Times Tells Of Incidents Behind Delaware School District Lawsuit

Earlier this month, Religion Clause reported on the continuing controversy in the Indian River, Delaware School District over school prayer and the promotion of Christianity in the school system. (See prior posting.) Today’s New York Times carries an excellent article on the exact events that led the Dobrich family—which has now moved out of the district—to file suit in 2004. At Samantha Dobrich’s high school graduation, a minister's prayer proclaimed Jesus as the only way to truth. Samantha's mother, Mona Dobrich, then asked the school board to consider more inclusive prayers for graduation. That led to letters to the editors and school board meetings attended by hundreds carrying signs praising Jesus. A radio talk show host said that people were asking the Dobrich's to "Stop interfering with our traditions, stop interfering with our faith and leave our country the way we knew it to be." Dobrich’s son, Alex, was ridiculed for wearing a yarmulke in school. A classmate drew a picture of a pathway to heaven for everyone except "Alex the Jew". At a school board meeting, one speaker from the community said, "If you want people to stop calling [Alex] 'Jew boy', you tell him to give his heart to Jesus."