Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered

What's scarier than the kid who wore a Scream mask to section on Halloween? Granted, not much. But accusations of witchcraft certainly rank up there. While such charges probably evoke images of seventeenth-century New England, incredibly, they persist even today. The American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma filed a lawsuit Oct. 26 against Tulsa school officials, claiming that they violated a 15 year-old student's civil rights when they suspended her in December 1999 for allegedly casting a spell on a teacher and making him sick.

The eighth-grader, Brandi Blackbear, practices Wicca, a non-Christian religion which is predicated upon nature and the seasons of the year. In addition to suspending her, her school also confiscated her private journal and forbade her from wearing or drawing any Wiccan symbol in school. In its lawsuit, the school maintains that Blackbear, who formerly had a sterling record, has become a pariah among her peers and has fallen behind in her schoolwork as a result of the allegations. Brandi's father, Timothy Blackbear, told the press that "it's hard for me to believe that in the year 2000 I am walking into court to defend my daughter against charges of witchcraft brought by her own school."

Hard to believe? More like absurd. Not only have Blackbear's civil rights, particularly her right to freedom of religion, been egregiously violated, but the case has proven her school thoroughly inept.

What is taught in middle school classrooms is certainly not all that is learned there. Teachers and other adults whose profession is guiding these students should realize that these years are also some of the most important for self-discovery and experimentation. For most, these years are hellish due to extreme insecurity, and it is the role of teachers and parents to guide and support these young adults through these difficult times. School officials certainly did not need to exacerbate Blackbear's feelings of isolation by alienating her and encouraging her classmates to follow suit.

Religious persecution is not simply part of the typical teenage angst that everyone has to deal with. Hopefully Blackbear, who has been described as a "sensitive young woman," will come out of this ordeal relatively unscathed.

It is important to note, in light of this perversion of justice, that "unusual" young people can and do develop into functional adults. Surely there are many students here at our fine University, who had rocky early teen years, perhaps thanks to a penchant for grunge rock or even an unnatural affinity for medieval literature. A literal witchhunt to eliminate uniqueness among youth would only restrict the many innovations their creativity has so often brought to our society. Unusual children have developed into such great minds as Albert Einstein, Steven Spielberg, Mozart and countless others--not so scary after all.

--ALLISON A. MELIA