Student Sues Capistrano Unified School District

A sophomore honors student at Capistrano Valley High School, plaintiff Chad Farnan, was a student in Dr. Corbett’s Advanced Placement European History class. The lawsuit filed in Federal District Court against Dr. James Corbett, a teacher in the Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD), and the CUSD itself, claims that while teaching the class, Dr. Corbett spends an extended period of time at the beginning of each class discussing topics that are not only irrelevant to history, but also inflammatory and often altogether inappropriate for high school students.

Dr. Corbett has gone as far as stating, “When you put on your Jesus glasses, you can’t see the truth.” Chad recorded these classes on a digital recorder, and as a result of Dr. Corbett’s hostility toward Christianity, Chad filed this federal lawsuit for a violation of his First Amendment rights.

Dr. Corbett and CUSD filed a motion asking the judge to dismiss the lawsuit. On March 10, 2008, the Court issued a ruling clearly rejecting the motion to dismiss allowing the case to proceed forward. The following additional comments made by Dr. Corbett will be introduced into the litigation:

• "Aristotle argued there has to be a God. Of course that’s nonsense."
• "We do not invoke the supernatural every time we get stymied. It's okay for religious people to do that, or magicians. There might not be a distinction. What was it that Mark Twain said? He said that religion was invented when the first con man met the first fool."

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BATTLE THE SCHOOL DISTRICT

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Read more: for additional news stories on Farnan: 
Orange County Register 3.10.08
United Press International 3.11.08
One News Now 3.14.08

Photo reproduced with approval from OC Register