Matt Krause
More details are emerging about an incident we first reported on Wednesday, in which 14-year-old student Dakota Ary alleges that he was suspended from a Fort Worth high school for saying he thinks homosexuality is wrong. From CBS 11:
The comment came during a German class, where conversation turned to vocabulary for Christianity and the Bible. Dakota said one student asked about translations for homosexual terms.
Fox News reports that the attorney hired by Dakota’s family, Matt Krause of the right-wing Liberty Counsel, blames the teacher for bringing up the topic:
Krause called the incident “mind blowing” and said the teacher had frequently brought homosexuality into ninth grade classroom discussions.
“There has been a history with this teacher in the class regarding homosexual topics,” Krause said. “The teacher had posted a picture of two men kissing on a wall that offended some of the students.”
Krause said the picture was posted on the teacher’s “world wall.”
“He told the students this is happening all over the world and you need to accept the fact that homosexuality is just part of our culture now,” Krause said. “In German class there should be no talk of being pro-Gay or homosexual topics.”
It’s unfortunate that neither the district nor the teacher can comment, which means we’re only getting one side of the story. Krause’s comments, while intended to defend Dakota’s behavior, would seem to indicate that there’s more to this than he’s letting on.
Watch a report from CBS 11 below.
Looks like Liberty is in it for the money, not the childrens enlightenment!
“He told the students this is happening all over the world and you need to accept the fact that homosexuality is just part of our culture now,”… NOW? I thought it had been a part of our culture since the beginning of time. Silly me. Perhaps he meant the RECOGNITION that homosexuality exists is just part of our culture now.
Just for the sake of playing devil’s advocate, how would Attorney Krause, the student who was suspended, the family, and the public in general feel if the student had substituted some other name or group of whom he diasapproves, say, for instance, Blacks, Jews, Mentally challenged people, the physically disabled. This is merely a reflection of the world in which we live, sadly. Children are taught from birth by their parents and religious leaders to “hate” certain people, and then spend the rest of their lives trying to justify the hatred.Well guess what? Hatred will consume you. If the student and his family are so repelled by being in the same classroom with a gay student (who’s family, by the way, pays taxes for their son to attend public school) then that family needs to enroll the student into a religious school, so that they will be free, under the First Amendment, to hate everyone to their heart’s delight. In the process, though, it might be worth pondering why fewer and fewer people attend the so-called “mainstream” churches anymore.
The poor kid, just look at his fat mother, she looks like she hasn’t had any in a while from Daddy, so she teaches her children to hate the gays.
Wonder what all these right wing Christians would support
a Jewish boy who told classmates that Christians were
wrong for worshipping a false messiah? Would they be
supplying free lawyers to protect his freedom of speech?
Wow, how about substituting fornication before marriage is all over the world. Sexuality should not be pushed. Glad he didnt post Playboy pictures & said sexy girls are leered at all over the world. Get used to naked European weather forecasts. Teacher pushing an agenda. He should be fired for getting kid suspended not teaching German.
You erased my comment only leaving hateful anti Christian ones. You are also pushing an agenda.
How is this different from insisting that slavery is a good thing? That blacks, and all races other than white, are essentially animals? There is lots more Biblical support for that than for hating homosexuals. Oh, I forgot, it’s because he is a “Christian” and they consider they can do and say whatever they want and not be criticised for it. Better than the old days though; modern secular governments do not permit them their traditional response to difference: torture and mass murder.
LGBTQ S.A.V.E.S., a group formed a year ago to help protect K-12 students and educators in Tarrant County against anti-LGBTQ harassment, met yesterday with Mr. Franks to get his side of the story. His account, which we found entirely credible and which several students in his class have now substantiated, contradicts that of this student on many essential points. He says this boy is one of four in that class that have repeatedly harassed him this year for being gay (he is out, but has had no cause to reveal his orientation to students in this or other classes). The photo of two men kissing was from one of many news articles on different subjects relevant to the sociolgy class he teaches, though it had been ripped from the wall during this specific class. At other times, he found demeaning, anti-gay name calling specifically addressed to him and left in class for him to find. During the lesson on the day in question, the subject of Christianity in Germany had been broached but, insists Franks, the topic of homosexuality not at all at the time when the boy looked him square in the face and declared loudly, “Gays can’t be Christians; homosexuality is wrong.” This was the last in a series of such comments, most made without Mr. Franks having brought up the topic. Mr. Franks expressed devotion to the principles of free speech and a readiness to entertain comments by those with whom he disagrees. But, he asserts the context makes it clear that the comments were made ad hominem, aimed directly at him. We believe this is plausible. FWISD has just recently extended anti-bullying policies specifically to cover anti-LGBT harassment, much to the dismay of right-wing Christianist opponents. Anyone who thinks this is not directly related to the Liberty Institute’s involvement and their lawyer’s successful use of the media to whip up public outcry against Mr. Franks and apply pressure on the school district, is beyond naive.
