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In school suspension for saying “Bless You” after a sneeze. For real?

About 5 minutes ago one of my very good blogger friends shared that a family member of hers was allegedly sent to in school suspension for saying ‘Bless You’ in a high school class today.

Bless you.

As in someone sneezed and she said “Bless You.”

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High School Sr Kendra Turner

 Did this seriously just happen in the land of the free and the home of the brave?? 

I am so glad that we have our priorities straight,  America. 

Now listen- I get that we have to be super politically correct for fear of actually teaching kids (in an educational facility of all place!) that some people (gasp!) have religious beliefs, but this one takes the major cake.  While saying “Bless You” is a form of religious stance for this young high schooler who has every RIGHT to be religious, the reality is that its also a common every day courtesy that is often rooted in nothing more than being polite.

I am blown away that in a society that claims itself to be so progressive and free, we have stripped away our religion so far down to the roots that our kids cannot say Bless You without fear of retribution.

I was so shocked about this situation that I asked Kendra to reach out to me and she did.

Here are her words on what happened today:

A girl sitting right next me sneezed in class. I said “Bless You!”  My teacher, (Name redacted by Editor) asked “Who said that?”  I said “me.” She said “Why did you say that?” I said “Because it is courtesy.” She said “Says who?” I said “Says my pastor.” She said “Well we don’t say that in my class.”

I asked her why it was a big deal to her. She yelled at me and said “We will not have Godly speaking in my class!” That is when I stood up and said “My pastor said I have a constitutional right -1st amendment freedom of speech.”  She said “Not in my class you don’t.”

 I said “I will defend my religion.” She said “You will not in my class because I trump everyone.” Then another student stepped in and said “You don’t over trump God.”  So she sent me to the office and the assistants principal said “if I didn’t want to respect my teachers rules then maybe My pastor should teach me because my freedom or speech and religion does not work at their school. 

Then they sent me to ISS (in school suspension). After I left the class room all my class mates stood up and defended me the teacher had to call assistants principal to control the class.

Now I could sit here and go on a serious rant about our freedoms and rights and even our education system not being very educational, but I’ll throw it to you instead…did Kendra deserve suspension for saying ‘Bless You’ to a classmate?

~Trisha

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Here are additional news stories that have come out:

Edited to add: This is the story told to ME, which is why I published it from her own words. I am not a news organization or a journalist, but rather a concerned parent whom brought this to my website to share with other parents as was told. I fully understand that this could be untrue, true, or a version of the truth. Everyone has a story, including the school and teacher. A representative of this site attempted to call the school for a statement and were told throughout the day that they principal was in meetings. A call to the superintendent office was disconnected once we got him on the phone. I know there are other news organizations involved and if I get an updated article from a larger news source that includes a statement from the school,  I will edit to add them but as of now the only statement we have heard is the one in the clip above. You are welcome to debate your opinions in the comments as long as everyone is respectful. Thankyou.

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Comments

  1. I agree with one of the commentors that this doesn’t have to do with religion per se. I admire the fact that you did not rush to judgement and put out a disclaimer to that effect. The girl has been taught to be outspoken and bold about her faith, but she has also to learn better manners and how to deal in wisdom with those who do not believe as she does. An apology for talking in class instead of talking back in the manner she did would have saved the day.

  2. People are stupid. There was no reason to suspend this girl from school for having manners and being polite. What is with all these school suspending people for dumb shit?

  3. No she didn’t deserve suspension for saying bless you but she did for getting smart with her teacher. It wasn’t a religious matter until the student turned it into one. We’re any of you aware that this teacher is a Christian? No, because this article ‘happened’ to leave that out. She just didn’t want people to speak out in her class. She’s been a teacher for over 40 years and one of my close friends has her as a teacher when he was still in school. It’s always been one of her rules that no matter what it is, you don’t speak out in class. Thankyou.

    • We have no choice but to assume that the teacher would prefer to hear Heil Hitler or Allah Akbar. As with many teachers, she has lost touch with reality in old age, living in a la la world just like obama.

  4. I remember the day when God was welcomed in our schools. These were the days when chewing gum and talking out of turn were amongst the worst offenses. I remember the day when God was told to leave our schools and He did. God will not stay where He is not welcomed as He will never force Himself on an individual or a nation. God is love so love departed that day. God is peace so peace departed that day. God is kindness and kindness departed that day. The day we told God He was not welcomed is the day when the worst offenses went from writing on the bathroom walls to shootings, murder, rampant sex and drugs, to mention only a few. This was but a snapshot of what was going on in the United States of America as a whole. A nation that has turned it’s back on God and with our words and actions we’ve told God that we neither need Him or want Him. We had been the most “blessed” nation on the planet. Today God is leaving as buildings are falling on our heads. if the collective voice of this nation continues to demand God’s exit we are in essence pronouncing doom upon us. If God continues to exit America His grace and power will no longer be there to protect us from our enemies both foreign and domestic. Thousands upon hundreds of thousands will loose their lives because in pride we’ve demanded that God leave us to our own devises. This does not have to happen and most certainly God does not want it to happen. The United States is already crumbling and if we don’t humble ourselves, cry out to God for forgiveness and invite Him back into our lives this nation will be doomed. The handwriting is on the wall. The mighty Roman empire should be a lesson for the USA but as the saying goes, “what we learn from history is that we don’t learn from history.” Only the God who sent His only begotten Son to freely give up His life can turn this nation around and spare it from a most dreadful end. He is waiting to be asked. He is waiting to be wanted. God we are so sorry! Please come and save us! I humbly ask that this cry sweeps our nation before it’s too late.

  5. I came here from a communist country of Eastern Europe and even there was not such a thing to stop a student to speak her/his mind. The communism fell from inside out same here but there is a dear price to pay if we keep silent and don’t take action. May God bless us!

  6. We are as dust in a world that is unknown to us as children of God. Soon and very soon we will pass from this militant life to the triumphant life. In the meantime, lets us be the light in the darkness. I would apologize to this teacher with all the love and kindness that is within me and pray for her soul. Give Blood and Get The Spirit! CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST!

  7. Today, the first day of school, in my hometown Middle School, a teacher told her class they could not use that same phrase, “Bless you” even after a sneeze!! I am almost speechless. But thanks to the media attention on this, I knew it wasn’t an isolated act, and alerted the administration. We’ll see what happens.

  8. THEIR school, HA! Taxpayers and citizens’ school, yes, who have a right to stand up for what is wrong and try to make it right.

  9. The hypocrisy of the Left is boundless. The very rule of the teacher’s that “there is no Godly speaking in my class”, is, in fact, a tenant of the TEACHER’S RELIGION AND FAITH. Basically, the only one violating The Constitution and “establishing a religion” by governmental fiat is the teacher (the teacher is an employee of the State). Furthermore, the teacher denounced the Constitution by saying “no free speech in my class”.

    I see little difference here between an Islamo-maniac theocracy and an A-Theocracy (theocracy built on atheism). If there is one, please enlighten me.

  10. The student’s words certainly clear up a lot of doubt for me. It most certainly sounds as if she caused a major disruption in the classroom by her behavior and “choice” to blatantly disregard the teacher’s rules for “her” classroom which are in and of themselves a teaching tool. In school suspension for the remainder of the period is NOT a big deal. Like the school said, this whole matter got blown way out of proportion by a stubborn student who has no respect for authority.

  11. You go Kendra-we as Christians of whatever denomination need to stand up for our rights,. It seems all but Christians have a right t free speech!!

  12. Our government and the Unions has become socialist atheist and want no word of God in THEIR Schools. The teachers have been brain washed and the in turn brain washed the students.

  13. I am glad you did not back down from this teacher. Furthermore if I had a child in her class I would take them out of the class, because I would not want someone that has no more sense, than she does to teach them. According to the constitution you have a right to voice your opinion and not be disciplined for those beliefs. I think that all the students should walk out until they get a teacher with better sense.
    I am a Christian and I appreciate you being polite. Please pray for this misguided and deeply disturbed teacher. She definitely needs it desperately.

  14. I’m proud to see a high school student standing up not only for her religious freedom, but also standing up for her God. Good job Kendra.

  15. I am very proud of this young lady. Saying “bless you” is a refined and thoughtful way to express consideration for someone’s
    discomfort. It is God’s way. I am proud of her for standing up for what she felt was right. The teacher and the office staff can
    learn from her.

  17. The teacher and whoever in the administration suspended the student are the ones who should be suspended for violating the constitutional rights of a student. It’s sad to see secular teachers and administrators running roughshod over the freedoms guaranteed to students under our constitution. I hope the student will seek redress in the courts.

  18. Clara T. where did YOU get the ‘facts’. I see no links to support. That just sounds way to convenient for the teacher’s case.

    • The post states the first person source was the girl involved. She also listed four news sources. She stated her attempts to get the teacher and the school to respond. She also gave the caveat that there are more sides to any story. What more could she do? The student involved should be praised for her courage in defending herself. She does not give up her First Amendment rights when she enters a school. A teacher is not a dictator. Fair winds and following seas. Chief Boring

      • I am a retired teacher; I am a mother, a grandmother, and a great grandmother. I am a practicing Christian. The innocent, caring expression uttered by this student was not done with malice. She did not deserve the treatment she received from her teacher and from her school. Isn’t there enough belligerence and warfare and destruction going on in this beautiful BLESSED world without a courteous, caring student being punished for speaking an innocent word? Oh, yes, we are a country being invaded by thousands of little children, whom we seem helpless to care for. What we need to be praying is, “God have mercy on us ALL.” And may GOD BLESS Kendra! Fay Campbell

  19. This goes to the student your informaiton came from:
    Miss Turner, I’m sure this post will be deleted by your supporters or you, but hopefully some will get to read it beforehand and start asking some questions.
    1-If the rules in Ms. Kindle’s class (that were explained by the teacher as to why she set them) were something you disagreed with to the point that you spoke to your pastor (and presumably your parents), why didn’t you take the time to address them in an appropriate way by speaking to the teacher and/or the administration about them outside of class instead of disrupting the class and causing a scene?
    2-Why have you allowed the idea that Ms. Kindle is not a Christian herself be perpetuated in the media and by your supporters? Furthermore, why have you not admonished your supporters for their behavior towards this woman who has served the students of DCHS for over forty years?
    3-Why have you not corrected the misconception that you simply said “bless you” and were immediately sent to the office when you know that is not what occurred? As a young Christian woman are you not obligated not to bear false witness?
    4-Additionally, and going along with not bearing false witness, can you explain why it is that other students that were in the class at the time of the incident have said that Ms. Kindle NEVER SAID “Godly speaking” in any context when she reminded you that saying “bless you” when someone sneezes is not allowed because it disrupts the class?
    5-Why are you continuing to allow the media to report that you were suspended when the fact is that you simply sat in the ISS room for the remaining @20 minutes of Ms. Kindle’s class and were then free to go to your next scheduled class?
    I’m sure you do not care what a stranger thinks, but you should sincerely reflect on your behavior. Lies and half-truths do not glorify God, nor does maligning a good teacher just for attention.

    • To Jane:
      1. So if your boss stated a “rule” that breathing was not allowed in the office, would you “take it up outside the office” before breathing? Because to a true Christian the practice of our faith is just that; the breath of life. And just as impossible to simply “stop it”.
      2. Ms Kindle is certainly not Christian, based upon the testimony of “two or more witnesses”. Multiple students have reported how she routinely demeans their faith. A Christian would never do that.
      3. Did you not read the “her words” quote box? Seems like a pretty full exchange was presented.
      4. Just take a look at Kendra’s Facebook page linked under her pic. A whole lot of Kendra’s fellow students chimed in with praise and support for her. You really think so many would join arms with a liar? Then there is the Fox News report, where Todd caught an unnamed school official in several bold-faced lies about this incident. I think we know which side is lying here.
      5. Last I checked, an ISS _is_ a suspension.

    • Jane – THANK YOU! As someone who works in the school system, I am appalled that AFA is getting involved in something like this – it’s where Christians lose credibility. She was being disrespectful by not following a rule. Bless you after a sneeze is not a curtesy, it’s a habit – has nothing to do with following Christ, whereas following rules does. Yes, rules should not violate our First Amendment rights, but during classtime, you are required to not be disruptive.

  20. I don’t think she deserves an in school suspension for saying bless you, but she escalated the situation by challenging the teacher’s authority in the class room. When the teacher objected, a simple “I’m sorry you feel that way” followed by submission to her elders would have instantly diffused the situation. It honestly sounds as if she was looking for a fight about her right to free speech when answered the teacher. I haven’t seen the news reports or followed the story at all, but we have to respect those in authority over us even when we disagree. Challenging her teacher in front of the entire class earned her an ISS.

  21. It is a game kids play called ” bless you”. They were trying to disrupt the classroom. This has nothing to do with religion. It was all about disruption. You may praise this student all you want but when the facts start coming out will you be “Christian” enough to apologize to the teacher who by the way is a good Christian person who is very active in church. Christians persecuting Christians. Get all the facts first.

  22. Nice try, Clara t. Know what really is a game some people play? It’s making things up like you just did to try and twist the story into the exact opposite of what it is! Sure, a “good Christian teacher” bans the use of God bless you in her class room……..maybe you have a bridge to sell someone as well.

  23. People. It is a game played by the students called “bless you”. They get some one to sneeze and the yell bless you. It was set up. Check the facts. Get both sides. The teacher is a good Christian person. What is worst than Christians persecuting Christians

    • Clara, if this was a set up game, then the person that was doing all the sneezing deserves punishment as well as the girl that said bless you comment because sneezing seems to be a classroom distraction as well as the bless you in return (if this is a “set up game”. Why is the school just singling out the one participant in the “game”! and of course it is the person who said, Bless you. I think the teacher needs to just chill out a bit. From what I understand it was a computer lab for goodness sakes. This whole situation is just pure BS! This world is out of control because people are simply no longer courtesy at all and they don’t say things like…bless you! Well, I say, Bless all of you…oops I guess I’m going to be tarred and feathered now! Sad face!

  25. What is wrong with this??…..EVERYTHING!!! If this teacher, administrator etc don’t want GOD mentioned in our schools maybe they should leave this country and teach somewhere else.

  26. That teacher would have made a real good follower Hitler. That is the type person that would like to see all God fearing people dead. Those people if they don’t change there hart will pay in Hell. The bible reads Jesus is the only way to heaven. Some people will not make all we can do is pray that there eyes will be opened.

  27. Personally I think the teacher and those that supported her need to be FIRED!!!! It is our constitutional right to speak our minds. A friendly suggestion such as “bless you” Is used by all people, religious or not. My family came to America in the 1600s because of control freaks like this. They had to come to the colonies or die. They set up our FREEDOMS for all people. If you don’t like the way our country is run then LEAVE and go back where you came from!!!

  28. Per laws and regulations the teacher and principal broke the law. As a teacher you have the right to have rules in your class but you do not have the right to take freedom of speech. Yes, if a student is being vulgar or disrepectful but by saying god bless you or bless you you are not breaking any laws. The district itself could be brought up on charges for how this was handled.

