart.”
Alexander County- a local church donates 600 planners to students at East Alexander Middle. Before passing them out, the school cut out two Bible verses on the back. The story tonight on eyewitness news at 5pm pic.twitter.com/zXz4Kcv4nN
— Dave Faherty (@FahertyWSOC9) September 2, 2020
Over the summer, Sulphur Springs Baptist Church asked how it could help the school.
After learning that East Alexander needed planners, the church spent $2,000 to have them made.
“We just put them back there for encouragement. We know the school year ended rough last year. We know coming back with split days,” Assistant Pastor James Safrit said.
Principal Kristie Love said the Bible verses infringe upon the rights of students.
But Hayes disagreed.
“Why couldn’t it be my decision or my child’s decision to take it off?” Hayes asked.
Love said Sulphur Springs Baptist Church did not tell her that the Bible verses would be included on the planners.
“It is an individual student’s right to share their beliefs—religious or otherwise, but not the public school’s role to indoctrinate them with any religious teachings,” Alexander County Schools said in a statement.
About half of the school’s students received the planners. Those students who have not yet received one will not get one.
