I found this post of interest by a Huntsville parent whose 6th-grade daughter was harassed by students because she is an atheist. The details of the taunts are what you might expect (and then some), but the reaction by the faculty should be commended. They acted like grown-ups in charge of children, which is rare in schools these days. I especially liked one administrator's amazingly harsh opinion of the so-called "Christian" kids' parents:
"I believe that it is the responsibility of the home to teach beliefs and values. Unfortunately, these incidents reveal that not every home teaches values.” Amen.
In 6th grade, anyone who does not "fit in" is going to get taunted, based on any number of things (fat/thin, too smart/too dumb, femme/butch, too religious/not religious enough/wrong religion, etc). While no school administrator can stop that, they can stop it from getting out of control (such as it did in this case).
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Wow. I'm not surprised that those creepy teeners are mimicking their xter parents in the old "villagers with torches" routine. I am surprised that H'ville is the home of the Alabama State Director for American Atheists, even if it is a more cosmopolitan city than most in Alabama. I'm glad the situation seems to have been satisfactorily handled.
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