  29. I am so outraged at the political correctness that has invaded our lives.What happened to our constitution that is over 200 years old and until prayer was taken from the schools and teachers given the right to say you can not say or read anything pertaining to religion. there were no killing no attacks on the teachers or adults or whoever was in charge.The first public schools and first required schools laws started in New England where most people spoke English and the major faiths (Puritans, Pilgrims, Anglicans) all wanted kids to be able to read the Bible. As long as people did not give their religious views on the meaning of religious passages, people of all faiths accepted this arrangement.
    The first colleges like Harvard and Yale were first set up to train ministers. The Supreme Court has ruled that teaching about religion and using the Bible in the classroom may both exist in any curriculum if they are not a part of religious worship, but are integrated as a part of the offerings within a secular program.the First Amendment does not forbid all mention of religion in public schools; It is the advancement or inhibition of religion that is prohibited.Our U.S. laws are all based upon our constitution which is a direct pattern of the Old English Law, which unashamedly proclaims its entire jurisprudence system to be based upon the Bible and the Ten Commandments.Our children are held, by law, to all our U.S. laws, derived from the Bible, yet denied the knowledge of the source of our own constitution and national jurisprudence controlling all of society’s laws. Parents, the public, and lawmakers are now demanding a reversal in the five-decade-long slide into crime, disrespect for the law and the resulting moral and spiritual decadence. Exposure to the Bible has an almost magical influence against crime and the moral/ethical slide of our youth and our nation.So in closing I must say give the constitutional rights back to the public that includes every citizen that also includes students.

  30. What a sad state our schools are in. Why should I be surprised when the efforts of the government encourage such stifling as in Chaplains being told how to pray, People, we need to stand up against such tactics. Don’t succumb to being timid!

  31. Thank you , Kendra, for your kindness, compassion, and concern for your fellow student. It is like saying, ” I hope you are not coming down with something” or ” I hope you are well” and it is said and accepted as a common courtesy by many persons who do not claim to be “religious” or have a Godly relationship. I think it would even be called “politically correct” these days by many such people. It could be construed even to mean “I bless you” without the designation of “God bless you” which should have been the teacher’s first thought (positive) instead of first thinking negatively. As a Christian, we mean “God bless you” as the highest blessing with which we can honor another person. Many non-believers would recognize this and say “thank you”. Keep following your understanding of what Jesus expects of you and you will be the better person for it.

  32. This news story struck a nerve with me the minute I heard it. I live in Hall County, Georgia where there is a huge debate going on, or WAS going on, about prayers on school campuses. We have been all over the law. The truth is that our Constitution guarantees our citizens freedom OF religion, not freedom FROM it. This means that we, students and adults, are free to practice our faith as we see fit as long as it does not interrupt class time and as long as we don’t force anyone else to participate. Obviously, teachers and coaches should never force a student to pray or even say “bless you;” however, students are free to lead prayers on their own, without being forced by teachers and coaches. Teachers and coaches may join in if they are invited and wish to participate in STUDENT LED faith-based activities. This student, as long as she wasn’t being disruptive, was free to say, “Bless you.” She is even free to say, “May God bless you.” She can even say, “May Jesus have mercy on you” if she wants and means it kindly. In my hometown, our students, county wide, including my own daughter, responded respectively as did our entire community which resulted in a hometown revival like we have never seen before and it has spread to neighboring counties and all over northeast Georgia. The unnamed “concerned citizen” who first complained because a football team at his or her school prayed before a game is now quiet. In this particular case, you are absolutely correct that even non-Christians often say “Bless you” after someone sneezes because it is simply a common courtesy. Thank you for sharing this story.

  33. The hatred level in the mind of that teacher must be off-scale: The use of “Bless you!” has been in common use in our land for so long, that it has practicaly lost most of its religious content. So,why should ANYONE get upset over it such a benign response to a sneeze?
    If secularism has progressed thus far as to reach into our local school system, we are in deep trouble.

    • This is the reason we need to evaluate human appeal to dignity. Perhaps our next nation leader is someone who can give us a fix (not to discount demos…) because it just could well be one? Everything you have stated is worth my motivation to reply.

  34. I wonder if she would have been suspended if she would have said “God Dam” ? Note that she didn’t even bring up “God” in what she said, just “bless you”. This is pure HATRED toward God, and what makes America what it used to be

  35. That a teacher, one who is supposed to be leading and encouraging our children, should disrespect a student and her beliefs is so incredibly disheartening. This teacher needs our prayers desperately, as she is clearly struggling with some sort of evil in her heart.

  36. She was suspended for causing a disruption and fighting with the teacher. Religious spin much?

  37. What happened to Kendra is a symptom of a country that has turned it’s back on God. This ha been foretold in the Bible that in the Last Days many will leave the faith. That because evil abounds the love of God of many will grow cold.

  38. This is SOO sad! GOD HELP US ALL! Since taking GOD out of the schools/state/country, …this is the condition we have gotten in to. This land was founded on GOD…who MADE the heaven and earth and every living thing in it!
    That teacher and school needs to be put on suspension! This is totally ridiculous and offensive. The Christians MUST start standing up and defending OUR freedoms or they will be lost forever!

  39. “No godly talk allowed in the classroom”? Send the teacher back to Tolerance Re-education. Guess only swearing, cursing, rebellion, disrespect, mocking, teasing, bullying , LBGT clubs, public kissing behaviors are allowed. I see all this working in public schools. Are we living in the land of the insane?

  40. Possibly these events indicate why more parents are moving toward homeschooling.
    I’ve raised 11 children and am saddened by the attitudes of today…everyone seems so intent on the McDonald theme…I WANT IT MY WAY!

  41. The approach taken by the teaher and shcool is more a form of INDOCTRINATION to atheism as well as violation of free speech. As we become a more Godless nation, I anticipate this sort of action to become worse – where BELIEF is God will be illegal.

  42. Why do christians have such a deep disrespect for Jesus? The bible specifically commands you to obey the rule and laws of civil society. Why do you rebel against the commands of Jesua?

    • Why do anti-Christians, who THINK they know something about The Bible, attempt to impose THEIR thinking on Christians, and on Christian beliefs? Certainly The Bible does instruct one to obey laws of the land, and those who have authority over us; but NOT at the expense of sacrificing one’s Christianity. After all, The Bible DOES say to have no other gods before Me. To sacrifice Christianity for an anti-Christian teacher, or anyone else, would be placing that being above God, and hence would be having a god (such as humanism), over God
      Almighty. Christians are NOT to do this. This is a simple answer to a simple question; but understanding the Bible goes MUCH deeper than this.

    • Civil Society? How do you call it a Civil Society when people ban the words “bless you” – which you would be hard to find anyone in their right mind finding that as a vulgar or offensive phrase.. I wonder if the band words were approved by the school board or are they simply discriminatory list made up by this teacher… By the list of words – it appears that you can say “God Bless” when someone sneezes or even “you suck”…

    • so you think Christians as citizen of the United States of America should leave their constitutional rights on the church pews? Remember when they silence one group… wait for the next groups to follow.

    • Hi friend
      I think you meant to say non Christians have a deep disrespect for Jesus
      Whatever they say doesn’t change the fact HE is the way, truth and life no one comes to the FATHER without him
      Have pity and pray for those who despisfully use us. They are in darkness and know not the truth. Satan is very busy for his time is short.
      Blessings and love in CHRIST
      Laretta Baughman

    • Yes, we Christians are to obey the rules and laws so long as our obedience does not go against what God asks of us. If the story is accurately told, then the teacher was actually breaking the law by attempting to take away the student’s legally protected right of free speech. If a law said you must kill your neighbor, that would go against what God says about killing and, therefore, that law should not be obeyed. Requiring that students not to use certain words/phrases could go either way. If you say they can’t use profane or vulgar speech (harmful) or speak in a disruptive manner (harmful) or speak in a disrespectful manner (harmful), I would consider that okay in a classroom setting. But to specifically include certain words/phrases simply because the teacher sees them as Godly speaking (not harmful) should not be okay. Not allowing harmful speech makes sense in a classroom setting. It can disrupt the process of educating the students. But a courteous phrase meant to be positive/helpful disrupts nothing when done in the manner as with this student. If she sat in her seat and just continuously spoke those words over and over again for no reason, that is disruptive. But nobody could argue that one quick “bless you” was not possibly even expected by most of the students in the room. Most students would probably consider it rude if nobody spoke up and said a kind “bless you”.

    • Floyd, I realize you may just be trolling for a reaction, but I’ll accommodate.
      1) You must be referencing Romans chapter 13. However, verse 4 states: “For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good.” Keep in mind those last 3 words in regard to this situation.
      2) I recommend everyone read Daniel chapter 6.
      3) And for a nice middle ground that we should all be able to agree upon which allows for our faith and references adherence to authority, whether good or bad, see 1 Peter 2:18-19:
      “Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God”

      Thank you for your time.

    • A typing teacher is not the civil authority. In fact, the teacher was going against civil authority when she created a list of things that her students were not allowed to say.

    • Why do you defend a teacher who violates a student’s God given (Jesus His Son) first amendment right Floyd? Kendra and her fellow students are Honoring our Savior NOT disrespecting Him.
      Unfortunately for our government teachers, they (the teachers) cannot express their Godly faith. But a student can!
      This teacher and staff are illegaly violating the right of every Christian student in that school. God bless the students who stood up for her. May this teacher and staff find themselves educated or replaced.

    • Floyd, Render unto Caesar what is his due, and render unto God your soul. One is quite temporal, while the other is Eternal. If we are Christians, we are led to be moral and forgiving, and to stand for what is just and right.

      I think you should ponder our own Constitution here. That pesky First Amendment did not purport to ban religion from the public square, just to prevent government from establishing a state religion or denomination as it had been in Great Britain under Henry VIII. Since 37 of the 54 signers of the Constitution were Christian theology students or graduates, it is fair to presume that they were speaking of a general Christian faith that led them to those carefully chosen words.

  43. If the teachers would spend more time actually educating, (what they are highly paid to do) the children and less time attmepting to be religious police students would come away really educated and inspired as opposed to inflamed haters of the school and/or their system. School administrators have to get in classrooms and see what is going on, get off their duff’s and actually administer and control teachers such as describer here. We send children to school for one reason, to be taught the basics of education, they are not there to be harassed and/or preached to about their religion or something as simple as a friendly harmless courteous remark. Out of sync, out of date teachers like this one should be suspended without pay and made to take a test on ethics in general. This woman is not a teacher (educator) she is a latent Gestapo agent, with a control complex.

    • I agree wholeheartedly. Where are these teachers coming from? I agree teachers like these should be the one’s suspended. May God Bless Kendra for her stance on freedom of speech and for her religious values.
      Carl

  44. How do teachers like this remain in position? Free speech and religious freedom are cornerstones of our countries foundation. If the teacher has problems with words like boring, dumb, stupid and bless you, which I myself have too with exception of bless you, then what larger issues loom inside this teachers head?
    When my two boys were growing up and said boring, I didn’t prohibit them from saying it, I gave them a few task to do so they would not suffer being bored. When they used dumb and stupid, we tended to review what intelligence really is and how we are not all given the same level of skills or learning. We all should have a standard that will take us to a level of intelligence that elevates one higher than dumb or stupid.
    Maybe the teacher hasn’t set that goal for her own application of people and teaching skills. Not being in the classroom and hearing both sides we should be slow to judge but if this happened as reported then there is a classroom full of witnesses who do know. In the book of Romans chapter 14:16 & 17 it says this, “Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Kendra out of her upbringing and knowledge of bible teaching spoke no ill will upon her fellow classman, but has good intentions as any of us do who say “Bless you.” Kendra’s good was spoken of as evil, she stood as she should have, she was not intimidated by the authority of the teacher or school system. Thank God for her backbone! If we as believers have been forgiven of sin maybe there is one we still need ask to be forgiven of and that is the sin of silence. I raise my defense as needed and I try to do it with humility and thought for the other persons view, but we are to stand for our actions. Thank you Kendra for teaching some of us the way to stand.

    • I am glad this girl stood up for her constitutional rights, but I wish she would take what her pastor has taught her, study and decide if it is scriptural, and adopt it as her own belief rather than saying, “My pastor says…” I don’t believe as I do or live as I do because my pastor or church tells me to or teaches it. I do it because I have studied scripture and do it because I love Jesus and want to please Him. But, I think she should just go on being caring and courteous, despite what the teacher rants about.

    • Amen. Very well stated, Mr.Blanton. Way to go,Kendra!! As a fellow Christian, I feel very proud of your response to a teacher who tried to quell your beliefs & actions, young lady”. I just pray I will be a brave & strong as you when the time comes to stand up. The very idea…a school system that condones a teacher saying she trumps everything else in her classroom, or that you do not possess your God-given and Constitutional rights while you’re there. They’ve definitely gone to far!!

  45. Stop paying taxes for education to that school until your children get proper education. ..

  46. It’s only going to get worse if Christians or anyone with good morals stand by and just let it happen and eventually swept under the rug. Small groups win against the Christians everyday while Christians are a large group but just never band together to do really much. Till that changes…

  47. What’s so maddening to me is that if she had uttered Jesus name as a curse word or used God’s name in vain nothing would have been said. In other words you can profane God but you can’t honor Him.

  48. Oh My….
    What a sad stage it is! Nice to be here Trisha,
    Ones the forefathers of America loved and respected God, but now they hate God and teach their children the same. Oh! how horrible, and pathetic it is, how well America stooped to such a level, I can’t even imagine it.
    The things happened in Kendra’s school is an uncalled for situation and all God fearing people of America should condemn this act of teacher as well as other school authorities.
    What a shame to hear from a so called Christian nation.
    What a pathetic Fall!
    So sad.
    May God Give them His understanding to know the truth.
    Let us pray for America.
    I am here via my friend and Journalist Sheryl Young
    Thanks Sheryl for the notification.
    Thanks Trisha for sharing this and the connected links
    God Bless. 🙂
    ~ Philip

  49. I worked at a high school where a boy stood up in the commons area and preached to the students having lunch. The administration was so scared that this would cause trouble for them and quickly called the Administrative Office to see what they could do to shut him up. They looked at all the rules then called a lawyer on their rights. When all was said and done, they were told that this student had every right to express his beliefs because of the freedom of speech written in our constitution. If we don’t stand up for our Christian values we will lose all our freedoms and rights. This student had every right to say “bless you” and I hope this will be made clear to the teacher and principal and the student restored to her class and apologies made to her. God Bless her and all who stood up for her. God Bless America again!

  50. All the people who do not want us to have the freedoms afforded us by the US Constitution should have to go to a dictator country to see if they like it. If they like it just stay. If not come back home and learn to love the best country in the world. It is not perfect, just the best. Don’t try to mess with our constitutional rights. They have done well for us all these years.
    I applaud the young woman for standing up for her rights & most of all for her God. Also for her fellow students that stood up for her rights as well. If there were more students like that instead of the ones that shout obscenities this world would be a much better place.
    As for the teacher & the asst Principle, they should be the ones suspended. With all the bad things that happen in schools this is deffinently not one. That teacher who thinks she is God will one day find out that she isn’t. I pray it will be sooner than later.

  51. I don’t know of another country that has allowed others to cower it down to the degree where the primary belief system and those who embrace that belief are placed in a position to defend themselves. We do have the opportunity to choose, so why is it that a country whose origin is steeped in Judeo-Christian beliefs, morals, and teachings have to suffer the indignity of being punished for that belief. It does not make sense. These behaviors are baseless. How could we have allowed our country to sink to this level. We are pilgrims and strangers in this land for sure. Kudos to this young girl; I hate that she has to suffer this type of indignity in ‘this land’.

