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cials, who said he challenged Zytka when

parents that she did not intend to offend

she told him to put the camera away. The

anyone, but refused to apologize for what

she said.81

suspension threatened to keep Acevedo

· Bennett--In January, the opera Faust

out of graduation and prohibited him

from attending a post-graduation party.

became the cause of great disruption for

Acevedo's lawyer, in response to the inci-

Bennett elementary school students

dent, lodged a civil rights complaint

when a videotaped scene depicting Meph-

against the district, claiming that

istopheles reportedly traumatized many

Acevedo's constitutional free speech rights

first- through third-graders who saw it in

were violated by the school and police offi-

music class. "It created kind of a fire-

cer, and that Acevedo would be irreparably

storm," Bennett school district supervisor

harmed were he unable to attend his grad-

George Sauter told the Los Angeles Times.

uation as a result of constitutionally pro-

"We have people on both sides of the

tected conduct.83

fence. Some are saying it's trying to pro-

mote the devil. Other people are defend-

ing the arts to the hilt." Despite the mixed

Delaware

reactions, Sauter placed vocal music

Religion

· Georgetown--For decades, Mona Dobrich

teacher Tresa Waggoner on paid leave for

showing the disputed scene, which fea-

was either a student or a parent in the

tured sock puppets singing from the

Indian River School District, and she'd

opera in a video series narrated by Joan

always heard Christian prayers recited at

Sutherland called Who's Afraid of Opera?82

official district functions, including the

start of school board meetings. It was not

until a minister declared that Jesus was

Connecticut

the only way to the truth at her daugh-

Freedom of Expression

· West Hartford--When students at Conard

ter's 2004 graduation, however, that the

Jewish mother of two had had enough

High School released crickets into the

and asked the school board to say more

school's cafeteria as a senior prank, they

generic prayers at official functions. Her

probably did not realize it would lead to

request was rejected, and Dobrich and

the arrest and suspension of their student

her family soon became the district pari-

council president. That's exactly what it

ahs as Christian parents essentially told

did, though, when Francisco Acevedo Jr.

Dobrich and her family to leave the dis-

video-recorded what he thought was

trict if they didn't like it. "What people

excessive use of force by a police officer

here are saying is, `Stop interfering with

who was trying to bring order to the crick-

our traditions, stop interfering with our

et-release chaos.

faith and leave our country the way we

When Acevedo thought he saw Officer

knew it to be,'" said Dan Gaffney, a talk

James Parizo pushing students around

show host on local radio station WGMD.

and reaching for his baton, he yelled to

Dobrich eventually contacted the

Parizo to "chill out" because he had him

ACLU to sue the district, and was joined

on tape. At that moment Vice Principal

by "the Does," a district family that chose

Irene Zytka arrived on the scene and told

to remain anonymous. In August 2005, a

Acevedo to put his camera away. Acevedo

federal judge ruled for the district on one

said he complied, but yelled to Zytka that

portion of the Dobrich's grievance, stat-

he had every right to record the incident.

ing that reciting a Christian prayer before

After the chaos had subsided Acevedo was

a school board meeting is legal because a

taken to the school office and arrested by

school board is a legislative body and that

Parizo. He was also suspended for disre-

in 1983 the Supreme Court ruled that

spect and insubordination by school offi-

22