Some things defy common sense…here is one of them. Be ready to be outraged!

Maybe you heard the story last week.

High school senior Kendra Turner was suspended in Dyer County Tennessee for breaking a class rule. You might be thinking, “OK, teachers need to keep control of their classrooms.”

But here was the rule: Students are not allowed to say, “Bless you” in the classroom. And the teacher listed other phrases not allowed in the classroom–words like, My Bad, stuff, dumb, etc.

A student sneezed, Kendra instinctively said, “Bless you!” and the teacher suspended her, claiming her comment was disruptive to the class. The teacher also told her “Bless you” was for church and not the classroom!

Bless you is disruptive? I thought it was a social grace!

Get out your whistles! The thought police are alive and well in Dyer County Tennessee. And they are determining what WORDS people can and cannot say. And Kendra didn’t even mention God!

Last time I checked, “Bless you” was a common response to sneezing, said to be empathetic to someone. Apparently we need to guard against those empathetic remarks. In the classroom, empathy is disruptive. Instead we need more self-centered, uncaring students who only watch out for themselves!

Is this not ludicrous? Ms. Turner has every constitutional right to say, “Bless you” in a classroom. The teacher is way out of line and playing God even if she doesn’t like God!

Teachers are to stimulate thought, not regulate it. I’m recommending an in-school suspension for the teacher for lacking common sense and infringing on a student’s constitutional rights! Maybe a day in the Principal’s office would create a little civility in her.

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