Teacher in rift with school over religion resigns Mercury News The fifth-grade public school teacher who embroiled Cupertino in a highly publicized battle over religion in schools has resigned. Cupertino Union School District officials received Stephen J. Williams' resignation Monday, according to spokesman Jeremy Nishihara. He said there would be no other comment from the district. ``It's a personnel issue,'' Nishihara said. Williams, who taught at Stevens Creek Elementary, had sued Cupertino Union School District's superintendent, the school board and his school principal last year, claiming that district officials singled him out because of his Christian faith when they restricted his use of historical documents with religious references. But the suit was settled, with district policies intact, last week. Williams could not be reached for comment on the resignation. Officials at the Alliance Defense Fund, which supported Williams in his lawsuit, also could not be reached for comment Tuesday. ``I hope he finds a place more in line with what he really wants to do,'' said Nathalie Schuler Ferro, spokeswoman for a parents' group that supported the district. ``He seems to have a great passion for what he wants to teach, and I commend him for that. ``I think there is a place for him in a more religiously inclined school.'' Williams claimed district officials restricted his use of classroom handouts that included historical documents with religious references. He filed a lawsuit, which claimed in part that his rights to free speech had been violated. After his appearance on a cable television political program discussing the issue, the normally sedate Stevens Creek community was overwhelmed with attention. The school received hundreds of phone calls soon after the broadcast, most of them from out of state and in support of Williams. In response, many community parents rallied around the district. Cupertino Union officials strongly contested Williams' claims. The settlement agreement, filed in federal court in San Jose on Thursday, restated the district's existing policy that ``allows teachers, no matter what their religious beliefs, to use appropriate educational material, (including supplemental handouts of historical significance) during instructional time that has religious content -- so long as it is objective, age appropriate, and in compliance with curriculum.'' No money was exchanged in the settlement. ``Now the district can go back to doing what it does best -- teaching our kids,'' Ferro said. ``I'm happy we have some closure, and we can have a normal school year this year.'' |
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