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New Jersey district will train teachers on separation of church and state
The Kearny (N.J.) school board and the parents of Matthew LaClair, a 17-year-old junior at Kearny High School, have settled a dispute about a teacher who proselytized in class. The settlement calls for training for teachers and students about the separation of church and state, and a public statement by the board praising Matthew for bringing the matter to its attention. Matthew recorded his history teacher, David Paszkiewicz, making comments in class in September. Among the remarks: Only Christians have a place in heaven; the Big Bang and evolution theories are not scientific; and dinosaurs were on Noah’s Ark. After the tapes became public, Matthew says, he received a death threat and was shunned and bullied by some of his classmates.