  52. You can fight the schools or send your kids to any school that has Christian roots in it.
    You can also Home School your kids but make sure you are up to doing it.
    I some state your kid still has to take a test at the Board of edcu. or some place like that in all subject..
    A friend of our did just that & her daughter passed the test with flying colors.

  53. I thought that by now the “Indoctri-Nation” movie/DVD had convinced a sufficient number of quality kids like Kendra Turner and her parents that the government public schools are no place for Christian adults-in-the-making. Her story is but one of a million reasons why. Plus the fact that the Bible doesn’t allow parents’ education responsibilities to be transferred to non- or anti-Christian agencies. Same for college choices. 4 more years in your typical hostile-to-God college and Kendra won’t even feel like saying “Bless you” anymore. Barna polling proves it to be so. Therefore, the “live and learn” ball is in the Turner’s court. What will it be? This could be the wake-up call of a lifetime for Kendra.

  54. Why are some of these teachers even in the classroom? This teacher is bringing her religious beliefs into the classroom and by banning words is prohibiting free speech. There are a lot more damaging words in the dictionary than bless and you. This young lady should be restore to her class and this incident removed from her record. And why, because we believe in God, we have to be subjected to this kind of child actions and stupidity. This is just another kind of bullying at the worst level – by our teachers and administrators in our school system. The young lady did not deserve this suspension for saying “Bless You”.

  55. I will pray that the teacher accepts Christ as his Lord and Savior…. No TRUE Bible believing, Bible reading Christian that believes in the finished work on the cross would have had an issue with a student saying bless you.. God Speed to Kendra and her family!!
    1 John 4:4

  56. Just wondering. Are the students, teachers, administrators, custodians, coaches , cooks, and any one else who comes on the school’s premises allowed to say “Oh my God”,” 0MG”, or use the name of our Lord in a flippant or derogatory way? If they are not held accountable for their “Godly speaking,” then there is a lot of hypocrisy going on around there. I taught in public junior and senior high schools for over twenty-five years and have a word of advice for this teacher and administration. You had better stand outside your classroom door and offices while the students are passing by in order to “catch” all the scholars who are engaging in “Godly speaking”.

  57. This is all so silly! The term “bless you” has more links to superstition than religion. The term “bless you” originated from the 12th century when the bubonic/black plague was at it’s worst. One of the first signs of the plague was sneezing. In other words it was a way of saying you were about to die. The term became a superstition that was handed down from generation to generation. I have no idea what “Godly speaking” means but both the teacher and student were misinformed!

  58. As a former teacher in a public hs, besides the 1st amendment issue-she made a tactical error. Kids abhor unfairness, and the teacher totally overreacted making her judgement unfair which would immediately cause the kids to side with the student. Maybe she is a new teacher and doesn’t know she has made her school year very hard for herself.

  59. GOD BLESS KENDRA!!!! for standing up to her teacher and school adminstrators. That is a violation of freedom of speech , and also saying God Bless You when someone sneezes has always been a common courtesy.

    No one ever trumps GOD!!. and I mean no one.

    I agree all parent s should band together and boycott until their is a public apology. Simply outrageous!

  60. The teacher and asst principal should be sued for violation of the girls civil rights. Their actions were so far out of line with their prescribed duties that they most likely would not be covered by normal administrative protections.

    • I am proud of this young lady for standing up for herself when her teacher said “Bless You” was not allowed in her class. It is way past time ALL CHRISTIANS need to be heard. Both her her teacher & Asst. Principal are WRONG. It is time these School Boards start putting prayer & other Christian things back into our schools to eliminate many of their other problems. May God bless this young lady for speaking up for what she knows to be right.

  61. Christians absolutely must assert themselves, as this young woman has done. The teacher is wrong; she does not trump the Constitution in or out of her class. The world-wide war against God and Christianity must be stopped and it can only be stopped by concerned Christians who are willing to stand up and fight for their beliefs. Otherwise Satan wins.

    • I have a quick answer to those who forbid the name of God mentioned in class is to waite until someone sneezes, then all the clas responds with a big “GOD BLESS YOU”. This out to clear the school out for the rest of the month, and all the other classes would soon do the same. What about the freedome of most Americans, we can’t evet wave, or smile, if someone not from a Christian Faith can’t even make a remark, or smile.!
      John from Eastwodf 13206

  62. OK now, where is the TOLERANCE that the liberal/communists/etc. are always SCREAMING about?! And people wonder why The United States of America is going to H E L L in a hand-basket! When you kick God out of the country, do you REALLY believe God will bless this country?!?! REALLY!?!?

  64. Here is another example of how we as American citizens have allowed our fundimental freedoms to be trampled on by those who have no right to infringe on our rights to freedom of expression of our fundimental religious beliefs, even in the simpliced and most innocent form of expression.

  65. My family and I have moved to USA from the Soviet Union where we did not have any freedom and did not have God. Believe me, you don’t want to live in such a country. Both the teacher and the superintendent should appreciate the freedom that America has.

  66. It’s a terrifying consequence to defy God’s morals, Principles, and Standards in His Word ( Bible ) A huge problem in the world today, so many rich and educated people with Status get so prideful making them really ignorant to realize it is NOBODY BUT JESUS CHRIST WHO GIVES THEM THE VERY AIR THEY BREATHE. WOE BE UNTO THEM ON JUDGMENT DAY. They need to learn to be humble and repent of their sins before it’s too late. JESUS CHRIST IS COMING ANY DAY.

  67. When are Christians going to listen? Take your children out of government schools! To those that continue to use thew excuse “money” read Matthew 8:26 KJV.

      • Maybe that’s why you don’t appear to know much about European history and the source of many nursery rhymes, sayings and superstitions . If your children are home schooled how do you teach them how to deconstruct images, feature films and advertisements? How do you teach them speaking skills such as public speaking and debating? Are your children taught world literature, history and international politics? We don’t allow home teaching in Australia and that may be one of the reasons our students are more literate than American students. We do have Catholic and other private school systems. However, religious instruction is carefully structured and limited under government regulations. The separation of church and state is part of our democratic society. Students are taught world religions and their formation as part of the curriculum. I am a literature teacher but would never consider limiting my children’s futures by giving them my version of knowledge.

    • Respectfully, I would rather the government acknowledge its Christian roots as well as its position under God.

  68. All parents should band together and have their kids boycott this school until there is a public apology. This is absolutely outrageous.

    • I am saddened that it has come to this point. I would like to know what has made the educator so biased toward such simple things as responding to a sneeze with a “Bless You”? Christians appear to have rough days ahead. God bless us all!

  69. Kendra needs the help of the AClJ or another Christian group that is willing to take this to court if the school does not stand with her. The United States Supreme Court has already ruled that students di=o not lose their first amendment rights when then are in school.

  70. The fact that we’re even asking if it’s OK is baffling. I’m literally shaking my head in sadness at what the majority in this (still God-fearing?) country have allowed the minority to do to us and our values. At least I’m hoping that decent people are still a majority. I’m so proud of Kendra and am praying for her right now! We all need to follow her example.

  71. This young lady should be praised instead of punished by people who would take away her first amendment rights. Those of us who believe in God should pray for the gutless leaders who would chastise her for taking away her rights. I pray that before it is too late, these educators will open their eyes and their minds to the truth and the reality that there is a God, and we are commanded by his divine son, Jesus to worship Him, and to use their positions to praise rather than deny his existence.

  72. How dare that teacher to tell Kendra that in her class the exercise of the 1st amendment is not allowed! We all INDEED have freedom of speech as guaranteed by our Constitution! Unfortunately we have a president who uses The Constitution as a rug; perhaps other people think they can do the same.

  73. This article seriously makes me sick to my stomach because it is so wrong. Kendra was only being courteous. Good for Kendra for standing up to the teacher and more importantly for standing up for God.

  74. This is just too ridiculous to be believed!!! What does this teacher want in her class? UNgodly speech? And in my home country….to tell the truth, having lived overseas so long, I hardly recognize the America I left….I am speechless at such politically correct stupidity!

  75. When is America going to wake up?Before long we as parents will no longer have any rights for our children.The school has no business telling our children what that the can not have faith or express a courisey to someone.That teacher has a Hitler complex. She should not be teaching children. Did you know there is only a small percentage of people that do not want any relegious things (ie prayer or 10 comandments) talked about or mentioned.Guess they are afraid they might be wrong.The people of that town or city need to redo there rules.

    • I applaud Kendra for standing her ground against a teacher who has DISTATOR POWER to keep her students corralled under her control. Dictators and some of our so called leaders in congress and within the White House do this every day while the people suffer humiliation and other nasty things. Ms. Kendra is a fine example of what a good Christian should do. Be nice, be polite, be courteous and considerate of other people. For this Ms. Kendra was suspended. What a crock of Bullcrap this is. Would the school superintendent act this way towards a Muslim student if that person said a prayer in class or on school grounds? I wonder. What a weasel this guy is…

      I hope the school board will reverse this negative act by both the teacher and the superintendent and remove all reference to it from Ms. Kendra’s school file. And I also agree with another commenter that both the teacher and the superintendent need to make a public apology to Ms. Kendra.

      If the above doesn’t happen I hope that Ms. Kendra contacts the TV News editor’s and shares her incredible story with the Network audience.

      Good luck Ms. Kendra and stay Proud of what you did and for how you are protecting YOUR Right to free speech and for being a good Christian. We need more young folk like you to help educate the rest of the silent people.

  76. Welcome to the times now when right is made to look wrong…..and wrong is made to be right. We are such a broken society.

  77. Kendra that is great. You are a good and strong person. There is a good reward for caring. Momdot your website is right on.

  78. This is a perfect example of why people are choosing to home school. People need to take a stand against this kind of control. Common sense is flying out the window these days. Imagine being taught by that dope!

  79. It is shocking what is allowed to come into the home via the radio and TV and that doesn’t seem to bother Sue and many other people. Yet when a student who apparently was brought up by good parents and was taught good manors and kindness snd to be polite and say a simple and innocent thing like bless you when a fellow student sneezes, the teacher, the asst. principal and no less, SUE gets all out of whack. In schools today there are much bigger problems to deal with. You folks need to concentrate on dealing with the things that need your attention and not minutia like someone saying bless you. Sue you need to your liberal opinions to yourself.

    • I agree with reservations. Except the part about “[keeping] your liberal opinions to yourself.” I must disagree with that wholeheartedly, and my initial reaction is to hail insults down upon you for that statement alone. I won’t, but please keep in mind the arena you yourself are entering when you comment on a comment board within a personal blog… The value of tossing any and all ideas into the Darwinian arena of public discourse… The importance of freedom of speech… the compliment of keeping an open mind and the advantages of hearing and thinking about opinions which differ from your own… and the ability for you to stick your fingers in your ears, avert your eyes, or otherwise avoid these “out of whack” or “unimportant” concerns and instead focus your own energies on what you yourself find important rather than wasting time with absolutely and obviously peacocking dismissal and impotently calling for silence.

      Is this instance itself “a big deal” -no, and it is further corrupted by being filled to the brim with hearsay. HOWEVER, “the Devil is in the details” -this “minutia” you speak of is an indication of larger issues. As a matter of fact, the primary force of “bigger problems” are often no more than the sum of their minutiae!

      Do I agree that expending large sums of resources on *this* instance is rather a waste of time? Yes, I agree with you there. Are there bigger issues to deal with… Well, yeah! But this can be viewed as a specific example of the quality of education / educators and, as other people have mentioned, touches on issues of personal and religious freedom, power of the government / public school system over *our* children, even the meaning of the term “our children”… and probably many others.

      Lets stay civil and stop trying to wantonly demean other people or put duct tape on their mouths. That does nothing but make people less reasonable and more defensive… Unless you were trying to be a troll? If there were any hope of such actions being constructive, I’d say go for it… But if you are going to bother typing anything, wouldn’t you try your best to get that message at least considered rather than to inoculate the “stubborn masses” AGAINST your *obviously* superior position?

      Thanks for reading and sincerely,
      One of the stubborn masses

  80. Forget the religious aspect of it, saying “Bless You” is good manners. Does this school not advocate courtesy to others? Apparently this teacher does not!! Thank you for bringing awareness to this!

    • What a disgrace to this close minded typing teacher! She DOES not need to be teaching our children. She definitely is unprofessional and has a problem. I have said God Bless you all my life when someone sneezed as is a thing we do in the South as a courtesy. If she had a problem with this, she should have had a private meeting with student. If the class supported the student, evidently they had more respect for student than teacher! OUR AMERICA is noted for Freedom of speech or must I say iit “was” noted for freedom of speech. The teacher should be reprimanded.

  81. The PCers and those with hyphenated names will be the death of this wonderful country. With very few exceptions, there are no African-Americans, no French-Americans, etc. There are Americans, period.

    I’m an old man who has lost his hearing and most of my hair. I am bald and nearly deaf. I am not follicleularly
    challenged nor am I hearing impaired. Get a grip folks and get over all this PC crap. Respect each other’s beliefs; Christian, Jew, Hindu, etc. Teach school, not your personal BS.

    • I agree completely… If I may be so bold to add to your post, I’d like to point out something that I find an important thing to keep in mind, even if obvious.

      Words are just words -it is people who give them meaning, positive or negative connotations, moral weight, etc. As an example, I am amused by the moving target of “intellectual disability” -if you follow the history of its terminology, you see that words like “moron”, “imbecile”, “retarded”, even “idiot” used to be medical terms. Heck, just about every insult we have for someone’s intelligence originally started as a “proper” way to refer to stupidity (another depreciated psychological term)… People need to realize it isn’t the WORDS, but the way society feels about the attribute itself.

      Perhaps “PC” terminology helps us understand just how unacceptable a thing is in the collective subconscious of society; the faster the word changes, the more we secretly (or not so secretly) dislike the thing -or at least how much those who have the attribute dislike having that attribute. I don’t know the specifics, and I’ll admit I have no evidence to support my position except my logic.

      Still, it is an interesting idea to explore -I could probably spit out pages and pages of personal thoughts and connections concerning it, but I’ll spare everyone that! However, I do wish to add one more bit:

      All this concern over “PC” terminology does nothing but highlight how unaccepting cultural forces are, both of each other and of themselves. Our obsession over egalitarianism does nothing but emphasize that there really are differences in “quality” between human beings, even if any attempt to establish that would be an impossible quagmire of conditional evaluations. Our battlecries over religion do nothing but accentuate just how lost we’ve become in this universe. And our defensive violence (intellectual or otherwise) does nothing but prove how insecure we have become. As a whole, of course. But change is painful and fraught with missteps and dead ends; I’m still ultimately hopeful about the long haul.

  82. why is it that only christians are supposed to worry about offending someone? we {christians} have to put up with many things we don’t believe or agree with but when it comes to our beliefs we are supposed to keep a lid on it so as not to offend anyone who is not of our faith.don’t you think that offends us? i thought this country was built on religious freedom and freedom of speech. where did it go?
    we’re beginning to sound like the countries where you have to be careful of every word you say for fear of being locked up.
    is that what this country is now? we go to other countries and fight and die to gain freedom for the people there but here in the U.S. it seems the chritians rights have gone down the toilet. i wonder what percentage of those troops fighting and dying for the rights of others are of the christian faith.i guess its all right to stand up for the rights of others but to stand up for our own rights is taboo.

