DAVENPORT, Iowa — The mother of a Davenport school district student is upset after finding what she calls religious propaganda in her sons online learning curriculum.
She's calling for more action than she's gotten so far from the district. Her son Dresden Broder is six years old. He attends Madison Elementary in Davenport.
His mother Celeste Broder says she found some shocking information in Dresden’s online learning materials.
Since then she has been going through all the materials before going over them with her son. “I have been doing my own side lessons and reviewing everything in Edgenuity before giving lessons and deciding which is appropriate.”
The Davenport school district uses Edgenuity online curriculum. Broder says there is religious information on the online learning platform, despite her son going to public school.
Broder saying, “It says and now it is time for prayers, and that's when I got pretty upset. It doesn’t belong there. It belongs in church or a religious school.”
She says to her the information and instructions given go far beyond what the school should be informing. It was phrases like this one that Broder brought to the school’s attention.
Broder saying, “After the story it is time for prayers, if that is your family’s ritual, or it is time for bed. Once the child is in bed sing one or two uplifting songs to soothe the child’s spirit. Does that sound like public school to you?”
News Eight reached out to the Davenport school district but did not receive a comment.
The section that includes these phrases is now removed from the school’s website. Broder says she wants further information from the district on how it got there. “There needs to be some accountability and explanation on how it got this far.”
Other phrases that upset her included phrases like ritual and reverence. “Say a verse, light a candle. It went on to say some things about how I should decorate my home. It would say you may enter your child’s bedroom after giving them a warm bath and saying things like you don't want to read this type of story.”
For her it’s a matter of separation of church in state. “I am fine with prayer. I am fine with religion, not fine with it in public schools.”