Voice an anti-jewish or anti-black announcement in class, get in trouble with your teacher and school, then summon your mommy and an attorney to defend your bigotry and demand an apology from your teacher and school …. Mommy taught little bigot to think he is King and his “opinions” should have no adverse consequences …. I see…
It would be very helpful, and a grace rendered to the threatened teacher, Mr. Franks, if you and other community members would send restrained, respectful email messages and/or phone calls to the school board members, assistant superintendent, and Western Hills High School principal, calling on them to give a respectful, caring, and full hearing to Mr. Franks’ side of the story. Time is of the essence: He is being interrogated by the OPS (ISD Office of Professional Standards) tomorrow (Monday, 26th). I am listing their names and email addresses in a posting immediately below this one. For more information on the incident, please read my posting above. However, it would be best to limit comments to calling for a full, fair and caring hearing for Mr. Franks’ side of the story, unprejudiced by the nature of the public outcry that has been generated by the one-sided media reporting on the incident. Do not go into speculations or reports about Mr. Franks’ side of the story.
Walter Dansby
Interim Superintendent
Fort Worth ISD
Email: walter.dansby@fwisd.org
Phone: 817.871.2000
Charles McCarty
Investigator
Office of Professional Standards
Fort Worth ISD
Email: charles.McCarty@fwisd.org
Phone: 817-871-2439
James Wellman
Principal
Western Hills High School
Fort Worth ISD
Email: james.wellman@fwisd.org
Phone: 817.815.6000
Ray Dickerson
President
Board of Education
Fort Worth ISD
Email: ray.Dickerson@fwisd.org
Carlos Vasquez
Board Member, District 1
Board of Education
Fort Worth ISD
Email: carlos.vasquez@fwisd.org
Norman Robbins
Board Member, District 7
Board of Education
Fort Worth ISD
Email: norman.robbins@fwisd.org
That fat broad needs to understand she represents the temple of God and look at how overweight she is. She need to lose some weight and take a few lessons on tolerance. Why all the crosses of the wall? is she expecting ol’ Drac to come in any time soon,and if he did it would probably be the first man she’s had in quite a while.
I don’t believe there is any place in the Education Institution for discussions about homosexuality, bigotry, racism, or anything other than materials concerning education. English, Math, Physical Science, etc. Hatred and intolerance is not in the Education Curriculum. The school is a place to learn, gain knowledge, and advance. I agree with previous comments and must say, hatred first begins in the home, as witnessed here.
Is there any wonder why people don’t change, or fail to see a reason to change? Is there any wonder why Gay people refuse to attend a church? A very simple explanation, has been given in this video interview. Hatred! Churches nation-wide will open their arms to murderers, adulterers, fornicators, molestors, and heathens. But not to homosexuals. When the only thing Gay people hear is how God Hates and God Condems because they are gay, then that person would feel no need to seek a loving God for a direction to change. Jesus Christ taught us to Love your neighbors, as yourselves. Show a person God is a forgiving God and a Loving God, then you provide them with a sense to change and be better.
Then you provide them with a reason to earnestly and honestly seek God for his Love and Jesus Christ for his Salvation. Live in hatred and condemnation like Dakota Ary, and you will NEVER bring a person to want to seek God. John 8:7 and Mark 12:31
What is ironic and proves they are after Kris is that in FWISD a teacher does not determine if discipline is appropriate or not: the Administrator does. The Assistant Principal who suspended the student is not even mentioned, has not been suspended, and certainly has not been publicly humiliated. This is standard practice in FWISD and it has to stop. Please help us.