  83. Hey Sue,
    If she was being disrespectful, the teacher should have addressed that alone. But she didn’t. She argued that “religious freedoms” wouldn’t be tolerated in her class. Maybe Kendra argued disrespectfully, but the teacher set the tone of the conversation with questioning why Kendra said “Bless You” in the first place. Why didn’t the teacher just say, “Whoever said that, please refer to the board of inappropriate comments in my class. I do not allow that phrase.”?

    But she didn’t correct the phrase. She corrected Kendra on WHY she said it. Wrong! And illegal! This is comparable to becoming thought police! If we are addressing disrespect, correct the teacher too for yelling in class, and teaching her own set of morals/ethics.

  84. I have two points to make: (1) It’s funny to me that she allegedly said, “Bless you,” which does not specifically refer to God. Yet the teacher allegedly said, “We will not have Godly speaking in my class.” Has anyone once thought about looking up the definition of the word “bless” before going so ballistic? Though there are more than one definition, one says “make happy”. So one could say that it is the teacher’s interpretation of the word “bless” that is the issue here. The words of the student above do not state that she said, “God bless you.” and (2) Did anyone else hear the President’s speech yesterday about the killing of the journalist in Iraq? I wonder if anyone else heard him say, “May God bless and keep Jim’s memory. And may God bless the United States of America.” It’s politically correct enough for HIM!!!

  85. Seems to me that both the teacher and school should be suspended for violating the students freedom of speech and religion rights.

  86. This girl had every right to say bless you to her fellow student who sneezed. Sounds like Sue is assuming she was rude in her reply to the teacher. There were probably 23 to 28 other students in the classroom that can verify whether or not this girl was talking back to the teacher. But of course people like Sue want to jump to the conclusion that this girl must have been a backtalker. I have personal experience in working in the public school system for seven years on how some teachers can try to intimidate their students just because they’re the teacher. I would like to hear some comments from other students who were in the classroom.

  87. I am neither married nor a parent, just a 59 year old man that belives in our God given right to both freedom of religion and speech. This High School girl has the freedom to express her beliefs anywhere. I applaud her for standing up. Even the Apostles said should we fear man who might be able to take our life or God who can allow us to spend eternity in flames of fire. That was paraphrased by the way. You should be able to find the exact words in the New Testament of the Bible. But who is reading it anymore? Perhaps we all should.

  88. Wow! I wasn’t there but based on what I’ve read this teacher needs to be re evaluated. Had the student said F—– u to the other student then I could understand the teacher’s reprimand but we live in America and I’m certain ‘Bless You” was just a knee jerk response. Get over it Teacher & Teach. Hitler has long been Dead, Thank God.
    carlo

  89. As one who has been falsely accused of wrongdoing, my heart goes out to Kendra. She has shown a rare measure of courage for taking such a stand in class, and has earned my deepest respect. Kendra, Ignore the loathsome comments on ‘tone’ and such. Your words cannot have been stressed hard enough, and I would have shouted the teacher down with such words if I had been in your shoes.
    The fact is that this pestilent, parasitical, delusional, post-modern abomination of a teacher is out of line, and ought to be on suspension, not you. I can only guess how affronted you must be that we have allowed such petty people as this to penalize anyone with even a remotely theological word in class. Anyone so intolerant as to take offense at such a simple gesture of kindness is unfit to guide young men and women in their journey to adulthood, and is a disgrace to teachers everywhere.

    My Prayers go to you, that God would not let your love grow cold in this trying time, and that you might rise above these people and show them the grace our God has shown us.

  90. Forgive me, all of you, but inanity, stupidity and ignorance has taken OVER THE ENTIRE USA! We are confronted in schools, universities, supermarkets, department stores, our nations streets and everywhere we turn with rude, inconsiderate individuals who believe it is their “God-given right” to openly carry guns into restaurants and other public places, swear in public, insult others whenever they please and don’t give a hoot about manners, compassion or sensibility. Perhaps we need a real tragedy, famine or a national disaster here in order to wake up and realize how stupid and dumb we have become on all levels to, e.g,. condemn a girl for saying “bless you” in class. The girl’s teacher should take a good look at herself and see what has become of her. God bless America, the country of the dumb and dumbest and becoming dumber every second!

  91. Today I am shocked, tomorrow it may be nothing anyone cares to comment on. Do we really want our country going down that path? Evidently this teacher has never been to our nation’s capital and read the inscriptions under the monuments. Our founding fathers came here because of religious persecution. It sounds like we are being dictated to by the liberal left and we no longer have our constitutional rights. If the account is true, and I have no indication that it is false since the administration refuses to comment, then we as a nation need to stand up for our freedoms before it all slips away.

  92. The teacher made a VERY LARGE ISSUE of something that, if left alone, would have died “in transit.”

    Robert W. Pressler
    Tulsa, OK

  93. Dear Superintendent Hedge: The actions against Kendra Turner by the Dyer County High School teacher and the principal have gone way beyond common sense. The outlandish action taken by school leaders against Kendra for a simple gesture of kindness is beyond belief and void of common sense. I urge you to do the right thing and take corrective action. “Bless you” should not be censored words in any Dyer County Public School classroom. Kendra should not be punished and the school administration should apologize for creating a hostile environment because of poor decisions by school staff.
    As a Christian I believe in the Sovereign, Almighty God of the bible who’s word in psalm 9, v17, says “the wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” Further, Isaiah 45, v23 and Romans 14, v11 & 12 says ” For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. 12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”
    David F. Newton
    T/Sgt, USAF Retired

  94. Bless you Sue! By the sound of what you have written, it doesn’t sound as if you were in that class
    when this incident occurred and you are making “snap” decisions about what was said, how it was said and why it was said in class. Suppose Kendra would have said “Allah blesses you”? Would that have been better? You called her a “lair” and I wonder how you know that. Seems you are making a lot of conjectural statements too. For a young “lady”, you sound much like a “young progressive democrat when you write “go to the ACLU’ when in fact, the ACLJ would be a better choice. Settle down Sue, be at peace and God bless us, everyone.

  95. If she had said “Asalam Alakhum” she would have been praised and asked to share with the class about her religion/culture. That is all.

  96. This is SO simple to protest and win against…everyone in the class sneeze and everyone say GOD BLESS YOU to each other…and SUE the heck out of the school system for violation of freedom of speech and religion.

    CASE CLOSED

    When someone has a problem with posting a flag or the TEN COMMANDMENTS everyone in the neighborhood surrounding the site should post them on their private lawn…this is how to fight secular humanism

  97. Sue and others, on what do you base the assumption that she was rude and sassy, etc.? Were you there? Did you witness this conversation firsthand? Why is it always assumed that the Christians are always wrong if they have the courage to voice what they believe and live by? When I read the account of this incident, it seems to me like the teacher was in the wrong because she doesn’t have the right to set the rules for the school district. But I don’t just assume that she is wrong because I didn’t hear the conversation. This country was founded on Christian beliefs and principles. But since most people want to exclude any mention of God from everything, this country has certainly lost its way and is in a big mess.

  98. Follow the etymology of the word “blessed”. It simply means “happy” and the context dictates the meaning. It is not a religious word. In this context it goes back to a myth regarding possible illness or even the possible fortune the sneezer would receive. The teacher must not want anyone to be happy or protected.

    I found it interesting that she didn’t want any “Godly” speaking in her class. That leaves one choice, “Ungodly” speaking. Which would include disrespectful and profane speaking for which the student is being disciplined. A bit ironic.

  99. I would not for a minute doubt that this teacher took the stance that has been reported. When my son was in second grade, he attended a public school in a racially, ethnically, and religiously diverse neighborhood. As we approached Halloween, one night at dinner he said “Ms. So and So said Halloween is the Devil’s holiday.” My husband and I were flabbergasted, but went on to explain that people have different views based on their religious beliefs. Then as we approached Christmas, he asked “Is Santa real? Because Ms. So and So said he isn’t and that its just your parents.” Regardless of your religious beliefs you have no right to impose them on my child or my house, just as I would not impose them on your teaching. Saying “bless you” is so ingrained in polite society that I doubt that many think of it in its religious context when saying it. We as a society have lost sight of what is important and waste vast amounts of time on minutia that has little impact on the greater issues we face such as reduced funding for education, a tenure system that rewards bad teachers and punishes the good….I could go on and on…

  100. Maybe it is time to start hanging some Liibtard teachers in the streets. It is time to take our country back.

  101. I’m 70 years old and I have been on both sides of the Christian issue.
    Things like the teachers and Gov. officials in this world will be standing up begging for forgiveness in a very short
    time. because the world is going to end and all of Satan’s followers are going to see the flames that they are going to
    be put into. then we all will see who is the leader in the class rooms. GOD or some idiot teacher or Gov. official or anyone
    who says NO TO GOD

  102. I bet if she said, “Buddha bless you,” she would have been fine. That would have been socially diverse. Bless You in and of itself does not connotate a relation to God. If she had said, “God bless you,” the teacher may have an argument but she didn’t. Would it have been an issue if she had said, “Gesundheit,” which is German for health? These are common and socially acceptable responses to a sneeze that most of us don’t even think about. I’m glad she stood up for herself. Aren’t we supposed to teach our children to think for themselves? As soon as they do, we shut them down? That teacher should be suspended.

  103. Sue. I have 1 question for you. Are you a Christian? If so where is your grace & Mercy for a fellow Christian. If you are not a Christian how would you know what one is to be like?

  105. Who is Sue? I am amazed that without any firsthand knowledge of the incident, she is quick to respond to Kendra’s relative by calling Kendra (and Trisha) liars.
    Trisha – Is this Sue someone you know personally? She is obviously a hater. She’s part of the crowd that Bud Miles refers to. Bless You and your family (direct and extended) Trisha.

    Sue – Get a clue.

  106. THEY SHOULD SUSPEND THE TEACHER NOT THE STUDENT. GOD BLESS AMERICA THAT WHAT WE NEED.

  107. As a Christian there are times when we need to give up our rights. While Kendra had every right to say what she did, since it was a courtesy issue and not reallly a religious issue the wiser thing would have been to just tell the teacher she was sorry for offending her and let it pass.At a laater time it may have been a good thing to talk to the administration about the teacher;s attitude regarding why a common courtesy would be such a problem for her. Obviously there were more issues involved than just the wording of “bless you”.

  108. Seems to me that Sue is the only one with an attitude on this forum. Very defensive, offensive and uncompelling in her writings. A sound respectful stance would serve you better in winning over people.

  109. it appears to me that Sue herself has a problem in hearing what she perceives as a religious comment when in actuality it is a courteous one. She also seems to be assuming a lot in the actions of the student’s behavior. It appears that the teacher also may not believe in God and wants no mention of him said in her class– which is our right to say anywhere. I commend the student for sticking to her conviction of Faith. What that teacher said and did was a form of ” religious persecution” which is so common today. My final comment is ” God bless the student.” and all concerned. May God enlighten all to his truth and way. Audrey

  111. I’m sorry but the Freed of Speech is covers everyone in this country, wherever they happen to be in this country. So the teacher had the right to be silly, and the girl had the right to be courtious to someone that sneezed. It’s as simple as that.

  112. My opinion is that the parents of the entire school need to relook at their principal and vice principal….they do have a certain amount of control through the board of education. Numbers are impressive. It’s a shame when the principal of a school isn’t familiar with the First Amendment. There are some good educators out there needing a job.

  113. PRIASE GOD! GOD BLESS AMERICA.
    IF YOU DON’T WANT GOD’S BLESSINGS IN AMERICA THEN GET OUT.

  114. YOU MAY NOT LIKE GUNS
    THAT IS YOUR RIGHT
    YOU MAY NOT BELIEVE INGOD
    THAT IS YOUR CHOICE
    BUT IF SOMEONE BREAKS INTO YOUR HOME THE FIRST THINGS YOU ARE GOING TO DO ARE .. CALL SOMEONE WITH A GUN AND PRAY THEY GET THERE IN TIME

  115. I have to say the whole thing seems blown out of proportion. It’s pretty ridiculous that the teacher corrected the student in the first place. I would partially agree that the student didn’t handle in the best way but who is the adult and who is the student here? The teacher should have been professional here and de-escalated, but instead she chose to ask accusatory questions and 1 up the student every time she said something. That escalated the situation, DUH… Go back to school and learn how to manage your classroom without making a mountain out of a molehill. If this teacher has a problem with this from a religious standpoint, then she needs to be in the principals office, not the student. I sense personal issues getting in the way of professionalism. She should be embarrassed that something this small got escalated beyond the classroom. Next time a student has an outburst, instead of arguing with them, look them in the eye and say “sit down and be quiet, your disturbing the class”.

  116. This teacher and her assistant principal need to have a “Come to Jesus meeting”. Apparently they are not Christians. People have the right to say “bless you” at a sneeze without criticism. We “bless you” all the time at my place of employment and could not imagine doing anything different. But I can say I am a Christian and I work in a Christian workplace. I support this young lady and I pray the best outcome for her. I do think the school needs to rethink the suspension

  117. Way to go, Kendra….speak the truth! Your Constitutional first amendment right was no doubt violated. In these dark times, the light of Christ must shine out of us. You chose to honor Christ rather than men.

  118. First of all, Sue, to insist the student back talked the teacher and was rude makes no sense unless you were in the classroom at the time and heard the conversation first hand. You cannot assume this unless you witnessed it yourself.
    Second, the teacher freaked out over nothing. “Bless you” is simply common courtesy when somebody sneezes. We need more common courtesy in our society!

  119. I believe that this happened, although I find it Very hard to believe the account that she gave you. I’m pretty sure that after she said “bless you,” the student and teacher did not engage in a scene from “God’s Not Dead.”

  120. If the student’s account is correct or even partially correct, the teacher was out of line. There is nothing wrong with saying
    bless you to someone that sneezes or anyone for that matter.. This country was founded on religious freedoms and
    those trying to take it away should chill. Noone is trying to make them observe religion but they can’t take it away from
    those of us who believe. Good for her for standing up for herself. The ISD is wrong to suspend her.

    t

  121. I am a Christian high school student also. I would like to say to this girl that I am very proud of her actions based on what I’ve heard. Although I have not heard both sides, I am upset to even think that a teacher would reprimand their students for being courteous and polite in a classroom while witnessing to others around them. Defending your faith is sadly harder and harder to do in this society, but I’m glad she took the opportunity to do so.

  122. This is a total lie. She back-talked to a teacher and now is claiming religious harassment. It is not very Christian to be a liar.

    • Is it backtalk if someone asks you a question, you answer and they just dont like the answer? My parents taught me to answer them when they asked me a question.

    • To Sue: Your first comment stated emphatically “This is a total lie”. How do you know? Were you there? Did you witness the altercation? Subsequent comments by you insinuate that the student was sassy, rude and back-talking her teacher; which is total supposition on your part. You don’t know what happened. Nothing in your diatribe supposes any fault lies with the teacher who might (notice “might” not “was’) have been rude or snarky. This is a situation that got way out of hand, not because of a young lady who stood for her first amendment rights, but because of the intolerance of a teacher who BANNED certain words and phrases in her class and because of a school administration that backed the teacher. If the student had been a minority, or if she had been of the Islamic faith then the school administration and probably you would have been all about protecting her “rights” and “what a travesty”. However she was a Christian and her rights always take a back seat to the politically correct agenda of shutting up and condemning Christians and Jews.

