Former Marine Dad Banned from Daughter’s High School over Islam Study Course–Truth! & Disputed!
Summary of eRumor:
A former Marine named John Kevin Wood was banned from his daughter’s high school in Maryland after he took issue with an Islam study course that was part of her 11th grade world history class.
The Truth:
It’s true that La Plata High School filed a no-trespass order against former Marine John Kevin Wood after he took issue with what he described as Islamic indoctrination in his daughter’s world history class.
School officials defended the curriculum and said the no-trespass order was filed because John Kevin Wood threatened to create a “disruption” at La Plata High School in Maryland.
The Thomas More Law Center (TMLC), a self-described national public interest firm that defends and promotes America’s Judeo-Christian heritage and moral values, is representing John Kevin Wood and his wife, Melissa, in a related court case.
TMLC said that Wood discovered in October of 2014 that his daughter had been forced to “repeat religious tenets of Islam” and “write how the Prophet Muhammad was visited by the Angel Gabriel and preached that there is only one true god, who is Allah” as part of a world history homework assignment.
In a news release TMLC went on to describe John Kevin Wood’s reaction:
“When John Wood discovered the Islamic propaganda and indoctrination, he was rightfully outraged, and that evening unsuccessfully tried to contact the school by phone to voice his objections. Wood witnessed firsthand the destruction caused in the name of Allah and knows Islam is not ‘a religion of peace.’ He served in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, and lost friends in that action. On 9-11, Wood responded as a firefighter to the smoldering Pentagon. He refused to allow La Plata High School to subject his daughter to Islamic indoctrination despite the threatened academic consequences.
The next day, October 23rd, Wood had a phone conversation with a La Plata vice principal where he again reiterated his objections to his daughter being indoctrinated into the religion of Islam. The vice principal indicated that his daughter, a high school junior with college hopes, would receive zeros on her assignments on Islam if she did not complete them. He asked how the religion of Islam could be taught when schools are prohibited from teaching the religion of Christianity.
The following day, October 24th, John Wood again spoke with the vice principal. She again refused to allow an alternative assignment.”
However, school officials said the assignment had been given for years and related to economic policies in the Middle East. La Plata High School Vice Principal told the BayNet:
“This is a world history class. We are not teaching religion. Part of those world history studies involves the economics of a region and part of that is the religion which relates to the economy of that part of the world. In the Middle East, Islam is the only religion and it contributes greatly to the economics of the region.
In the overall scope of things, she said, Christianity is taught in segments about the reformation in Europe, along with Hinduism and Buddhism.
“At some point we do comparative religion,” she said. “Religion is a big part of world history.”
However, school officials said the assignment had been given for years and related to economic policies in the Middle East. The La Plata High School vice principal told Bay Net:
“Students learned the basic concepts of the Islamic faith and how it, along with politics, culture, economics and geography, contributed to the development of the Middle East. Other religions are introduced when they influence or impact a particular historical era or geographic region. For example, when reviewing the Renaissance and Reformation, students study the concepts and role of Christianity. When learning about the development of China and India, students examine Hinduism and Buddhism.
“There is also misinformation about why the school issued a No Trespass Order on a parent. This parent threatened to cause problems that would potentially disrupt La Plata High School this morning. To ensure the safety of students and staff at the school, the school administration placed a No Trespass Order on this parent.”
So, while it’s true that former Marine John Kevin Wood was banned from his daughter’s high school for protesting an Islam study course, the circumstances leading up to it are disputed.