A sixth grader has been kicked out of school after what the school principal, Susan Martin said was a ‘prayerful consideration’.
Will Muller, 11, an ‘A’ student of St. John LaLande Catholic School in Blue Springs was expelled because his parents, Paul and Hollee Muller, “stated both verbally and in writing that they do not agree with nor support the teachings of the Catholic Church.
In a statement, the school said ‘after prayerful consideration and discussion among our school administration, it is obvious we no longer have a partnership with you, since the values of your family are not in alignment with those of our school’.
As it happens, the Mullers are quite active members of the parish and the school, where they are volunteer basketball and track coaches, and “open gym” instructors for the kids, and “volunteer to do a lot of things other parents won’t.” said one parent.
“Their whole life was that church, Paul Muller attended St. John himself, as did his 15 siblings. So this decision is devastating for their family, and for the wider community, Hollee was vice president of the school’s advisory board, and she objected to changes at the school since Father Sean McCaffery became pastor of the parish a year ago.
“The priest came rolling in hot,” Hollee said, “yanking books” from the school library, including one about a polar bear with two mommies and all of Rick Riordan’s work, some of which features characters who are gay, bisexual, lesbian and trans.
A spokeswoman for the diocese in a statement on behalf of the school said that non-Catholic families are always welcome. “Every family who enrols a student in our diocesan Catholic schools signs a Family-School Covenant agreeing to understand and support the moral and social doctrine of the Catholic Church and to know and support the school rules. … When a family challenges Catholic teaching and curriculum decisions through sustained complaints to the school and diocesan administration, irreconcilable differences can arise. In these situations, it is in the best interest of the family and the school to separate.”