Parents of students at Greenville, Virginia’s Riverheads High School were shocked by a recent assignment given in World Geography class.

Classroom teacher, Cheri Laporte, asked students to practice “calligraphy” by copying the Muslim statement of faith, also known as the shahada, which translates as:

“There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.”

Recitation of the shahada is a fundamental step in conversion to Islam.

According to parents, students were not informed of the translation or of the specific meaning of the Arabic text the students were being asked to copy. In addition, parents confirm that female students were invited to don Muslim apparel and subsequently were photographed in costume by the teacher. (Reportedly, an administrator has since disposed of the photos.)

A post-assignment emergency meeting held with the teacher, a parent, and schools administration yielded the following additional information:

  • Teacher Laporte was aware of the translation of the text assigned and was unapologetic over the assignment itself
  • Apparel representing other religions was not presented in the lesson
  • Teacher Laporte previously had circulated a Koran in the classroom, but had intentionally declined to make a Bible available because “all of the students already have read or seen a Bible”
  • School administration confirmed that this lesson was not in the Augusta School Division’s approved curriculum for World Geography

After the meeting, one parent responded in reference to the teacher:

I do not trust her to teach my son and regardless of the outcome he will not sit in her classroom. I am in the process of forgiving her but I do not trust her.

Riverheads High School Principal, Max Lowe, did not directly acknowledge an inquiry requesting confirmation of the incident, clarification of policy, and disciplinary measures, if any, taken against Ms. Laporte.

A community meeting of concerned parents is scheduled for further discussion of the assignment and its aftermath.

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197 COMMENTS

  1. I will stand by Cheri Laporte. She is an excellent teacher. Those of you ready to form a mob are xenophobic clowns. She thought me that word; I bet you don't even know what it means

  2. So what is calligraphy and what does it have to do with world geography? Well, I looked it up and a simple definition is decorative handwriting or the art of writing beautifully. Ok. So why Arabic and why the shahada? I was taught about Islam when I was in school. We also practiced writing Arabic but we were given they’re alphabet and we wrote our names. It was a pretty cool assignment and caused no controversy. Is that teacher really that ignorant. Maybe she is the one who needs to go back to school.

  3. Cheryl Logan Jones no, but it was always an opt out, not an opt in, program, and if you took your kids out, everyone knew very well that you could be denying that teacher one of the few, if not only, break they had that week. That is what is was like in the '80's anyway.

  5. Cheryl Logan Jones no it wasn't mandatory but I remember having to go to this even though I didn't want to because if I didn't everyone knew. If I didn't know everyone would know I'm different. Is that really a choice? No. It's peer pressure and using discrimination to frighten small children into being a good Christian child.

  6. Media sucks! Reports only what will give attention to the matter, never the real, whole story. Really? Sounds like a big lynch mob against the teacher giving the media a chance to bite into something juicy! This matter should have been dealt with among the school and the parents. Agree, maybe she should have picked a different phrase…maybe that’s the only one she could find? Maybe she was trying to bring awareness of the Muslim faith and answer questions of the students? It’s a World Geo class, the public picked on her because right now we are afraid. There is a lot of fear against the Muslim culture. Look at yourself and ask what do foreigners think of Americans… Ignorant, self absorbed, rich, greedy…does that match you as a description? Likely not. That description is a small portion of Americans but a big portion of foreigners think it. Christians…forgiveness? Isn’t that a big part of Christianity? Not just to preach it but live it?

  7. Cheryl Logan Jones It really is though. If you didn't go you hade to sit in a room with maybe one other person and everyone knew you didn't go. And they new you were "different" or not a "good little christian child". You also saw these kids every day M-F for 5 years. And they all knew. That's not a choice is it? Going to this class or being outcasted from the people in your grade. Its a peer pressuring terror tactic. Don't tell me it didn't happen because it happened to me and a few others i know. The children who bullied me probably don't remember what they said to me during those years but I remember.

  8. I went to Riverheads, my whole family has. It's a total embarrassment to me, my family and the community. We are Christian folks around this area, we accept and worship only one God. Our God isn't allowed in the school, why is allah?

  9. John Rudolph She wasn't trying to convert us or your children. She isn't pusshing anything. She was merely teaching us about other cultures. When I was in her class we did his with many different religions. Buddism, hinduism, Jewish, christianity, but do i see anything against that? No, because she wasn't trying to convert us, just teach us about the beauty of other cultures and religions.

  10. Frank Dull Like the we had to learn the religious creeds of buddism, jewish, dioism, hinduism??? And even Christianity?? Wow, so horrible that in a class about learning about the world we have to learn about their religion to??

