Did teacher lead lessons in witchcraft?

"We'll they shouldn't teach witchcraft. That's a religion"

07:45 AM CST on Wednesday, December 17, 2003

By Jeremy Desel / 11 News

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CHANNELVIEW -- Did a teacher go too far by giving lessons in witchcraft? What got one parent's attention was the book that came home two weeks ago in her son's front pocket.

It was a book that explores the Wicca faith, known to many as witchcraft.

"I took it away from him as soon as he came in the door. I said, 'Where did you get this book?' He said, 'Mom, I can't tell you because it will get somebody in trouble.'"

KHOU-TV The book explores the Wicca faith, known to many as witchcraft.

Allegedly the book was a teaching tool in an after-school series of study sessions taught by a teacher at Alice Johnson Middle School. Parents say a group of six students met twice a week for the past several weeks. This mom thought her child was in the school sponsored tutorials at that time.

She says instead he was studying the book on Wicca. "For someone to put this bad seed into my child's thoughts, and try to cloud the goodness that is in his mind is really what bothers me."

And it's just not her. C.M Kelly is the pastor of the Baptist church right across the street from the school. "Will they let me come and teach Christianity? No they won't," he says. "We'll they shouldn't teach witchcraft. That's a religion."

So what does the district have to say about all of this? Not much. The Channelview Independent School District superintendent, Tom Tasma, says that they would not comment on any kind of personnel investigation, or even whether or not one exists.

That was not the answer this mother or pastor was looking for. "They need to come and tell us what's going on, what they plan to do cause they need to satisfy us -- the parents and the taxpayers," says Kelly.

The mother was told the teacher has been suspended, but she wonders how can she be sure.