However, according to school officials, the ninth-graders were not asked to translate the statement or read it aloud.
The mother has not sent her son back to school since the incident and said she would be willing to take this case all the way to the US Supreme Court if she must.
Herndon, who is a devout Christian, accused the teacher of indoctrinating unsuspecting students into the Islamic faith. Bond said that the school district received ‘voluminous’ phone calls and emails about the controversial lesson on Islam, which went viral on social media thanks to the efforts of a local parents and made national headlines.
Eric Bond, the local school board president, released a statement saying the point of the lesson was to introduce children to various world religions in an interactive way, not to have them convert to Islam.
On December 11, students in Cheryl LaPorte’s world geography class were asked to practice calligraphy by copying the Islamic creed and were also shown copies of the Koran; female students were invited to try on a scarf as part of a lesson about the Islamic concept of modest dress.
Dr Bond said in his earlier statement that Ms LaPorte’s lesson was consistent with the Standards of Learning in Virginia.
Bond mutually decided schools and school offices will be closed,’ the statement put out by the district said.
لغة عربية, تاريخ, جغرافيا
‘Neither these lessons, nor any other lesson in the world geography course, are an attempt at indoctrination to Islam or any other religion, or a request for students to renounce their own faith or profess any belief,’ the press release read.
Recitation of the shahada in public is the first formal step in conversion to Islam.
In his statement, Bond said the decision to cancel classes was made ‘out of an abundance of caution’ after consulting with law enforcement.
The incident that sparked the furor resulting in Friday’s sweeping school closures took place a week ago during a world geography class at Riverheads High School, where a teacher gave her ninth-graders an assignment that included practicing calligraphy by copying a piece of Arabic text known as the shahada, which is a Muslim statement of faith.
‘The communications have significantly increased in volume [Thursday], and based on concerns regarding the tone and content of those communications, Sheriff [Randall] Fisher and Dr.
As part of the school curriculum, when students are taught about a geographic region, they are also introduced to its dominant religion and written language.
‘The students were presented with the statement to demonstrate the complex artistry of the written language used in the Middle East, and were asked to attempt to copy it in order to give the students an idea of the artistic complexity of the calligraphy,’ Dr Bond stated.
He noted that there was no specific threat to students but did not elaborate on the exact nature of the safety concerns.