Teacher alleges bias over music

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — Music teacher Kay Bannister is accusing the school district of trying to limit her salary because she objected to rock music in the classroom on religious grounds.

The Idaho Falls School Board has declined comment on Bannister’s claim, filed in U.S. District court. Attorney Brian Julian issued a statement maintaining that the board handled Bannister’s salary in a fair and appropriate manner.

But earlier this month both sides agreed to submit the dispute to mediation before retired 2nd District Judge Ron Schilling in December.

Bannister claimed that during the fall of 2001, she raised religious objections to a requirement that she include rap and rock music in her teaching curriculum.

Superintendent John Murdoch declined to relieve her of the responsibility of complying with the curriculum and asked for justification of the request. Bannister said it conflicted with her conservative religious beliefs.

In February 2002, Murdoch notified Bannister that the district was not recognizing the 27 hours of graduate credit she had received from Bob Jones University in calculating her salary because toward the religious South Carolina school was not accredited. Progress toward advanced degrees while teaching raises teachers on the Idaho Falls salary schedule.

But Bannister pointed out that on her employment application and during the interview in 1997 for a teaching job with the district, it was made clear that she was obtaining credits from Bob Jones and the district accepted those credits in calculating her salary.