Wiccan Child Harassed at School, Mother Asks For Help
A columnist working for The Washington Times named Miss Vicki giving advice to those who request it recently got a letter from a Wiccan mother detailing several issues at her child’s school, which can be read at Dear Miss Vicki. Basically, the woman’s children have been being harassed after others discovered that the family is Wiccan. Not only are these children being harassed by other students but by professors as well as members of upper authority at the school. The mother continues to claim that she has attempted to support her children through this, but the father is afraid of the consequences and the way it might reflect on his Air Force career. The mother is now left with the question on what to do.
The answers of Miss Vicki were as usual relatively good, though she did admit that she did not know very much about Wicca and she agreed that the most important thing was the well being of the children. Her suggestion was to talk to both the family’s Wiccan group for assistance as well as the military for more information. It was not evident if the family participates in an organized group or just practices solely as a family, though if she is in a group which offers support the advice of Miss Vicki should be found to be very useful. Along with this information it was also suggested by Miss Vicki that the children seek some form of counseling in order to help them to deal with the harassment from the other children.
The advice wasn’t bad at all especially coming from a person who is not a part of the Pagan or Wiccan community. I am not sure if the mother who was seeking advice reads this blog, but I will offer my advice to her as well as anyone in a similar situation. I believe that she should seek legal representation with an attorney or someone with affiliation to the ACLU as quickly as possible so that she can be made aware of her and her families rights in regards to this matter in their state. The right to an education in a safe and un-hostile environment is one that every child is promised in this country, and it is obvious that these children are having this right stripped from them. If the professors and other forms of authority are not only neglecting to protect these rights but at the same time participating in violating them then it is up to the mother to take the matter into her own hands, as she clearly is already attempting to do.
If you or someone you know has young children, you may research about the Rights of Pagan Students.
February 06 2009 08:31 pm | Uncategorized
