Brookeland High School

I've been trying desperately to get my thoughts in order over the past few days. The topic I want to cover in this blog is a personal and serious one. When trying to convey this message in emails and phone calls, I've found myself stumbling over words and getting angry....Well, it's an angry situation, I can assure you. So please be patient with me as I try to lay my thoughts out coherently.

I grew up in Jasper, Texas. At the age of 18, I was living alone, often sleeping in my car or at friend's houses. Jasper High School was pure hell for me. I had gone through too much with students and faculty to ever feel self-confident there. During the middle of my senior year, I transfered to Brookeland I.S.D, a small school located in the community of Brookeland Texas. The classes were smaller, the teachers were friendlier, and I had a couple of good friends to support my move.

There were things I began to notice about BHS as the months wore on, things that never affected me seriously, because in the eyes of most of the faculty I was living like an adult and should just be left alone. Students were pulled from class after refusing to say the pledge, teachers spoke freely about their Christian ideals, prayer was a constant in group assemblies, and everyone knew everything about everybody.

I barely graduated. I made good grades, but I missed days of school at a time. I just didn't care. Honestly, I couldn't have been more unconcerned with the lives of other people at the school. Hey, this is the way everyone wants it, and no one's getting hurt. This is just the way a small town works.

It's been two years since I graduated. I actually am an adult now. I'm not the selfish, careless, and often reckless teenager I used to be. I've taken an interest in my community, and I want to make it better. I think that schools should be enforced to educate, and only educate their students. I believe that with proper guidance, children can grow up to be open-minded, thoughtful, and intelligent people. So that is why I was so upset with my school when I found out what happened to Richard Mullins.

Like I said, this isn't the first time I've witnessed prejudice in Brookeland, but I never thought people would have the audacity and/or ignorance to allow such a thing to occur!

Mr. Mullins is an exemplary history, government, and economics teacher. For the past six years, he has pushed kids at Brookeland to think logically and come to their own conclusions regarding politics, history, and life. He has gone above and beyond the TAKS standards set in line for the Texas public school system and has been an all-around great teacher, friend, and confidant to students getting ready to begin life outside of the classroom.

Apparently, some people in Brookeland believe that Mr. Mullins' personal opinions regarding religion and politics negatively affect his teaching skills. The sad thing is, these people are on the school board. So, to quote those in the school system and a worried parent, because "Mr. Mullins is an Atheist and a Liberal," he was suspended.

101 out of 103 students refused to sign an affidavit confirming the school board's belief that Mr. Mullins could not control his class and that he forced his beliefs onto the class. For one, the majority of students refused to sign the document. Second, I can attest to the fact that most teachers there spoke about their religious beliefs at length, although Mr. Mullins was not one of them. I guess because their religious convictions follow in line with the majority of people in town, the school believes it's okay to share them. Well, it's not. What the Brookeland school system has committed is discrimination. They suspended Mr. Mullins and he subsequently resigned because of discrimination in the work place. I don't know if anyone is aware of this or not, but such an act is illegal.

I take this all personally because I'm sick and tired of the few ignorant and hateful people in our community making us all look bad. I will forever have to disclose my hometown of Jasper in resumes and job applications. I don't want another case hanging over my head, or people thinking of me as "dumb," or "redneck." I don't want people believing I'm some close-minded racist from the a country town where no intellect or culture is allowed. Besides this, I know Mr. Mullins. He is one of the best teachers BHS ever had, and he didn't deserve this. Actually, no one deserves this. We live in America, and in this country, race, religion, creed, or sex should play no part in whether a man gets a job or keeps a job.

That is why I'm putting aside my absolute disgust at the thought of our community's own discrimination coming out of this case. I have been tirelessly emailing people, spreading the word, painting my car, and writing letters. Brookeland I.S.D will not go unpunished. We must give Richard Mullins the justice he deserves. I'm attaching some links to different blogs and websites that have shared Mr. Mullins' story. If we don't let people know that this kind of behavior won't be tolerated, who knows how far their discrimination, close-mindedness, even totalitarianism will go? Could your child or loved on be at the end of the witchhunter's noose next?

West Tennessee blog, Mr. Mullins' statement

Beaumont Enterprise story on the case

Time-line of events