    • So, Sue, you were present in the clasroom at the time and know that this was all a fabrication?

    • 8.21.14
      Dear Susie-Q,

      By reading your responses I find myself in awe at your assumptive uneducated attitude. If God himself stood before you you’d call Him a liar as well. You, my dear, are the exact product our school system, culture, and government administration want to produce. Mindless, no common sense, and more mouth than brain. This way you become not an individual thinker, but a collective thinker. Their process has worked on you.

      Since you are so anti-God, anti-Christian values morals, and anti-common courtesies, then why don’t you become pro-active and educate yourself in the Constitution of the Untied States of America? Then you would really find out how much you’ve been brainwashed by the educational and cultural system. Coming from a life in law-enforcement this is a more than believable scenario. If I am to make an error it will be on the side of good judgment and the side of the Kendra Turners of this world.

      As an American who has watched this nation slip into a dark abyss it is so sad to see how individuals like you miss the boat and joy in life that helping others and blessing others can bring allowing others to strip it from them. Sad. Perhaps you will never be suspended for granting someone a common courtesy. One last suggestion; Why don’t you move to Russia or Syria where you don’t have to worry about such things. Then you won’t have to be assumptive. You will KNOW FOR SURE that folks like Kendra Turner will be banished to Siberia or beheaded for such atrocities and such lies! The only problem will be……………………….. is that you are next!

      God Bless you Susie-Q,
      Judi Walch ~ southern Oregon

    • She “back talked” to a teacher acting as thought police. Actually she was defending her rights. You don’t have to like it, but you do have to accept it. It is called freedom OF speech… Not freedom FROM speech.

    • You support tyranny. It will be your speech next. This teacher created a climate in class that was hostile to even minor, innocuous religious expression. She is an anti religious tyrant and you support this complete nonsense. Do not be shocked when kids use violence and profanity in class and when teachers have to be afraid of their own students as is the case in many schools. “There will be no Godly speaking in my class.” Oh really? That’s enforcing atheism. Welcome to the dismal state of education in America. Courtesy of your philosophy.

    • You are the worst kind of person. You make completely sick in every way imaginable, but that is your goal, is it not?

  123. This is not a fake my cousin text me as soon as it happened. It was something simple and the teacher asked her a question she didn’t want an answer too. I was shocked when this went viral she was taught manners the teacher challenged her and she challenged her back some things you don’t do in the south. If your from the north some issues will not make sense to y’all. All I can say is she didn’t back down for that I am proud !!! We are heading this week so it does exist!

    • Nothing wrong with a challenge but i bet she back-talked the teacher in a nasty, rude and very un-becoming and un-Christian way. Sorry. That kind of back-talk cannot be tolerated… by her teacher, her mother or her pastor.

      • What are you basing that on? While anyone can be nasty or rude or un-becoming, which is also going to be susceptible to perception, why are you accusing her of being un-Christian. Was there someone that came forward and said she was? I am not going to make those kinds of accusations personally.

        • it is un-Christian to be nasty and rude as I believe she was when she was kicked out of the classroom.

          • Were you there to say that her answer was rude? I was not present either. However, from the teacher’s answer it is clear that the tone was not wrong. What bother the teacher was the GODLY comment!

          • It is un-Christian to judge, too. None of us were there to see the actual events, but this girl did some so simple and now is on ISS. Where is her religious freedom. Are we only tolerant of other religions, not Christian.
            We Christians have to stand up for our beliefs before we have them taken away. I applaud this young lady for taking a stand for God.

          • Sue your claim that she is un-Christian is opinion based from a law mentality. If you knew what being a Christian IS you would not state that someone is un-Christian. Jesus Christ died for ALL including this anti-Christ teacher. ALL sins are forgiven and IF this young lady defended what she believes then she is doing exactly what you are doing. Thank God for Jesus! All of us will fall short act unbecoming But this behavior does not remove our blood washed perfect spirit! Accept the full payment for our sins and have Jesus be Lord of your life! Freedom! True Freedom! Not Law! You will never uphold yourself and fulfill yourself through yourself.

        • I have to say, Trisha, if you believe this story as it is being told on social media — then — I have some oceanfront property in Arizona I would like to sell to you. LOL

          • I’m sorry, but I don’t understand why a person would comment on something they don’t even believe took place, or say how rude a person was based on what they heard, not having witnessed it first hand.

          • Sue, being a Christian does not mean that you let everyone run over you. I wouldn’t let a non-christian define what it means to be a Christian. We will stand up for our constitutional rights or we will loose them. You’re welcome.

          • How do you know she was back talking the teach in a “nasty and rude” way. You were not there, so you shouldn’t go and make assumptions about people. She stood up for what she believes in and for that I am so thankful! I wish more students and adults would have the courage to stand up for what we believe in, if more of us would do that, then our Country wouldn’t be where it is today….we wouldn’t have teachers kicking us out of classrooms for saying “bless you”!!

          • Dear Sue,
            please tell me, were you in that classroom? If not, then where do you get your information from? If you believe she was rude and nasty, then you HAD to have been there. If not, no one cares.

          • Your certain that the social media is going off half cocked and yet you “know” she was being “rude and nasty”. If you weren’t there you’re no better than the social media. Youre doing the same thing you accuse them of…knowing what they suspect. You’re made out of the same stuff….just on the other side of the fence. Everyone is bias.

          • Were you there when it happened Sue? If not, than you shouldn’t be judging NOR accusing Kendra – THAT is NOT Christian.

          • Sue, your own bias is showing. No one should be rude but I will tell you that if someone censors my free speech I will be very blunt to correct them and stand up for what I believe is the truth. You seem to be excusing the fact that the teacher is VIOLATING THE LAW AND THE PERSONAL RIGHTS OF A HUMAN BEING by focusing on the student’s attitude. How sad. I am astonished that this can happen in America.

        • Trisha, haters are going to hate.. Sue obviously is someone who only wants to stir the pot, and try and make something out of this that it’s not. She is demonstrating that by her comments here.. Where does she get her expertise on Christians anyway… while “bless you” may have a christian basis, here in the south it’s exactly as the young lady explained it. Her teacher is obviously a hater also and more importantly she is demonstrating bullying tactics. The folks in Dyersburg need to rally to Kendra’s defense. If necessary call for the resignation of the teacher and the asst principal who appears to be a bully also. Extreme? Probably so, but so are the measures being taken by this poor excuse for an educator and the asst. principal.

      • Sue, When I read your remarks posted @August 20, 2014 at 6:45 pm, I was led to believe that you were actually in the class room and heard everything first hand. NOW you are saying you “BET” this young LADY back-talked her teacher. I think the teacher is a cranky old atheist that we should PRAY for. I think that if this young lady’s family take this to court the teacher and the school will be put in their place by the court and maybe even have to shell out some money. Like the girl said, In the south it is a courtesy taught to our children. That teacher should be glad to see students like her.

      • Sue, you are making assumptions on how words were spoken by someone else in a situation you did not witness. You are assigning intent and attitude. I wonder about your obvious bias. Is there a reason you would assume such? Too many disrespectful youth in your past experience? Unless you have some other information we don’t on which to reliably rest your assumptions, you are being as gullible as you accuse Trisha of being.

      • SO, You “bet” indicates that you were not present but you feel the freedom to blatantly say, she back talked. Not infer or suggest maybe she sassed, but you called her a liar and yet you were not present when this incident occurred. Liar yourself.

      • Sue,

        Matthew 23…especially verse 3333 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?

        Matthew 21:12, Mark 11:15, John 2:15
        So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables

        Matthew 16:23,Mark 8:33
        Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.

        Especially in regards to the last Bible verse I posted…if it is true that this teacher mocked God….then this young lady (and maybe another student or two) spoke in righteousness. So Sue, was Jesus too nasty and rude for your taste?

      • Freedom of speech is priceless. Are you the sister of the teacher who is sure to get in big trouble if this store is even half true? You come across as so blindly loyal. Too bad you weren’t around about 220 years ago. You could have helped the English out by going after the found fathers. Talk about a bunch of rude, sassy back- talkers. How dare they expect free speech. Also as a junior high teacher (you want to talk about sassy kids) I found the best way to get respect was to give it. I ran a very tight ship but was always will to talk to students during my lunch hour or after school to set things right.

      • Sue, when you say ” but i bet she back-talked the teacher in…” and in a separate reply, ” to be nasty and rude as I believe she was when she was… what are you basing that on? A personal eye witness account, or an assumption? I believe Sue, no one can make any statements about what was said or the manner it was said unless you were in the room. Were you there?

      • Sue, this is the kind of conversation that starts gossip. Which is also un-Christian. When you don’t have the facts, should you REALLY be trash talking this girl? Well for that matter is it very Christian to bad mouth anyone for any reason? You are right, being nasty and rude is an unacceptable way to talk to your teacher. But you have no idea how she spoke to her teacher, do you. You weren’t there. Were you? But SLANDER, I think you might want to check out what kind of offense IT is. And one more thing. I wouldn’t let anyone else know you have or think you have some Oceanfront Property in Arizona. They might make an assumption that your a bit loony. But of course, that would be based on facts from your OWN MOUTH wouldn’t it.

    • You said it Jaime. It sounds to me like this teacher was going to make this out to be something when it should have just been left alone. I would have walked out and never gone back. I won’t put up with that here in my country. They have a lesson to learn and I dare them to pull that on me.

    • Jaime –

      DONT BACK DOWN. They use intimidation tactics and has worked to the point everyone is afraid. Afraid of what? Stand for your faith and let them understand you are an American citizen who deserves to not have their rights taken away. Do not listen to nay sayers – they are the reason why America has become what it has become.
      God bless you. God bless that young lady. Pray for that teacher, that classroom and that school. The Lord never shames His own.

      No one trumps over God.
      God bless.

      FaithDefender
      Mari

    • In a nation where God is rejected and/or replaced with political correctness, based exclusively on biased opinions, these things can happen. Political correctness may be the “in thing” for some volunteer liberal social club. However, expecting the majority to abandon God and blindly follow this MADE UP PERSONAL WORD RULE has no place in a free nation. Neither is it constitutional to attempt to strip away one’s Christian faith. Schools, like all institutions, have limitations that must not be crossed. This teacher’s actions seems out of bounds to me.

  124. This world has been turned upside down. This young girl does have a constitutional right to free speech. The left has turned our world into a PC nightmare. I got a formal counseling (while working at REI the outdoor store) for replying in kind to a customer who said “God bless you” to me. REI feels that my statement was “controversial.” Supporting gay rights isn’t controversial for them. My comment cost them nothing and there is nothing I could say to that customer that would have meant more. Their stance cost millions.

  125. For most of us who was raised with the intention of being polite, the words “Bless You”, “Excuse/Pardon Me”, “Thank you and You are Welcome” are the usual reflex that we are familiar with. Whether intentional or unintentional, these are traits that were taught to us so we can be polite and respectful. Our ‘new regulations’ for fear of offending someone for being polite are making us rude and impolite, that is why a lot of people from other countries think that ‘americans are rude’ simply because we are afraid to say these words out of fear from reprisals. To even open a door for a woman is considered dangerous as you may be accused of gender stereotyping. Where I was raised it was proper, but now we have all these regulations and it is jsut turning us into rude and inconsiderate group of people. No wonder the other nations thumb their noses upon us.

    To the student who stood up for her belief, BLESS YOU.

  126. Bless you originated during the days of the plague.. saying bless you to someone who sneezed then wasn’t at all religious. If the teacher doesn’t know that then why is she teaching in the first place.

    • Bless you for someone who sneezes is technically not religious, it is superstitious. The people in the middle ages said God bless you in an attempt to ward off the evil sicknesses of the day.

  127. I’m a principal, and IF the student’s account is completely accurate, someone needs to set the teacher straight. There are numerous court cases on First Amendment issues as they relate to schools and it all comes back to, basically, “individuals do not shed their rights at the school doors.” That being said, there are certain limits in regard to speech and writing that could be deemed harmful or dangerous, which “bless you” certainly could not.

    That being said, the student didn’t do herself any favors by turning it into an argument (or continuing it), but certainly disciplinary action isn’t warranted . . . especially given the alleged remarks of the teacher making it seem as though she has a “my word is law” approach to teaching which isn’t the best way to run a high school classroom.

    Still, we haven’t heard both sides of the story so it’s probably prudent not to flip out over it.

    • From the way I am reading this the whole thing started over the teachers NO TALKING in class policy. For those of us who were taught to courteous saying something like ‘bless you” when someone sneezes is a natural response. We do it without even thinking about it. If this were the case then a shhh from the teacher was all that was required if even that. But instead.. the teacher demanded to know who told her to do that. Well if you dont want the answers.. dont ask the questions. Over the years we teach our children to think for themselves, stand up for yourself, dont be a follower. But then when they do… you complain about it. As I was not there.. I do not know they Whole story. However I will say this.. on the face of it as its being told..Dyer Co High school is being run by idiots and supported by stupidity .

    • Chris: You are absolutely correct in my opinion. Thank you for saying how I feel about this issue

      Karen

    • Exactly! Well put, Principal…except for “flip out”. I’ll bet that expression isn’t allowed in this particular teacher’s classroom either, LOL!

  128. She needs to get in touch with The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) and its globally affiliated organizations are committed to ensuring the ongoing viability of freedom and liberty in the United States.

      • SUE NOT THE ACLU AND THE SCHOOL NEED TO GET IN TOUCH WITH CHRIST. THIS IS THE COUNTRY’S PROBLEM. PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO REMOVE GOD FROM EVERYTHING And God isn’t going anywhere, he is in contral. It is time to wake up before it is too lat.

        • (quote)THE SCHOOL NEED TO GET IN TOUCH WITH CHRIST

          But what if I am Jewish??

          I grew up in a very Jewish suburb of a major city (not NYC). We had school holiday for the regular Christian holidays of Christmas, Thanksgiving and Good Friday (Easter) plus we also had Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur off as well. There were many synagogues and some churches where I lived.

          Now I live in an area that is overwhelmingly Christian and there are churches and Christian schools everywhere. How are you saying that Christian’s are being deprived of their faith when I see examples of Christian’s exercising their faith every day.

          Christian’s have it pretty good in this country. And so do Jews. And so do those of the Bahá’í faith, Hindu and Buddhist and Muslims (for the most part).

      • Sue…. you make it sound as if you yourself were in the classroom with this student when the incident occured. None of us can assume anything. Let’s just suppose that this incident did take place as presented to us. For a student to just say “Bless you.” to a fellow student who sneezed and then to be called out by the teacher and then get ISS is beyond all common sense. Why would a teacher worry about such trivial matters and why would the principal’s office worry about such trivial matters. The teacher should have been pulled into the principal’s office and reprimanded for her inept social skills. God forbid…. yes, I said God with a capital G…. that a student say “Have a great day.” or “I’ll pray for your family.” or “I love you.” or “You have blessed me.”. Really now…. it’s come down to total ridiculousness. God has given each a brain to use and not to play with. God could have stopped with one commandment…. Thou shall not be STUPID…. Oops sorry! God can’t say that word. He might be sent to ISS.

        And one more thing…. Contact the ACLU. The ACLU is part of today’s problem here in the U.S.

        • thanks guys for replying to me 😉

          1. Why do so many Christian’s believe that they are being persecuted in this country. I assure you, Christian’s are NOT being persecuted at all. This is a silly martyr complex that is being perpetrated upon many faithful. It is shameful.

