The Alberta Teachers’ Association

Birthday tradition banned from school

Fearing an epidemic among students attending its schools, Australia announced that blowing out candles on birthday cakes at school would no longer be allowed because the practice spreads germs. “We introduced new national standards to lift the quality of child care across Australia because we believe parents deserve peace of mind that when they drop their child off they are receiving quality care to a high standard,” explained Kate Elliss, Australia’s minister for early childhood and child care. Steve Hambleton, president of Australia’s medical association, commented: “If somebody sneezes on a cake, I probably don't want to eat it either. But if you're blowing out candles, how many organisms are transferred to a communal cake, for goodness sake?”

Sin of omission

Two teachers at the Little Oaks Private School in Little Oaks, California, were cast out after declining to answer a questionnaire about their church attendance. Teachers Lynda Serrano and Mary Ellen Guevara subsequently filed a lawsuit arguing that the Christian school is for-profit and therefore can’t discriminate based on religion. The school launched a countersuit alleging that the teachers are threatening the school’s constitutional right to freedom of religion.