Clergy meet today over school holy water incident

by ELGIN JONES

POMPANO BEACH – Local clergy have called an emergency meeting on Monday over two teachers who were removed from their classrooms after allegedly sprinkling holy water onto an atheist colleague.

“We need to know why one teacher is allowed to teach our children there is no God and nothing is done,” said the Rev. Willie J. Rainer, husband of one of the accused teachers and an associate pastor of Hopewell Baptist Church in Pompano Beach. “But the Christian teachers have been removed from the classroom even though nothing has been proven.”

Rainer is the husband of Leslie Rainer, one of the teachers accused in an alleged March 11 incident at Blanche Ely High School in Pompano Beach.

schandra_rodriguez__web.jpgAlong with teacher Djuna Robinson, Rainer is accused of sprinkling holy water on fellow teacher Schandra Rodriguez, an avowed atheist who was expressing her lack of belief in God with students.

After Rodriguez filed a complaint with school district officials, Leslie Rainer and Robinson were escorted out of the classroom on April 22 in front of students, and were ordered not to return to school grounds until further notice.

Pastors representing over a dozen churches around Broward County are scheduled to attend the public meeting, scheduled for 5 p.m. today, Monday, May 24, at the Worldwide Christian Center, 450 North Powerline Rd. in Pompano Beach.

“We were contacted, and we agreed to hold the meeting at our church,” said the Rev. O’Neal Dozier, pastor of the Worldwide Christian Center. “We have to make sure this is not an attack on Christianity. It is totally unfair to remove the two teachers, and allow the other teacher to remain. We need answers and for them to be returned to the classroom.”

Dozier said he and other pastors began announcing today’s meeting during church services on Sunday, May 23.

Rainer and Robinson are represented by attorney Johnny L. McCray Jr.

“I will attend the meeting, and I think it’s commendable for this community of ministers to recognize this injustice,” McCray said. “It’s equally encouraging that they are concerned about the manner in which Ms. Robinson and Ms. Rainer are being treated.”

School officials have not responded to calls about today’s meeting.