New Jersey Family Policy Council

Len Deo (973) 781-1414	4/26/2007

Burlington School Board Hears Parents Concerns

Trenton, NJ – Many persons were in attendance at the School Board meeting to follow up to the March 22, 2007 Emergency Management drill that brought national attention to the Burlington School District. Demetrios Stratis, Esq., Vice-Chairman ofthe NJ Legal Resource Council, an advisory arm to the NJ Family Policy Council, and Len Deo, its founder and president were in attendance as well. The use of terms “right-wing fundamentalists,” “New Crusaders,”and “daughter expelled from school because she was praying before class,” were the topics of concern for many. Mr. Stratis spoke and addressed the issue to the School Board stating that “The only reasonable inference could be that the actions of the Board targeted certain religious segments of the population. The innuendos obviously were likened to people who claim to be Christians.” stated Stratis. “No matter how the fact pattern was developed or what transpired, it would be deemed by the First Amendment of the US Constitution to be hostile to a particular religion and to the people that adhered to those beliefs!” Stratis said. “No one will question the purpose of the drill—to protect our children—but that purpose was not advanced by including a ‘pretend’ scenario which casts Christians as terrorists.” “The Courts have been very clear about what constitutes hostility to religion and this was obviously one of those cases. We believe that the tone of this event was probably unintended; however, you would think that the persons behind the drill would have more foresight and know better. We also believe that the apology that was issued ‘we regret you were offended’ did not constitute a proper apology to the residents who were justifiably concerned about the choice of language,” Stratis continued. “We were greatly encouraged by the comments of the Board and the fact that they too were concerned about the fact pattern. The School Superintendent and Board members spoke from their heart and offered apologies for what had happened. They also offered assurances that this would never happen again in the future,” Deo stated. “We commend the School Board for allocating time and resources to the emergency management drill and do hope that like many fire drills, no school in New Jersey will ever experience a real life situation that puts students and teachers at risk. However, the School Board and Administration is wise to be prepared and run the drills in light ofthe real threat that we have seen in other schools across our nation. It is clear that the Burlington Township School System is one that welcomes people of all faiths, works to involve families and the faith-based communities in what they do and to that we tip our hats to them and say thank you,” concluded Deo. “As an advisory arm to the NJFPC we have engaged in legal action when necessary to preserve and protect our constituents’ rights and would offer our service on any issues related to religious freedom and the protection of those constitutional rights to any and all NJ School Boards,” concluded Stratis. The New Jersey Family Policy Council is an education and research organization dedicated to preserving, protecting, and promoting marriage, family, faith and religious freedom.
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