outside schools

[vidcc]

Is it proper for adults without permission from the school or even have a child as a student in said school to stand outside school gates and hand out literature to unaccompanied children or should there be an exclusion zone?

In answering remember if one type of literature is allowed then all types are (within decency laws )

.

[Biggles]

Voted for an exclusion

There is a time and place for everything and canvassing outside schools ticks neither box - allow that and every quack and political/religious wingnut group will see opportunity loom large.

[bigboab]

No one should be allowed to approach children anywhere near a school to canvass for anything.
I think it would be a good idea to make a law against it, that way the police would have a good excuse to move undesirables from school gates. At present moment these people must commit an offence before the police can take action.

An exception would need to be made on polling days. In the UK, schools are used as polling stations.

@Vid, what prompted this thread?

[vidcc]

@Vid, what prompted this thread?

Charges have been dropped against two individuals after they were accused of trespassing on a sidewalk outside of a Florida public school. The two men had been handing out Bibles.


On January 19, police arrested Ernest Simpson and Anthony Mirto for trespassing after the principal of Key Largo School called police to complain, according to David Cortman, an attorney for the two men. The two men were with the organization Gideons International and were distributing Bibles.

Cortman says after he filed the initial motion to dismiss for his clients, the state agreed to dismiss the charges but then filed new ones under a different statute -- one which made it illegal to be within 500 feet of any school, even if the individual is standing on a public sidewalk.

At a hearing last week, a Maricopa County judge granted the motion to dismiss the new charges against Simpson and Mirto, which Cortman says confirms that it was a case of an overaggressive government attempting to silence Christians exercising their constitutional rights.

"The First Amendment protects the right of Christians to distribute Bibles and engage in other religious speech on public sidewalks, and it's certainly a sad day when Gideons are arrested for distributing Bibles on a public sidewalk," states Cortman.

The attorney says Christians cannot be treated like second-class citizens for exercising their constitutional rights -- and the judge's dismissal confirms that, he adds.

I think that as long as they are not causing an obstruction or harassing pedestrians (and for this the harassing is from the viewpoint of the pedestrian, not the person evangelizing) then handing out literature of any kind on a public sidewalk is ok.

However where I start to get concerned is the location right outside a school where there are unaccompanied minors
We may try to say handing out bibles is a good thing and is protected by the 1st amendment, however one has to remember that the 1st protects unpopular speech as well. I'm guessing that people who want to distribute bibles wouldn't want people distributing certain other literature outside a school. Once one group sets a precedent then others will follow.

I strongly support free speech and am a strong believer in religious (all religions) free speech. But we are talking about children here and I am not happy with ANYONE approaching my children, especially if I am not with them.
How many parents here taught their children not to talk to strangers or accept gifts from strangers? How sure are you that your child will always obey that rule? How hard would it be for a pedophile to pretend to be an evangelist to gain the trust of a child or parent?

So sorry, but much as I think handing out bibles is a good thing, and I genuinely do support Gideons, don't interfere with other people's children and stay away from schools. It's the parent's job to give their child a bible, nobody else.

It's the parents job to raise their children and instill the religious values, not the state and unless the parent asks them to, not religious groups or churches.

[bigboab]

Thanks. I agree with you completely. Religion should not be taught in school.Who is to say which religion is the right one, if any?
A persons religion should be selected by that person alone. Children should be taught morality. They can choose a religion, or not, when they are old enough and have more understanding of worldly issues.
It makes me angry when I see young children accompanying street preachers. I get the impression that they would rather be playing with other children somewhere else.

[vidcc]

I've had a discussion in the real world about this with someone that thinks that it's not only proper for Christians (but only Christians) to canvass outside schools but in his opinion they need a campaign outside all public schools and any private non Christian schools.

His logic is that this wouldn't have to happen if there were bible classes in schools, and in counter to my suggestion that it's up to the parents to instill their faith he said that not all parents take that responsibility seriously so it's up to Christians to take over for the failings of those parents.

I've also read similar opinions on the comment sections of right wing blogs


I kid you not

[evacide]

Voted for an exclusion

There is a time and place for everything and canvassing outside schools ticks neither box - allow that and every quack and political/religious wingnut group will see opportunity loom large.

Exactly. Happened a lot at my school last year; lots of random junk on abortion and religion and stuff.

[Pzero]

It happened only a few times at my high school, but it was over bearingly annoying as I was just trying to get to my car...(I'm not even sure I was outside school property..)

[GoLDeN]

Voted for an exclusion
as its better

[MaxOverlord]

I would vote it's not proper because the intent is one of influencing those who dont have the frame of reference or intellectual arms to defend themselves.