'Ten Commandments Educator' Walks the Walk, Stands His Ground, Loses His Job
by Jim Brown and Jody Brown
August 26, 2004
(AgapePress) - In a situation reminiscent of Judge Roy Moore, a school superintendent who posted the Ten Commandments on a school wall in Missouri last spring has cleaned out his desk and turned in his keys. Humansville superintendent Greg Thompson has also been forced to remove the Bible and cross from his office.The posting of the Ten Commandments in a cafeteria where students eat prompted a federal lawsuit and embroiled the small Polk County district in controversy. The school district has agreed to pay the plaintiff $45,000 to refrain from displaying any religious symbols and to stop officials from leading students in prayer.
The Springfield (MO) News-Leader says Thompson refused to resign from his position, saying he had always told students "to stand up for what's right, even if they stand alone" and that he wanted to serve as an example to them. "It can't just be talk to the children," he stated.
The plaintiff, Carrie Roat, claimed the Ten Commandments plaque and prayers at school functions violated the U.S. Constitution. Apparently not satisfied with the settlement and Thompson's leaving, Roat told the News-Leader: "All I can say is good riddance. He's so strong in his conviction and he's such a devout Christian, why doesn't he go be a minister?"
Local resident Rick Carson is troubled by the settlement. He says the superintendent has high morals and values. "He has some of the best integrity I've ever seen around here," Carson states. "He's a good superintendent; he's one of the best. He's loves his kids [and] he loves his job."
Carson believes Roat filed suit for sheer monetary reasons. "The kids of this community love [Thompson]'; they respect him, they respect what he's trying to do -- so does the community as a whole."
Claiming Superintendent Thompson was a liability to the district, the Missouri United School Insurance Company notified Humansville officials it would not insure his First Amendment case. Humansville resident Lana Carson, a supporter of Thompson, says she is upset the district's insurance company would not allow the superintendent to fight the lawsuit.
"He didn't get a chance to speak out," she laments. "And with the judge in Alabama [a reference to Roy Moore], with all of that coming up, why wouldn't they give him a chance to go to court?" She says Thompson should have been given the opportunity to express that "there are people out here that believe God ought to be in the schools [and] that [He] ought to be in our community."
In April, when the controversy first erupted, former Alabama chief justice Roy Moore visited Humansville to support Thompson. The superintendent's supporters also gathered in April at Humansville High School to discuss the displaying of the Ten Commandments and the federal lawsuit.
