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uled to issue a decision on the matter in

This material should be approached with

December, 2006.94

an open mind, studied carefully and criti-

cally considered." In January 2005, U.S.

District Judge Clarence Cooper ordered all

Multiculturalism

· Atlanta--In September, Georgia's State

those stickers removed, finding that they

improperly endorsed religion.

Board of Education turned down Decatur

Almost a year later, in December

mother Michele Mitchell's petition to

2005, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of

require that students learn black history.

Appeals looked like it might be ready to

Twelve out of thirteen board members--

overturn Cooper's decision, or at least

one was absent--voted against Mitchell

one judge on the court, Ed Carnes,

because, they said, black history is already

appeared to be. "I don't think y'all can

an "integral aspect" of the state's curricu-

contest any of the sentences," he told a

lum. Mitchell, however, maintained that

lawyer who represented parents who

what was currently being taught was

brought the original suit, noting that

insufficient. "I really believed that just

every time the U.S. Supreme Court has

maybe they weren't aware," she said, "that

discussed evolution, it has called it a the-

if they knew how much was left out . . .

ory. Gerry Weber of the Georgia ACLU,

they wouldn't want these things to hap-

pen."95

however, suggested that whether or not

the words were accurate, the intention

behind them was to push religion. "The

Homosexuality

· White County--When students wanted to

only reason evolution was given this

treatment was to satisfy persons of a par-

start a Gay-Straight Alliance club at

ticular faith." Intentions notwithstand-

White County High School in January

ing, in May, the 11th Circuit Court of

2005, the school board initially agreed to

Appeals vacated the district court's deci-

let them. Soon after, though, administra-

sion because of gaps in the evidence.93

tors at the high school eliminated all

"noncurricular clubs," and in June,

Superintendent Paul Shaw suggested

Book Banning

· Gwinnett County--In September, Laura

that that was the plan all along. "Clubs

have not lived up to what they are sup-

Mallory, a missionary and mother of

posed to be doing," he said. "Plus, we

four, asked that her children's school

want to focus on academics this coming

take books from the Harry Potter series

school year." The ACLU, however, did not

off school shelves because they glorified

buy Shaw's assertion, and when it found

witchcraft. When the school was unre-

that the school was allowing some clubs

sponsive, she took her request to the dis-

to gather after all, in February it sued the

trict, and in April, along with other par-

district, saying it had violated the federal

ents sympathetic to her cause, got a

Equal Access Act. In August a federal

hearing before the school board. Her

court ruled that the district must allow

complaints were clear-cut: "I think the

the Gay-Straight Alliance club to meet at

anti-Christian bias--it's just got to stop.

the high school.96

And if we don't say something, we'll just

keep getting pushed out of the schools.

And I pay taxes, too. And I think that

Religion

· Atlanta--In April, when Governor Sonny

gives me a voice to speak out about

this." Clear cut or not, in May the dis-

Perdue signed legislation requiring the

trict turned her down, and Mallory

state to create courses on the history and

appealed to the state Board of

literature of the Old and New

Education. The state board was sched-

Testaments, Georgia became the first

25