Keeping kids safe is the number-one priority for any elementary school in America, right? But then there is the Cartwright School District in Phoenix, where selectively enforcing a Covid vaccination policy tops taking care of the kids.
How do we know this? Consider the case of one William Bishop, the now-former director for buildings and operations, who was recently demoted to substitute teacher by Cartwright Superintendent Dr. Lee-Ann Aguilar-Lawlor.
Why was Bishop demoted? Because his faith precludes his submitting to the Covid vaccination shot. The demotion came after he requested a religious accommodation, a request to which school officials never responded, except to bust him way down the pay chart.
Bishop is represented by the First Liberty Institute, the Plano, Texas-based public interest law firm that specializes in First Amendment litigation, especially when issues of religious freedom are involved.
Cartwright’s conduct is shot through with disrespect for constitutional liberties, to say nothing of common sense. Consider the description cited by First Liberty Counsel Rebecca Dummermuth in a September 9 letter to Aguilar-Lawlor:
“Cartwright’s actions are particularly indefensible because: (1) it already granted at least one nonreligious exemption from the mandate; (2) its demotion of Mr. Bishop will bring him into far more contact with students and other staff, thus contradicting the district’s presumed rationale for refusing to grant his accommodation request; (3) it chose not to impose its mandate on teachers, those most in contact with students and staff; (4) 21 percent of district employees remain unvaccinated; and (5) Mr. Bishop has natural immunity and his doctor advises against receiving the vaccine.
“These circumstances leave Cartwright with no tenable argument that a religious accommodation would impose undue hardship on it or that it has a compelling interest in imposing its mandate on Mr. Bishop but not many other employees (including those whose duties involve far more contact with students and staff).
“Therefore, the district is plainly in violation of the laws set forth above. To be clear, Mr. Bishop has no objection to a reasonable accommodation that could serve the District’s presumed health concerns. But he cannot accept the unlawful, second-class treatment to which the district has subjected him.”
Bishop’s objections are deeply rooted in his Christian faith, according to Dummermuth, who told Aquilar-Lawlor in the letter that:
“Mr. Bishop’s sincerely held religious beliefs prevent him from complying with the mandate to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. As a Christian, he believes that his body is a temple of God (I Corinthians. 3:16-17, 6:19), and therefore he has a God-given responsibility to protect the physical integrity of his body and not to defile it (I Corinthians. 8:7; II Corinthians. 7:1).
“Additionally, he believes that human life begins at conception, and he staunchly opposes abortion. Therefore, receiving a vaccine that has been developed using aborted fetal cell lines would violate his conscience.”
The district continues to pay Bishop his old salary, but the contract that specified the amount expires in the near future. Replacing it with a new contract based on a substitute teacher’s compensation will represent a 50 percent pay cut for Bishop.
Think about it: The vaccine’s purpose is to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, from which more than 660,000 Americans have died. But Bishop already has a more effective defense against spreading covid because he previously contracted the virus and thus has the anti-bodies that are far more effective in stopping the contagion than any of the three vaccines available.
Bishop’s case hits the headlines just as President Joe Biden has announced that he is directing the Department of Labor to develop and issue new regulations to mandate vaccines at businesses in America with 100 or more employees.
There are an estimated 80-90 million Americans who have not gotten the shot, most because of religious objections and/or medical reasons. Biden warned Thursday that “we have been patient, but our patience is wearing thin. And your refusal has cost all of us.”
That’s precisely the kind of authoritarian rhetoric one expects from an aspiring tyrant.
Related: Biden’s Vaccine Mandate Is an Attack on the Working Poor
And speaking of vaccine mandates, did you hear what the NFL did? They cancelled Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Victory Boyd from performing the National Anthem just before the season-opening game in Tampa Bay between the Super Bowl champion Buccaneers and the Dallas Cowboys.
Why? Because she, like Bishop, declines to be vaccinated for religious, medical, and other reasons. The NFL could have accommodated her — as it did dozens of other performers during the 2020 season — and allowed her to sing from a socially distanced location off the field.
But no, the NFL insisted that Boyd perform on the field. That’s the same field that NFL players, who do not face a vaccination mandate, performed on in a 31-28 Bucs victory, capped by quarterback Tom Brady’s last-minute rally.
As a result, what neither the fans in the stadium nor those watching on millions of boob tubes, cell phones and laptops across America got to hear is what may well be the most beautiful rendition of our National Anthem that you will ever hear.
Click here and you will quickly understand why I say that. Victory Boyd is blessed with an incredible voice, a passionate Christian faith, and a deep love for this country.
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