          2. I do believe this girl is lying and not telling a whole truth when she insists he was sent to detention for simply uttering “Bless you ” to another child.
          ‘
          3. If she doesn’t like her school or teacher her parents should gladly pay the extra money it would take to put her in a Christian school.

      • No she doesn’t! They are a Godless organization that would not help her or any one else in a matter like this. They would be more likely to help the teacher than the student.

      • Sue- please note: ACLU has been eradicating Christian faith in schools, military & elsewhere. That is NOT the organization to seek for assistance. ACLJ defense Christians. ACLU defends atheists. At one point they may have been unbiased (30 yrs ago),; but, sadly they no longer are. They support everyone except the “Americans with Christian faith” & whatever their agenda is.

      • Sue, with all due respect, you are making comments about which you haven’t a clue. Were you there ? Do you know that the student was being rude ? No, is the answer to both of those. So, back away, and understand that everyday, your basic rights are being taken away. Everyday, your liberty is being threatened, If you are unaware of this, please enlighten yourself.

        • Hi Al – Where you there? No? A-ha! So you can’t say anything either.

          I am postulating that the girl is a liar and is not telling a whole truth of why she was sent to detention. No teacher is going to send a student to detention because she uttered a polite “bless you” to another. Sorry. that just doesn’t happen. Christian liberties are not being taken away (and yes I am a Christian). Rude girl’s liberties may be taken away when they are rude and disrespectful.

      • God loves you, Sue. He sent His Son to the cross as a sacrifice for our sins. He wants everyone to believe in Jesus Christ that we will live eternally with God. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Him. I hope you will one day understand the blessings of God.

    • the aclj has a list of your rights as a christian you shouls get in touch with them and ask for it . you will be supprised whaat rights you do have

      • HMM. I will check that out. However I do believe that the ACLJ rights do not include being rude and disrespectful of and elder or a teacher.

  129. As a mom of high school students I am glad the school is keeping a lid on the religious fights that are occurring between their parents. School is for learning and not for standing on a soapbox. If she was arguing with the teacher she does deserve ISS. With teenagers they are never as innocent as they think they are.

  130. She did not even say “God” but just hearing “Bless You” automatically makes the ear hear “God”. For He is the only one that can Bless you.

  131. If the God Bless You was an outburst; so was the “SNEEZE.” Will the student who sneezed get suspended. An out burst is an outburst. No double standards.

  132. I’m an atheist, and what was done to this girl is ridiculous excess.
    While not having complete separation of church and state can create the kind of hell we have in the Middle East… religious extremists empowered by government, and vice versa…( it doesn’t matter what the religion is )… Chastizing, even correcting this young lady is extreme. She’s not proselytizing or advocating religion in school… its just a meaningless, but caring response, regardless of one’s religion or the expression’s own history.

    • Would you please donate all your money to the needy. No way you would want it. It mentions GOD!

    • And, multitudes more people do not believe there is no Almighty. So, we’ll skip the minority rules approach and say whatever we feel is appropriate. Thank you for playing.

  134. I am appalled – this is going WAY TO FAR! I’m becoming ashamed of this country…. Hope there’s recourse…

  135. Since this family is a friend please ask them to call Jay Sekulow a lawyer that fights injustices against CHRISTians and will take the case all the way to the supreme court free of charge if necessary. He is on WCRV 640 am CHRISTtian Radio every day and has fought and won thousands of cases over the years. His phone number to receive help to fight a case is (757) 226-2489. We as CHRISTians just cannot keep sitting back and let this keep happening until we give up all our rights to worship GOD and His Son JESUS CHRIST. If we keep being upset but never doing anything to make it right one day we will be facing prison if we are found to have a Bible in our home as it is in so many parts of the world. Our country was founded by CHRISTians who wanted to have the freedom to worship our LORD. How can we just sit back and let this freedom be stolen away from us… our children… and our grands?

    • Amen to this!! This action taken against Kendra is absurd! To say the least! Do we not want to teach our children to be kind to all, loving to all, respectful to all? After all they will be the leaders of this Nation one day. This is one of the many reasons parents are taking their children out of public schools. When I grew up the “village” included the public school helping to raise your children. We had the same values, respected one another’s beliefs. Sadly that is not so anymore. This action among many more has proved this! I took my child out of public school in 1996 she was going into 5th grade. The reason – I could not stand to see my child’s Christian rights denied anymore. Public schools have been in trouble since prayer was taken out in the 1960’s. I was there! We have to stand up for Jesus Christ NOW, before we loose our freedom to worship our Lord as we choose. Everyone – it’s America the land of the free! Lets not be the generation that looses this precious freedom for all generations coming after us!

  136. According to Hemant Mehta of the Friendly Atheist (Patheos.com):

    “According to Principal Peggy Dodds, Turner was not given an in-school suspension. She wasn’t sent out of the classroom, either — she chose to walk out. And, most importantly, she wasn’t punished by the teacher for saying “God bless you” — however, the teacher did admonish her for “disrupting the classroom.”

    The class was supposed to be quiet. Someone sneezed. Turner said *something* in response (it doesn’t matter what) and the teacher asked her to be quiet. Turner took that as a knock on her faith and felt the need to defend against it. The teacher only saw this as a further disruption and the situation escalated. The student, clearly frustrated, ran out of the classroom and, not long after that, posted something on Facebook.”

    • According to this news article, they do say she got ISS.

      “Shortly after, Turner was reportedly instructed to go to the principal’s office, where she was placed in ISS for the remainder of the period. The decision by the DCHS administration to place Turner in ISS was one normally followed on a daily basis according to Garner. Once classes changed, Turner was allowed to attend her next class.

      “The majority of the time, when a student comes to the office either voluntarily or was sent by a teacher, they are placed in ISS until the end of the period because we have two supervisors in there to watch them,” said Garner. “Also, it gives us a chance to find out what the situation is and what happened in the classroom for them to be in the office in the first place. In this case, this was not a religious issue at all, but more of an issue the teacher felt was a distraction in her class.”

      http://www.stategazette.com/story/2110930.html

  138. “Lighthouses are more helpful than churches.” -in Poor Richard’s Almanac
         .

    

    “The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason.”       -in Poor Richard’s Almanac 

    “What influence, in fact, have ecclesiastical establishments had on society?  In some instances they have been seen to erect a spiritual tyranny on the ruins of the civil authority; on many instances they have been seen upholding the thrones of political tyranny; in no instance have they been the guardians of the liberties of the people.  Rulers who wish to subvert the public liberty may have found an established clergy convenient auxiliaries.  A just government, instituted to secure and perpetuate it, needs them not.” – James Madison

    “The priesthood have, in all ancient nations, nearly monopolized learning.  And ever since the Reformation, when or where has existed a Protestant or dissenting sect who would tolerate A FREE INQUIRY?  The blackest billingsgate, the most ungentlemanly insolence, the most yahooish brutality, is patiently endured, countenanced, propagated, and applauded.  But touch a solemn truth in collision with a dogma of a sect, though capable of the clearest proof, and you will find you have disturbed a nest, and the hornets will swarm about your eyes and hand, and fly into your face and eyes.” – John Adams

    “Have you considered that system of holy lies and pious frauds that has raged and triumphed for 1,500 years?” – John Adams

    “Whenever we read the obscene stories, the voluptuous debaucheries, the cruel and torturous executions, the unrelenting vindictiveness, with which more than half of the Bible is filled, it would be more consistent that we call it the word of a demon than the word of God.  It is a history of wickedness that has served to corrupt and brutalize mankind. – Thomas Paine

    “All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.” – Thomas Paine

    • We’ll pray for you. Your soul needs it. I would rather believe and be surprised there is nothing than not believe and find out I was wrong.

    • And this girl participated in none of those actions condemned by Mr. Paine et.al., and bears no responsibility for those actions. There is no generational “guilt by association” much as some would like to condemn others for it.

    • Madison’s lifelong zeal for religious freedom began in May 1776 when state lawmakers wrote a new constitution for the newly independent Commonwealth of Virginia. The document contained a Declaration of Rights with a clause on religious liberty, penned by George Mason. The original clause declared that “all men should enjoy the fullest toleration in the exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience….”

      Madison didn’t like it. He objected to Mason’s use of the word “toleration” because it implied that the exercise of faith was a gift from government, not an inalienable right. Madison’s substitute–“all men are entitled to the full and free exercise” of religion–essentially won the day. This put Madison far ahead of John Locke, who generally mustered no more than grudging toleration for religious belief.

      In the fight to pass the Virginia Bill for Religious Liberty, he shamed Christian conservatives–who tried to insert the words “Jesus Christ” in an amended preamble–with these words: “The better proof of reverence for that holy name would be not to profane it by making it a topic of legislative discussion….” In 1795, during a congressional debate over naturalization, he bluntly repelled anti-Catholic prejudices: “In their religion there was nothing inconsistent with the purest Republicanism.” At age 65, in retirement at his estate in Virginia, Madison praised the separation of church and state because, by it, “the number, the industry, and the morality of the Priesthood, & the devotion of the people have been manifestly increased….”

      “Without religion this world would be something not fit to be mentioned in polite company, I mean Hell.”
      – John Adams, letter to Thomas Jefferson, Apr. 19, 1817.

      No one can deny that many of the founding fathers of the United States of America were men of deep religious convictions based in the Bible and their Christian faith in Jesus Christ. Of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence, nearly half (24) held seminary or Bible school degrees.

      George Washington
      1st U.S. President

      “While we are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers, we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion. To the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian.”
      –The Writings of Washington,

      John Adams
      2nd U.S. President and Signer of the Declaration of Independence

      “Suppose a nation in some distant Region should take the Bible for their only law Book, and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited! Every member would be obliged in conscience, to temperance, frugality, and industry; to justice, kindness, and charity towards his fellow men; and to piety, love, and reverence toward Almighty God … What a Eutopia, what a Paradise would this region be.”
      –Diary and Autobiography of John Adams, Vol. III, p. 9.

      “The general principles, on which the Fathers achieved independence, were the only Principles in which that beautiful Assembly of young Gentlemen could Unite, and these Principles only could be intended by them in their address, or by me in my answer. And what were these general Principles? I answer, the general Principles of Christianity, in which all these Sects were United: And the general Principles of English and American Liberty, in which all those young Men United, and which had United all Parties in America, in Majorities sufficient to assert and maintain her Independence.

      “Now I will avow, that I then believe, and now believe, that those general Principles of Christianity, are as eternal and immutable, as the Existence and Attributes of God; and that those Principles of Liberty, are as unalterable as human Nature and our terrestrial, mundane System.”
      –Adams wrote this on June 28, 1813, excerpt from a letter to Thomas Jefferson.

      “The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever.”
      –Adams wrote this in a letter to his wife, Abigail, on July 3, 1776.

      As for Thomas Paine he is a Deist. Before his arrest and imprisonment in France, knowing that he would probably be arrested and executed, Paine, following in the tradition of early eighteenth-century British deism, wrote the first part of The Age of Reason, an assault on organized “revealed” religion combining a compilation of the many inconsistencies he found in the Bible with his own advocacy of deism, and calling for “free rational inquiry” into all subjects, especially religion.[citation needed]

      About his own religious beliefs, Paine wrote in The Age of Reason:

      I believe in one God, and no more; and I hope for happiness beyond this life.

      He did believe in one GOD the creator so “GOD bless you”.

  139. Unbelievable! But then again, it’s not. The public schools in this country have become so politically correct that they are just plain stupid. And to think that Bible verses were once in our schoolbooks, and that God was even prayed to in classrooms. How far we have gone down. It is downright scarey.

  140. one question for this young lady and her pastor: If your were in church and your pastor was preaching a sermon, someone across the row sneezed, are you going to yell out :bless You”? we always want to seperate church and state, but the first quote from this child is that it is her constitutional right. I love God with all my heart and soul. but I am not gonna go 80 miles and hour in a 30 miles and hour speed zone. man has it’s laws and God has His, and the bible states that we are to obey the laws of the land, as in the Lord.

      • I have to say Amen sister. I been in church and the pastor has sneezed and everyone says Bless you. When I was in school even the teachers would say bless you.

  141. “They [preachers] dread the advance of science as witches do the approach of daylight and scowl on the fatal harbinger announcing the subversions of the duperies on which they live.”
    .
    “I have recently been examining all the known superstitions of the world, and do not find in our particular superstition (Christianity) one redeeming feature. They are all alike founded on fables and mythology.”
    .
    “Millions of innocent men, women, and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined, and imprisoned; yet we have not advanced one inch toward uniformity. What has been the effect of coercion? To make one-half the world fools and the other half hypocrites.”

    “We discover in the gospels a groundwork of vulgar ignorance, of things impossible, of superstition, fanaticism and fabrication .”
    .
    “And the day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the supreme being as his father in the womb of a virgin will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter.”

    “No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever.”

    Thomas Jefferson
    .

  142. I say that this child definitely has earned her a place Heaven. Just because God was allowed to be taken out of the schools does not mean He has left the hearts of people. Also, that teacher does not own that school. If the parents take their kids out of that school, you will see who has the power. Attendance keeps a school open and principals, assistant principals, and teachers salaries are paid with attendance. I applaud her for standing up for God. Now she has a clear view of who is teaching her..the devil.

  143. At first I wondered about this and there are two side to every story. However after seeing kendra on the news i am beleiving her story and I am appealed by this. This young girl is sticking to her story. I am familiar with this teacher and the administration at the school. They will spin anything , even lie to cover something up. The teacher is burnt out and to reprimand somebody for saying bless you is just stupid! I do think it snowballed, but for the teacher to even say anything about simply saying bless you again…stupid.. I a Christian but actually think this is more about power on the teachers part..makes me think of pink Floyd..just another brick in the wall! Don’t talk or have a thought unless I tell you too!

  144. It sounds to me like she was sent to the office – which is not the same as an in-school suspension, by the way – for sassing her teacher. She was causing a disruption. If her teacher was really upset about someone saying bless you then yes, that is over the top and unnecessary, and it is commonly used as a courteous thing to say when someone sneezes… but claiming that she was defending her religion is ridiculous. It is the teacher’s place to say we’re not going to discuss your religious beliefs in the (publicly funded and secular-for-the-purpose-of-protecting-everyone’s-religious-freedom) school. Unless the class is a religions class or at a religious private school, then religion has no place in it.
    Students in schools all around the country are far, far more likely to be persecuted for not being Christian and those students don’t have everyone defending them.

  145. Yall have missed the problem. The young lady says she is “defending her religion”. She is letting her ego trump her religion. God, or whatever she believes in does not need or want you defending your religion, or even talking about it for that matter. He wants you practicing your religion every moment of your day. You’re wasting a lot of real “Christian” time.

  146. So I realize there are 2 sides to every story. However, I would like to raise this question to those of you defending this teacher. IF (and I do mean IF) this teacher asked those questions, then this girl would have been in trouble if she did not answer (I know this because my children attended Dyer Co. High School -the last one just graduated this previous year). So this girl would have been doomed either way. She chose not to be rude and answered the questions the way she believed. Obviously, this topic was brought up to begin with by the teacher, therefore, I would also like to point out (regardless of whose version is the truth) that the teacher has better things to do in her classroom like TEACH… In the process of trying to be tolerant to other religions and keep Kendra from being disruptive, she accomplished the opposite effect. She was completely intolerant, created chaos, and ultimately lost the respect of many of her students (which she will have a difficult time gaining back). … Hmm… why not scold the kids that are sleeping, swearing, misbehaving, throwing things.. (which i know they do ) instead of targeting someone actually being polite?

