Dear Editor,

As you’re growing up, you learn in school and are taught by your parents that is isn’t right to discriminate against people because of their race, gender, sexuality or spiritual beliefs. Every person is entitled to their own opinions about people but some of them are meant to be kept to yourself. Everyone has the right to pick what religion they want to be, Catholic, Baptist, Pentecostal, Methodist or whatever it may be, and hold to your religions beliefs, but you can’t discriminate others for their spiritual beliefs. Just like every man and woman has the right to pick if they want to be gay, straight or a bisexual that is their personal opinion. The military has a don’t ask don’t tell policy who knows how many people are actually gay, straight or bisexual but they are all fighting for our country and we support them for what they do.

At Iota High the sophomore class was given a research paper to write. One student decided she was going to write a paper “Against Gay Marriage,” Mrs. Kimberly McBride pulled the student aside and asked the student if she could please pick another topic because some of the students in the class and/or school may find some offense to this. The student was angry and upset about this and ran and told the principal; who then told the teacher she had to let the student write the completely opinionated paper or to drop the entire assignment. Mrs. McBride didn’t drop the assignment and still was not going to let the student write the paper, yet she is the wrong one here for standing up for the students it may offend. The student commented that “it was against her religion, immoral and that gays spread disease.”

Mrs. McBride is someone who taught us not to judge someone for their beliefs, race, color, fashion, religion or for how they were raised, yes she taught us to stand up for what we believed but not to go around saying things that may hurt other people, or for what they stood for, that we all have our own opinion on things. As a result she was harassed by the principal repeatedly until she got so sick that she had to leave school and is thinking about not returning. We need the Acadia Parish School Board’s support and the parents of students now, and the support of former students. We need to bring awareness to the public of what goes on in the school. I am a graduate of Iota High. After the principal’s first year we lost an amazing history teacher Mr. Lance Lagrange. After his second year, we lost yet another amazing math teacher Mrs. Chanda Stanaland-Johnson and after his third year we lost one of the most amazing biology teachers Mr. Brandon Bergeron. So is this a coincidence, or is the teacher really wrong for the fact she is standing up for everyone. So why is it bullying in schools has come to be such a huge topic in schools and you’re not allowed to bully someone because they are black, white, Hispanic or for how tall, short, smart, average, funny or quiet you can’t bully someone without now being suspended from school or finding yourself in detention, WHY because its wrong and hurtful just like discrimination. So why should discrimination in schools be tolerated if its pushed hard enough by one student towards another student isn’t that considered bullying. So please show your support for this teacher and the town of Iota. It is in an outrage and we don’t want to lose yet another amazing teacher, the Principal needs to be the one to leave. Don’t the kids of Iota High deserve better? Don’t they deserve someone who will stand up for everyone and not just side with one student?

Sarah Heinen and Lindsey Trahan