March 2019
I received a phone call this morning from a Good News Club parent asking if it was the last day for the club. Her son had told her it was, but she thought it went through May. When I told her it was indeed the end of club for this year, she was very sad. Her son apparently loves the program. She and her husband do, as well. They are from the West Coast, which she explained was very liberal, and that these programs were never offered there. She loves the club so much and the school system, that she wrote a letter to the principal, the Taylor County superintendent, and the Taylor County Board of Education earlier this year about it. I asked if she would share it with me, so I could share it with all of you. Here is the excerpt pertaining to Good News:
Spiritual Components
My husband and I are not native West Virginians; we are both born and raised Oregonians, therefore, if you know anything about the Northwest’s culture, enough said. So, my husband and I were very grateful to find out in the last couple of years that various spiritual aspects of Christianity infiltrate the school and BOE. As taxpayers in this county whose money helps pay for the public education system, we appreciate that this school holds the Good News Club, that we are allowed to pray on the grounds with the students for the National Day of Prayer, that the children routinely recite the Pledge of Allegiance and that it is the traditional version used, with the inclusion of the words “Under God”, that the students and parents stand for the pledge and remove their hats and that bulletins go out in the students’ folders letting them know when and where they can attend vacation bible school. I have even heard that board members pray before meetings. How grateful are we that our son not only associates the Lord with church, but also with his school, within which he spends far more of his time. The blending of the two provides reassurance to my husband and I as parents and gives spiritual consistency, exposure and further educational opportunities to our son. My continued thanks and gratitude for the Good News Club!