Your government is moving each day closer to a theocracy, where a narrow and hateful brand of Christian fundamentalism will rule.
There has been a battle shaping up at Lane Tech College Prep High School over moves by the administration and group called ‘ The 7 Project’ to implement a Christian Fundamentalist program into a public school in Illinois and the students who are resisting these theocratic moves and what they represent. Click below for more and check worldcantwait.org in the future for more in-depth articles and updates surrounding Lane Tech.
Below are excerpts of emails from World Can’t Wait organizers in Chicago. Check the website for interviews and statements from World Can’t Wait.
Lane Tech College Prep High School is one of the top schools in Illinois. And this is what’s going on at this public school: abstinence-only sex ‘education’, a recent holiday program featured songs like ‘Jesus is the Reason for the Season’, and this is enforced by the will of a Principal who keeps a copy of the Bible on his desk. And most recently, two mandatory assemblies were held featuring a group called the Seven Project, which marks a very significant door-opening to evangelical Christianity in this public school.
At Lane Tech, a group of five students refused to go to the assembly. One student called the Chicago Public School Board lawyers and told the Chicago Sun Times, ‘We had some concerns about separation between church and state, and we don’t like these kinds of assemblies being pushed on us) I’m a Roman Catholic, and I believe in Christ, but I think it’s something that should stay outside of school.’
Since that time, he has faced a sweep of personal attacks, including most viciously by student followers of the 7 Project:
‘As for the 7 Project members, some were upset today over the fact that a guy got the media all over it for an investigation, but we had a meeting after school and we ended up extremely happy. I praised God because we all remembered the Scripture that was pointed out that said “the thief comes to kill, steal, and destroy” and we were like: This guy has turned into the thief. I let everyone know that I was happy because conflict/retalliation like this is just a compliment telling us that we did our job. It’s not a battle without a fight or an enemy. I recommend the 7 Project for any school– nobody can stop God’s clever & wise plan because He knows best. All this stuff is perfectly legal…even though the media wants to show it differently.
‘The devil was angry, though: he got some students to get legal and try [to] sue the school and call a judge and whatnot…….the problem is, it was all LEGAL! Once again, the Lord triumphs over the faults of man. But we praise the Lord for everything.’
According to the Sun Times last week, the stakes have just gotten higher: the Chicago Public School Board has declared there was no violation. The student taking a stand, George Soto, has come under further fire: he was recently given a five-day suspension for a supposed “cell phone violation,” even though he says he turned in his permission slip to use his cell phone; the school is claiming it is not on record.
The Board claims that there was no religious content to the all-school assemblies held by a group called The Seven Project, and that they were not in fact faith-based. This is absurd. Take one look at the response from Lane Tech students on the Seven Project’s website and you can see the reality behind the secular veneer:
“WE LOVE YOU ALL and will continue to wear our shirts every Thursday until the end of the school year so that people know they can still come to us for information and that it’s not too late. After the 7 Project, we have all unanimously agreed that we have gained more confidence in ourselves (socially) . . . now we can talk to just about anyone about God, Jesus, the 7 Project and related things without hesitation. We now know what we are talking about and we feel strengthened through this. It has not only helped guide our school into a light of hope, but has helped us Christians be more bold, which is hard for many to do. Yet you accomplished it all with the help of God. Thank you!!!”
“The Lord was alive in the school and there couldn’t of been anything better.”
‘. . . whether they accepted Christ or not, the message was heard, the seed was planted, and that is what matters the most. Now it’s your job Lane Tech believers! Go get’ em!”
A major theme of the Seven Project’s assemblies is abstinence, which is what passes for sex “education” at Lane Tech and an increasing number of schools across the country. It is well-documented that abstinence-only sex-ed’s only rationale for existing is religious; besides that, it is well-documented that students left with abstinence only sex “education” will engage in more risky behavior based on ignorance of their own bodies and how to protect them, leading to way more HIV cases and pregnancies.
World Can’t Wait Chicago is asking you to call the Chicago School Board Investigator at (773) 553- 2130.
Let them know that you object to the investigator’s erroneous conclusion that there was “no violation” of the constitutionally required separation of church and state. Demand that students at Lane Tech (or any public school) not be punished for exercising their rights. And please urge that George Soto’s suspension be removed from his record so he does not face any future risks for speaking out.