  147. Patrick Tubbs I respectively have to disagree with your comments and I’m not trying to be confrontational, just adding my opinion. Almost 1/2 of our founding fathers attended bible college or a school of theology. I believe 24 of them. There were a few who were not christians, but only a few. Actually, most states had a law that to run for a government office one must be a practicing christian, it was a prerequisite. And the separation between church and state is greatly misconstrued and overly taken advantage of. It was meant that there could not be a national religion and it was actually penned to the Baptist Church as a letter to inform them that the government would not intervene in their affairs. Here are a few quotes from some of our founding fathers and there are so many more from most of them. It all can be researched though, as to prove, I’m not just making it up. If anyone is like me you don’t want to just take someone’s word for it, you want to investigate and prove it on your own.

    Benjamin Franklin
    Signer of the Declaration of Independence and Unites States Constitution

    “Here is my Creed. I believe in one God, the Creator of the Universe. That He governs it by His Providence. That He ought to be worshipped.

    “That the most acceptable service we render to him is in doing good to his other children. That the soul of man is immortal, and will be treated with justice in another life respecting its conduct in this. These I take to be the fundamental points in all sound religion, and I regard them as you do in whatever sect I meet with them.

    “As to Jesus of Nazareth, my opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the system of morals and his religion, as he left them to us, is the best the world ever saw, or is likely to see;

    “But I apprehend it has received various corrupting changes, and I have, with most of the present dissenters in England, some doubts as to his divinity; though it is a question I do not dogmatize upon, having never studied it, and think it needless to busy myself with it now, when I expect soon an opportunity of knowing the truth with less trouble. I see no harm, however, in its being believed, if that belief has the good consequence, as probably it has, of making his doctrines more respected and more observed; especially as I do not perceive, that the Supreme takes it amiss, by distinguishing the unbelievers in his government of the world with any peculiar marks of his displeasure.”
    –Benjamin Franklin wrote this in a letter to Ezra Stiles, President of Yale University on March 9, 1790.

    Samuel Adams
    Signer of the Declaration of Independence and Father of the American Revolution

    “And as it is our duty to extend our wishes to the happiness of the great family of man, I conceive that we cannot better express ourselves than by humbly supplicating the Supreme Ruler of the world that the rod of tyrants may be broken to pieces, and the oppressed made free again; that wars may cease in all the earth, and that the confusions that are and have been among nations may be overruled by promoting and speedily bringing on that holy and happy period when the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ may be everywhere established, and all people everywhere willingly bow to the sceptre of Him who is Prince of Peace.”
    –As Governor of Massachusetts, Proclamation of a Day of Fast, March 20, 1797.

    James Madison
    4th U.S. President

    “A watchful eye must be kept on ourselves lest while we are building ideal monuments of Renown and Bliss here we neglect to have our names enrolled in the Annals of Heaven.

    James Monroe
    5th U.S. President

    “When we view the blessings with which our country has been favored, those which we now enjoy, and the means which we possess of handing them down unimpaired to our latest posterity, our attention is irresistibly drawn to the source from whence they flow. Let us then, unite in offering our most grateful acknowledgments for these blessings to the Divine Author of All Good.”
    –Monroe made this statement in his 2nd Annual Message to Congress, November 16, 1818.

    John Quincy Adams
    6th U.S. President

    “The hope of a Christian is inseparable from his faith. Whoever believes in the divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures must hope that the religion of Jesus shall prevail throughout the earth. Never since the foundation of the world have the prospects of mankind been more encouraging to that hope than they appear to be at the present time. And may the associated distribution of the Bible proceed and prosper till the Lord shall have made ‘bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God’ (Isaiah 52:10).”
    –Life of John Quincy Adams, p. 248.

  148. Peggy Dodds will not tell the truth about what happened. She has suspended some wonderful well behaved students without investigating or wanting to know the truth.

  149. I agree that saying “bless you” is common courtesy, and that it should not be banned from public speech. However, in reading this story, I have to ask… do you really believe that she was sent to suspension merely because she said, “bless you?” Am I the only one who thinks she was sent to suspension because she was disrespectful to the teacher and disruptive in class?

    As another commenter said, there are two sides to every story, but if the teacher did react as stated, I don’t necessarily think that it was appropriate. More importantly, however, Kendra, in her own words outlines behavior and speech, following being reprimanded for saying “bless you” that I would not consider acceptable from my child. I would NOT be OK with my kids talking to a teacher that way in class.

    I do agree that we have moved in a direction of being too politically correct. At the same time, Kendra’s suspension does not seem, to me, to be representative of that since it seems to me that she was likely sent to ISS as a result of the words she chose to use FOLLOWING saying “bless you.” So, it seems to me that the “political correctness police” jumped the gun in reprimanding her for saying “bless you” BUT the other side is just as guilty of jumping the gun in accusing folks of treading on their religious rights.

  150. Miss. Trisha, after reading your article this morning I was moved to tears and wanting to do something to help so I made a few phone calls and there is a Christian organization who wants to support this young lady for standing up for her rights as a Christian. They would like to provide free legal counsel and also interview her to get her side of the story out there. I can assure you that this organization is absolutely amazing and in fact you probably have heard of them. if you contact me by email (i’d rather not put my personal phone number or the organization until I speak with you privately) I will gladly give you the information you need to pass on to Kendra’s parents so that they may contact the organization. thank you so much and I pray that this gets past on so that she can have the support she needs! God Bless! Teresa

  151. I teach my children respect above all else. This young lady disrespected her teacher by speaking back to her. She had no need to question her teachers reasons for asking her not to say “Bless you.”. In her class. I’m my opinion she should’ve obeyed her teachers request and spoken to her parents about it later. Together they could’ve requested a conference with the teacher to address why she was not allowed to say “Bless you”. Disrespect is disrespect. As Christians we must set an example. This was not a good example.

  153. This is the same school system that is punishing a 12 year old boy by detention today for passing gas in class after he could no longer hold it! The same reasons were given, disrespectful, and disruption of class.

  155. Forget 1st Amendment, this is a 9th Commandment violation. Typical hypocritical, seeing persecution where there is none, theist.

  157. As a Christian, I am very proud of this young lady for standing up for our freedom of religion. I am also ashamed that someone else who claims to be a Christian would say that the teacher was doing what she had to do to keep her job. I will never allow society to make me feel that I have to hide my beliefs or encourage others to do so.

  158. I think this is some B.S ! I was taught to say “bless you” after a sneeze because it is polite.

    • I think it’s legit. It supposedly happened at a school in my home county, and there is A LOT of chatter about it.

  159. Never bow to those who would deny us the God given right to act as christians everyday, every hour, in every moment and decision in our lives. Those who are against the rights of those who practice Christianity are against the principles which once made this nation Great. Christians have been silent for way too long and have allowed the man made rule of political correctness to ruin the values of our society. Truth is real and God is the authority, not humanism or a religion based on false gods. Thankfully someone is teaching Kendra to honor the Living God.

  160. i went to school in gibson co what we need to be asking was did the young lady talk back to the teacher because teachers in that region dont play about talking back period do i think the teacher was right in the first place saying she cant say bless you? NO, but if the young lady was talking back it is grounds for ISS

  161. Ms. (redacted by editor) was doing here JOB!!! State law!! you can believe what you want but can’t practice in the school systems. That’s why you can’t even put up a Christmas tree anymore. Thats why you cant pray at pole anymore. She would have gotten fired if she hadnt said what she said. Ms (redacted by editor) is a godly women. She was doing here JOB!!! If people want things to change maybe they need to start following politics. Start voting republican and not demarcate. I’m a christen and I have enough since to know why ms.(redacted by editor) said what she did. I also think that for people to blow this up the way they have just shows how trashy people are in dyer county. You think people would have since enough to know she was doing her JOB!!!

    • When a christian can’t live as a Christian during work hours, but because of a job or position must reprimand a child for following a kind practice which includes God’s name, we must all ask ourselves if we would be able to continue in that job with Jesus beside us. It is a moral delima. And the answer is not always easy. If as was suggested by a previous commenter, the child showed disrespect to her teacher then that of course should be corrected. The question then is whether or not our young friend was sent to detention for her religious language which she would not detract or for a disrespectful attitude.

    • State laws regarding religion in school usually prevent the teachers/administration from promoting any particular religion over others. However, they do not exist to sanitize schools from religion. Students have the right to their beliefs when those beliefs do not infringe on other students. In this case, the teacher was not doing her job; either she is vehemently opposed to religion, or she was scared that any reference to religion in her class could be misunderstood as her promoting that religion. Her job is not to oppress students’ expressions of their beliefs. Her job is to foster a classroom environment in which students are free to express their beliefs, and are safe from persecution because of their beliefs.

  163. I’m an atheist and I’d love to follow up on this story for my website, but it’s lacking any details so I can’t verify anything. Which school? Which teacher? Which administrators can I call to talk to?

    I’ve heard stories like this before and they’re always fake or a misunderstanding. If this happens to be legit, it deserves to get more attention, but without any real details, it’s probably a lie. If you can get me in touch with Kendra, that’d be helpful. Thanks.

    • In the interest of privacy, I chose to redact the name of the school and teacher (internet has a bad habit of harassing). If you want to email me personally I am happy to send you the family details, which they have allowed me to share w/ interested media. [email protected]

  164. I notified fox 13 news in Memphis which covers our area up to Dyersburg. They would like to get in touch with Kendra. They could message on Facebook. Let Kendra and mom know to message them or that they are interested in her story!

  165. I’m sitting here in disbelief?? Who wasn’t raised to say, bless you, when one sneezes?? It’s common courtesy and to be reprimanded for it?? And what’s just as crazy is to say it was disruptive to the class?? That’s ludicrous!! God help us all!!

  166. Really does the assistant principal realize that Dayer County High School is a public school system there for each and every student and faculty have freedom of speech this is America every person has the freedom of religion no matter what your religion may or may not be and as far as this country not being found on God my dear Patrick tubbs I do believe you need to do some research. you do realize that our founding fathers left great Britain because of religious persecution and prayed before they started be country America you know that place where we live freedom of state religion the right to tell a gun if I want to all that good stuff George Washington prayed to God if this country ever turn it back on God may God remove his protecting hand….umm hello take a look around and as far as this not being a religious matter I do believe the teacher said there will be no godly speaking in my classroom I take that as a religious matter how intelligent is shown in that comment huh

  167. We are very proud of you for standing up for what you believe in!! God bless you sweet girl and goes for everyone remember GODS NOT DEAD!!! God is always your number one along with our lord and savior Jesus Christ!! This is america this is what we are here for!

  168. God created this world. He created everyone and every thing in the universe. So for ONE human (created by God) to try to tell a Christian what she can and cannot say about her creator is just absurd. America is forgetting how important God is and how we are NOTHING without him in our lives. God should NEVER be left out of anything! Without him we wouldn’t be here!!! Wake up America and realize what you have become!

  169. She didn’t get in school suspension for saying “Bless you”, she received an ISS for being argumentative toward the teacher in front of the class and causing a disruption.

  170. I am so glad they are kids like Kendra and her classmates. These kids are standing up for what they believe in.
    What I would call common curiosity.
    The teacher on the other hand don’t seem to know about respect or common curiosity, She seems to be on a power trip, my class my rules..I don’t think she teaching these kids anything about believing in their selves, or respect for that matter…But someone has THANK GOD..KENDRA…I stand behind you and your classmates 100%.

  171. No matter how flat the pancake there’s always another side. Same goes here, before the torches and pitchforks come out (name redacted by editor) side of the story should be heard. In the classroom teachers are in charge and if this student was disruptive and argumentative then the administration had no choice. I do not believe this is an issue of God or religion it seems to be more of an disciplinary example.

  172. My advice for kids is rather say “God bless you!” when someone sneezes say “Heil Hitler!”. That way you can’t offend someone’s religious sensibilities and are keeping with the trend of the times.

  173. No matter how flat the pancake there’s always two sides. Also this country wasn’t founded on God. Most of our forefathers were agnostics or atheists.

    • Better check you facts. Most of our forefathers were God fearing and YES this country was definitely founded on religious principles. The separation of church and state where the church could operate independently from government was a primary reason why we colonized away from England.

  174. I am an atheist and against religion in schools, and even I say this is absolutely ridiculous! Kendra did nothing wrong, and a suspension is completely unwarranted. I would love to get in touch with Kendra to interview her if you could please connect us. Thanks

  176. If this is true, the teacher should be reprimand along with the principal. And if it happens again,then they should be terminated. We live in a free Country and have, freedom of speech.

  177. @Kim – If saying “Bless you” when someone sneezes in class is considered “talking” in class then the public school system has more problems than I thought. The teacher could have talked to the student after class. Engaging her in an argument during this “serious” study time wasted even more time!

  178. This was an is a shame so proud of you for standing up for yourself an all your class mates too
    I think the school an teacher are evil an I pray that God lets them know the good an maybe the whole town an State will stand with you an oust the teacher She needs help.

  179. NO ONE WILL TELL MY CHILD THT THEY CAN NOT USE GOD IN SCHOOL BECAUSE I WILL BE ALL UP IN THT SCHOOL PREACHING…… LOOKS LIKE GOD NEEDS TO BE PUT BACK IN THE SCHOOLS AND THE DEVIL TEACHERS TAKEN OUT

  181. Thank you Kendra for standing up for what is right. Not enough Christian people stand up against people like that person. Don’t know you but I am proud of you for doing that.

  182. First of all I find it ridiculous that someone would get ISS for saying bless you, secondly: for the woman saying this country was founded upong god… NO IT WAS NOT founded upon any god what-so-ever. Thomas Jefferson was an atheisT. ****Freedom of, and from religion**** Thirdly: saying bless you has been going on since at least 590 A.D…. So another wrong statement from the peanut gallery….

  183. I was always taught non-Christian religion in school, but anything Christianity related (other than non-Christian teachers telling us things that put doubt on his existence) was highly offensive.

  184. I believe that this teacher is invoking their beliefs and thats not right. I have and most Americans have always said “bless you” when we have heard someone sneeze. I myself don’t even think about it, it just naturally comes out. It is a show of courtesy. This teacher should be fired. Glad this wasn’t my childs classroom because this Momma would have a few choice things to say

  185. So, where is the teacher’s side or other classmate’s accounts of what happens? Before you crucify a teacher for keeping order in her class, let’s get ALL the facts first.

  186. I get that you can’t practice religious beliefs in school (which I am against) but this is ridiculous. Saying “bless you” is just a polite way of saying “excuse you” and has been done for 100 years – if not more. We first took out “under God” in our pledge in schools and now kids can’t say “bless you” when someone sneezes. It’s embarrassing. This country was founded under the direction of God and shouldn’t be taken out and students shouldn’t be punished for a common courtesy!

  188. My daughter got in trouble also for saying “Bless you” to another student when they sneoezed in the same teachers class. I’m glad someone finally stood up to (name redacted by editor)

  189. I had that teacher myself, years ago. I am also a teacher. I think this is not a complete and accurate picture of what happened. The problem was not with saying “Bless you.” The problem began with a student talking during class, when she should have been listening, working, or testing. Instead of apologizing for talking during the test or just closing her mouth, she argued with the teacher. If it had occurred during a standardized test, the teacher would have had to written it up as a test irregularity, as per the state guidelines.