  11. Way to press your religion down my throat?? I thought this country had freedom of religion? I thought everyone had the right to believe what they want? (Also she wasn't telling kids to convert or that there was a different god, just explaining how other cultures and religions work)(Also, same god, different name, different prophet)

  13. If anyone believes that writing a statement in another language that wasn’t translated into English in either text or spoken word would cause a high school aged student to become confused about their religion you are a fool. Could a better statement have been chosen yes, but with the little time, support, and pay that most teachers of this country get it is easy to see this was a pre-printed worksheet that was easy to pull from the Internet. Was the teacher aware I cannot say that would be a question to ask the teacher. In the case that she did defiantly a different statement should have been chosen.

    What I am not okay with is being taken to a level that is ridiculous and down right slander and defamation of character. Furthermore if this continues this will be a huge burden to us taxpayers if this somehow makes its way to the courts.

    Please take a long time of meditation and ask how would Jesus, Moses, Buddha, Mohammed, or Shiva respond. I don’t believe they would act in the same manner.

    Though please know that all adults and parents do however have influence over your children do you want to teach hate over peace, love, and understanding. Which are the core foundations of all religions. Minus a few religions out there you know who you are.

    I suggest if you are so deeply offended please home school your children or send them to a private school and don’t use the it’s too expensive there are financial aid programs out there.

    All in all this should have been a conversation with the teacher and parent. Then a follow up conversation with the kids and parents. I guess that this is not Mayberry anymore where parents talk to their kids and solve problems with words. I hope the people responsible for inciting all this get the fame and attention they so desperately desire.

    R.I.P American comments sense and rationality.

  14. The historical and cultural aspects of the faiths are fine to teach, but it's a careful line teachers have to follow while at the same time the two aspects are covered in the SOL's. I agree on the Christian text too, but the religious doctrine can be avoided by good teachers who follow the rules.

  15. Possibly some of the parents need to take her class. I am a college educator, and I don't know all the facts of this case, but I am dismayed to see parents who want to shut down their children's learning about other cultures in the 21st century.

  16. This is Ridiculous, enough is enough. This is unacceptable. The teacher should be terminated from the school system, we are falling under Islamic Religion, they want to brain wash all of us. They are here to change our values and religion. Is anyone going to stand up for this nonsense. Let’s get America values back. Please everybody should read what’s the Islamic religion all about:-
    Prophet of doom.net
    God Bless America

  18. Well you all went to bad schools. No offense intended. It was always opt in (as it's supposed to be) and back in the '60s there would be a few kids who'd leave the room but no one paid any attention where I went to school. When my kids were in school they had changed it to the bus format but my kids didn't go and there weren't any problems. The kids who opted in went to the bus and the other kids had free time. Sorry you felt peer pressure from it-that's wrong. I raised my kids to go their way and not care what anyone else thought. My youngest now embraces being the outcast. Sorry for your bad experience

  19. There is an undercurrent in education circles that seeks to insert Islamic society and religion in American culture. They will not admit it, but many school officials and teachers are part of the wave of multicultural thought that seeks to make Islam acceptable in America. An assignment here, an invitation to wear Muslim garb, an attack against “islamaphobia” there (when islamaphobia doesn’t even exist EXCEPT IN THE HATEFUL MINDS OF LIBERALS) to make Americans “get comfortable” with the idea that Muslims are just like us. Well, they are not like us. In a country of free speech and freedom of religion, Muslims accept and tolerate none of it. Look how they treat women. They tolerate only those who believe Islam; everyone else is an infidel. They neither accept or honor our Constitution or the rule of JudeoChristian based law. Sharia is their law and what they are striving for in America, chipping away at the foundation of our country. Many parts of European countries are ALREADY no longer ruled by the laws of those countries, but by Sharia law. Many have taken on the role of apologizing for America’s history. Now schools are injecting Muslim culture into America when they SHOULD BE TEACHING AMERICAN CULTURE TO MUSLIMS. THIS IS AMERICA, NOT AN ANNEX OF THE MIDDLE EAST! Although America is not perfect, no other country guarantees and holds individual rights in higher regard in its laws and its societal norms than the United States. Schools should not be teaching as if they need to apologize or make excuses for our past.

  20. Make an example of her. She did it because she thought that she could ger away with it. The line "Their is no God but Allah" was purposely created to contradict Christians and Jews. GET THIS MUSLIM DIRT OUT NOW!!!

  23. This teacher should be fired immediately . Wake up American people your are brain washed by Islam . They getting their way even in our kids school and playing with their mind because they have billions of dollars that they can get their way to do anything and everything that they want . Saying the shahada is when a person convert to Islam .. Was that very important to teach about that religion . I don’t know who is passing all these information to our kids school!!! My child just had an article about how is a man and a women are equal in Saudi Arabia, I can tell you this it is a false statement all the way because the women in Suadi Arabia are not even allow to drive a car that how bad it is !! Who is responsible to try to make Islam a great religion ?? And why we are not allow to go in details about Christianity and judisam . Just FYI the western Muslim made their own Quran where they took all the bad pages where they take about killing any one that is not Muslim just to attract other people to join them and make it sound they are very peaceful . We don’t need teachers like her in our school . Why Christian , Jewish and other people get along to live together in peace but once Islam hit that ground problem rises!!!. God bless America .

  24. I was a student in her class and she did a terrific job showing religions objectively. All you know is what this article states which is half of the situation.

  27. Lois Roberts Shipe. Except that the separation of church and state prevents the government from favoring one religion over others. Since she presented a variety of religions from a number of cultures, I feel as though this is acceptable. Simply saying "separation of church and state" doesn't excuse this outrage.

  29. Titan Nation. First, she is not "Muslim". Trust me on this one. Haha. Second, where did she preach her beliefs? At what point in this assignment did she personally say that we should convert to Islam? Or that we should denounce our religions we already have? Did she ever say that this was the "correct" theology? No. Just like she didn't promote Judaism over any other religion. This is how we understand other cultures. By studying them. Not by assuming that anyone who spreads their ideas is trying to convert someone. If that were the case, then we'd lock up anyone affiliated with Jehovah's witnesses, Fox news, extreme conservatives, or any preacher I've ever met. Haha.

  31. Writing this doesnt mean anything if the students didnt know what it meant, it means nothing if you dont believe it with your heart.
    And they werent even learning any Islam, the studenrs didnt even know what was written

    It was only to show how arabic calligraphy is complicated

    And that phrase is the most common Arabic phrase used in Calligraphy
    That's all

    There was no Islam teaching
    It was more of a drawing lesson in geography class or something

    In my school I had to copy some Aztec cilagraphy But I never accused my teacher for trying to convert me into some ancient Mexican religion although we were taught in detail about it

    We all took is a geography/social studies class

  32. Ralph Ralph Ralph. Haha. A) NO ONE is unbiased. That's a ridiculous notion. B) You know she doesn't exercise equality? So you've taken her class? C) Old English and cursive are obsolete. That's silly. D) You don't know her father. That's also silly. E) So I assume the path to being a real American is paved with closed-mindedness and bigotry? Because that's not what Native Americans preached. And if I'm not mistaken, they were the REAL Americans. Unless you mean "America" the country. In which case I'm pretty certain that it's encouraged to both accept and enlighten others. And I feel like you're only butt-hurt because you believe that your god is "correct".

  35. It's an embarrassment to your community? What's embarrassing is being a closed minded bigot whose family member can't even keep a job at Subway while praying to a god who refuses to help him as you and your clan rot.

  39. All of you saying she needs to be fired. Do you realize that maybe you're being a bit judgemental? I attended Riverheads High School from 2004-2009. I had her as a teacher. She's an AMAZING teacher. It's called WORLD GEOGRAPHY FOR A REASON! She has always had a religion portion of the class. Including Islam. Whether she gave the meaning to the translation or not, she's teaching students, in a small town, about the world and different cultures. What if she did include the meaning behind the text? People would still be all pissed off. Don't even pretend to act like they wouldnt. Because it's Islamic, people are getting pissy. Maybe more people need to be like her and give NINTH GRADERS something different than just one way of looking at things.. Way to Go, Mrs. Laporte!

  42. Andy Boehm Did you actually read the article. Guess you missed the part where it states that this is not part of the curriculum. "School administration confirmed that this lesson was not in the Augusta School Division’s approved curriculum for World Geography". Look familar? She should be fired for not teaching what she has been directed to teach buy the school board.

  43. Anthony Bryant She can present the worlds cultures without involving any form of religion. I never once was made to learn any religious ideologies or recite any religious prayers while I was in school in order to learn geography. or any other subject. BTW my teachers were about as liberal as they come.

  44. If it was just an issue with the language itself the teacher should have used what little apparent intelligence he/she has left and used something non-religious. If this had been a Latin phrase from the old testament they were required to write I am sure the liberals would have had a field day raising the separation of church and state flag.

  45. Andy, teaching the Shahada isn't part of the Islam unit nor does it have any viable content for the SOL's. I read the article and every single teacher in the county agree she was wrong for covering that.

  46. Sierra Southers I never mentioned she was trying to convert the students. Read my comment again. What part of "covering religious doctrine" are you finding difficult to understand? The part that it's not required for SOL's? That is pretty clear.she crossed the line, teachers shouldn't cover religious doctrine.

  48. Anthony Bryant if there's anyone closed minded, it is YOU. Understand what part of the Islam unit she crossed the line and suddenly a light may go off in your head that your judgmental comments aren't needed.

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