    Everyone is so quick to blame the teacher and take the student’s account of an event as complete unbiased truth. When I was a student, my mother listened to the teacher first, then me. She would know that the real issue at hand was not the “Bless you,” but the bigger issue of a student following directions during a test. Of course the student was indignant because she feels her right of free speech was violated and that there was some sort of religious prejudice attached. That’s part of being a teenager.

    In addition, the teacher did not assign the student ISS. That was assigned by the school’s administration, who had a complete picture of the events at hand, and not just from the student’s point of view. I think, as in most cases, jumping on a “cause” without researching the event is not always the best decision.

  190. My daughter got in trouble also for saying “Bless you” to another student when they sneezed in the same teachers class. I’m glad someone finally stood up to (name redacted by editor)

  191. While the whole thing is ludicrous, I’m wondering if the teacher didn’t misconstrue “bless you” as “God bless you.” It doesn’t justify her reaction but the inference, when said, is always there whether we consciously recognize it or not.

    Under normal, reasonable circumstances , it’s a common courtesy and nothing more. I mean come on, who, outside of our grandparents or great-grandparents says, “Gesundheit”?

    The teacher’s reaction is neither reasonable or rational, and thusly I’m wondering if she heard “God” bless you? I mean, it doesn’t matter to me, but for someone with a stick up their ass about no representation of religion, no matter how inconsequential, that’s what could have set her off.

    So, riddle me this , Batman . . . Just what the hell do our kiddos in public school say to someone after sneezing? Do we respond to this by creating some conformist, politically correct, non-offending verbalization of courtesy? Or do we, going forward, do away with the common courtesies and niceties of a polite society?

  192. I’m honestly embarrases to say this happened in my town, at a school I attended! I’m shocked but I believe im more disgusted than anything. How dare they do that and try to make them selves higher than the words Bless You.

  193. What is this world coming to ? Omg, this is absolutely ridiculous!!! Good girl Kendra for being courteous to the girl after she sneezed. Isn’t that one of the things schools are supposed to be teaching kids to show they have good character? You need to fight this above the teacher and principals head! If this is true then That teacher needs to be FIRED !!!! This absolutely makes me sick at my stomach knowing what this world is coming too. Seems that this teacher is a sorry excuse for a teacher and should be punished for her actions not Kendra. I don’t know Kendra but I commend you on being a courteous girl and you keep fighting for what you believe in.

  194. I’m disappointed that I submitted a comment based off my knowledge of the faculty and administration at Dyer Co High and you didn’t post it. As a Christian conservative I’m extremely concerned that you’d tarnish other Christians without confirming facts.

    • Michelle,

      your comment had not been approved yet because I was not signed on. Due to spam, all comments must have a prior comment approved for it to go through immediately or wait until I sign on. I went to bed last night and just got up this morning. I am not restricting any comments unless they contain curse words, which I do not approve on my space. You are more than welcome to submit your opinions.

  195. Understand this. If that teacher actually believes her own statements and is willing to enforce her beliefs on school children, we are in more trouble than you can imagine. It may be too late.

  196. I’m at best an agnostic, but for the most part I’m atheist. But I don’t care honestly if someone says bless you or god bless you because that’s just courtesy. I have religious friends, as well as non religious friends and I’m not offended either way so for my reasoning as far as being polite goes, no one has any right to disagree with me and threaten force when they do. If you do disagree, great! That means we can have a relatively sane, polite conversation about it and agree to disagree. This teacher should not be in a place of education if she cannot accept the fact that some people are and are not religious.

  197. Its sad when our children have to deal with such studpity as this.What is the harm in saying” Bless you,”after a person sneeze. As I see it the school system has become totally outrageous. Something really need to be done concerning that situation. I preach the word of God, and I will proudly stand up and preach the word of God to the DCHS system.I feel the teacher,as well as the assistant principal need to be suspended.

  198. This is the same high school I went to and so did my kids and I know this teacher and I don’t believe a word this young girl is saying . If you can get some of her class mates to confirm the story maybe but I’ve heard this young lady has a reputation for disrupting class . So before you fine folks that don’t know this woman personaly go to bashing her . See both sides of the story . I’m most certain that there are plenty of people that will say the same in her defense

    • The thing is SIr.. Her post on facebook, there are tons of her friends supporting her who were in the class. I am very close to this girl as we go to church together. I have seen her come in and change into the beautiful woman of God. I know she would not disrupt a class for no reason. Please stop getting your information second hand.

  199. No she did not! I cant believe what this world is coming too! This is such a shame and “these ppl” will pay dearly for it. I went to my grandaughters sofball game tonight and after the girls had playthere games both teams got on there knees and saif “The Lords” prayer all together brought tears in my eye and joy to my heart that this can be done without so called ppl acting like the teacher above. You go Kendra God has a crown waiting on you girly! <3 God Bless America

  200. This is absolutely ridiculous. The teacher and principal absolutely didn’t act professionally in this situation at all. This is exactly the reason why kids these days are so wild and disrespectful. They both need to be punished. Plus the students family should be punished for acting any such a way. The rest of the class also did a good thing taking up fr their class mate. God bless this young lady and her class mates.

  201. My brother and I went to Dyer County when we lived there.
    Some of the teachers were okay. I’m sure this is a teacher we had
    and had multiple problems with. I’m so sorry that this happened
    and wish that schools were like this. This is so wrong!!!!

  202. Read the scenario as Kendra wrote it. She didn’t get suspended for saying “bless you.” She got suspended for talking back and arguing with the teacher. I’m all for standing up for your rights, but there is a time and place for everything. Kendra would have been better off to drop it at that time and address it later.

  203. That teacher and that assistant principal need to find them another country to live in because the Constitution on the United States “trumps” EVERY public school system in America!!!! I don’t know who those two people think they are but right down the hall in American History and in Civics classes these same students are taught about a little thing called the “Bill of Rights” that NO teacher or principal has a higher authority over!!! If they don’t like it, then, like I said, they can move to Cuba or Russia or North Korea where that kind of thing is accepted!!!!

  204. Yeah, I doubt that happened. This is just click bate, trying to get views on a subpar blog. I know several people from that area and nobody has even heard about this.

  205. I have children that went to this school and now grandchildren and I am appalled that a teacher there could be that ignorant that she can’t recognize a simple common courtesy! And the principle to back her up, they should both be ashamed of the way that poor girl was treated. no wonder there are so many parents pulling their kids out of school and home schooling them!

  206. Kendra is to be commended. The teacher on the other hand needs to be reprimanded for
    1- Making a big deal of something that petty
    2-Acting out in front of the class, this could have been discussed privately/.
    3- Having the superior attitude that she is better than God or anyone else as far as that goes

    I personally do not want anyone that is atheist or anti Christian teaching in our schools. Thank the dear Lord our children are standing up for God and Christianity where so many of our adults have let Him down. Ex: this teacher. God should be back in schools and should stay there.

    #whyarewehavingsomanyproblemsinourschoolsystems# #beatsme# DUH

  207. It is sad that our schools allow this abuse from a teacher. I am a retired Tennessee teacher and for a fact I know it would never have happened at the schools (all publiic) that I taught at for over 36 years and would not happen there even now. Bless you Kendra for taking a stand and I pray that the school and teacher will realize their mistake. There is NO teacher who out-trumps God and they actually do not out-trump their superiors either. What a shame that the assistant principal felt he had to support the teacher. I hope he lets her know she was out of line and warn her from this type of stand again in the future.

    GOD BLESS AMERICA – we need YOU

  208. Kendra, you are a brave & righteous young lady! The parents in this school district need to extol you for standing up for your rights as an American citizen, and this is America! America, which was formed on religious freedom. & freedom of speech! I can understand if you had used foul language, that she would have to do something but this is just plain hatefulness on her part! God BLESS you, sweet Kendra! I will not only pray for you & your courageous defense of your freedom of speech & religion; but I will prsy that this poor, pathetic teacher sees the light! It is a Southern tradition to say what you said out of respect! And you are from the Bible Belt South! Your teacher needs to learn that a classroom is not a dictatorship! Praising you from Louisiana & may you have a Very Blessed Day! You certainly made your parents. & your pastor proud!

  209. Are we sure this really happened? I googled it, and there are no news stories, or anything else about it on the web. Only this blog reports it.

    • Its because it was just told last night, there are other news organizations that have reached out to the family. I am sure there will be other stories shortly. It has to start somewhere- I happened to know the party in question so I wrote about it last night.

  210. Where does the first amendment say that you have freedom of speech unless you are in a classroom? The first amendment is the freedom of speech everywhere. I say good job for standing up for what you believe.

  211. And people wonder why soo many parents are starting to home school. It is getting crazy what they are trying to restrict. I mean thesecare the morals our country was built on!!

  212. I believe if her classmates would like to continue to be behind her they could All quietly (out of respect to a teacher who obviously doesn’t seem to deserve it only her position) bless aperson who has sneezed. A ND pass it down to the younger classmen to do the same thing every year! II’d like to see her principle stand behind the teacher to suspend the whole class every time. We have lost enough of our freedoms. Religious and otherwise!

  213. This school should be ashamed of themselves the teacher doesn’t need her job and the principal shame on you for allowing the iss you are both in the wrong and I pray to God you are known in public as the school that suspends children for saying bless you you stand up for your rights Kendra and don’t let nobody and I mean nobody push you around bless you baby and keep doing(What your doing our world is at a place where we need prayer with all this violence and a child gets suspended for saying(bless you you are very ignorant for sending(her to the principals office

  214. This is hard to believe. What a shame for this school, administration and teacher. This child had all rights to say bless you, she would have mentioned God had the teacher not pushed her. We should all pray for them.

  215. Here is the web site of the school system that this POS teacher works at. http://www.dyercs.net/ Email or call the “DR.” Dwight Hedge Superintendent (phone redacted by editor) ….DO IT NOW! Don’t let this sort of thing go without doing something, otherwise, you are part of the problem!

  216. May I suggest you have Kendra contact http://aclj.org/ and explain what occurred. I am sure they would like to contact the school on her behalf so she has the freedom to say “God bless you.”

  217. What load of shit! I am not religious at all and I say bless you. If someone adds the “God” beforehand I am in NO WAY offended. I am all for the separation of church and state but this is dumb!

  218. this teacher needs a great big fist down her throat is she the Spanish teacher there at dyer county if it is I do not anything coming out of her mouth people like her needs to repent and get down on her knees and beg god to forgive her. she will find ahot seat someday in a place she does not want to go I pray that god will forgive her but make her realize how bad she has hurt a lot of Americans . we the people stand up for whats right . She better be glad she didn’t say that to a child of mine . she is evil she needs to be somewhere else besides teaching ms. Kendal shame shame on u You must have nightmares Do u sleep good at night woman?

  219. Does NO ONE ELSE OUT THERE even have a hint of disbelief for this story? I mean, does no one else think this story possibly went down a different way? No, because you all hear “religious persecution!” and jump the gun to accuse who it is being accused of being intolerant. I am HUGE on defending Christianity and our rights, but I’m also HUGE on the truth. Let’s hear from all her classmates, (names redacted by editor) . Oh wait, we may not want the other side of the story to get media coverage as well in case something doesn’t add up! Please just do the Christian thing and pray for the situation, the people involved, and justice to be served either way.

  220. I had that teacher when I was in Dyer County High School and she spoke of religion daily while I was in her class. I would protest in front of that school if I felt ot would actually do any good and have that taken off her record.. freedom of speech my ass. I am completely and utterly ashamed to say I graduated from that piece of s*** high school.

  221. First of all let me praise Kendra for her devotion to God and her commtment to stand up for what she believes in. It truly seems to be as Leah said, “Absolutely ridiculous.” She was merely being courteous and doing what she felt was the gracious thing to do. Unfortunately, the way the world is and the direction it is going, we should not be surprised for such things to be taken way out of proportion. All the more reason to stand up and be heard in Kendra’s defense. God bless you, Kendra…

  223. The only thing these type of people understand is litigation. Make them sorry with money and then they will start respecting your choices.

  224. That teacher is a nasty person to pick on something so minuscule. She must be such a miserable and hateful person. And same with the principle. I’m so glad that Kendra stood up for herself, good for her! I am sharing this everywhere – I hope she is given an apology!

  225. The teachers name was reported, but I’d like to know the assistant principal’s name that placed this young lady in in-school-suspension. He could have dealt with this differently!

  227. I’ve sent this to the administration of Dyer Co High School. I personally believe there is more to the story. The faculty and staff that I know at the school are devoted Christians. They live a life following biblical principles and their love for God shows through there actions.

  228. SERIOUSLY?! What happened to freedom of speech?! And this is not even a religious question. “Bless you” is a common colloquial idiom in English after someone sneezes. Even if it were a religious question, saying “bless you” infringes on no one’s right to freedom of (or from) religion.

  229. For real the principal needs to remember who he is there for cause he is just as guilty. Shame on them and good for her and the rest of the class. Speaking of that is amazing that the class United for the cause!!

  230. My name is Shannon. I am the proud mother to this amazing young girl! I am blown away by the actions of today! My daughters are raised in a Godly home, are taught to stand up for God & will continue to be taught that way regardless! I am asking for your prayers as I will be meeting with the school tomorrow! I am so very proud of her & the other students. We have since found out that another student was written up for defending her! We are willing to talk to the news. I feel that this teacher deserves to be punished-NOT my daughter! Thank u all for helping to spread the word & backing us on what I’m sure will be a long journey. If anyone knows of any Christian league organizations that will help, pls feel free to call me at (((EDITOR REDACTED-)))))Again, thank u all for your support! Also, thank u to Trisha for writing!

    ————————

    Editor: I redacted the phone number that was written in this comment so it is not on the web. If you are interested in speaking w/ Shannon as a news or Christian organization, please email me and I will send personally.

    • Please send me Shannon’s number or call me at 901-320-1340. FOX13 in Memphis would like to do a story on this. Please let us know ASAP.

  231. people say bless you all the time many not religious its just something people do the teaches is out of it.

  232. I don’t believe that this teacher handled the situation correctly AT ALL ….. she should be the one punished because of how she treated this student. I commend Kendra for standing up for what she believes in, and don’t think that manners or being courteous should ever be something to consider punishing.

  233. Right on Kendra! Be proud for standing up for your religion ad well as your constitutional rights!! This was a ridiculous overuse of power….

  235. Maybe if she had said it in German? Gesundheit! She didn’t even say “God bless you”, it was simply a reaction we’ve all grown up learning. I think it lost religious connotation a very long time ago. Can you imagine how many kids this teacher must do this to every year? I say, good for this girl standing up for not only what’s right, but in her religious beliefs as well!

  236. This is shocking! I can’t believe they would treat her in such a manner for showing common courtesy. What a brave young lady to stand up for her beliefs!

  238. I have heard it all! We try to teach our kids to be courteous towards others. That is exactly what she did. I am shocked by this teacher’s behavior. The teacher deserves the suspension for treating her that way.

    • As a grandparent of a student at DCHS I do believe a protest is in order. Anyone who would like to protest PEACEFULLY please send me a message so I can begin getting this together!