Assembly Gone Awry

Iowa School Hires Hate-Group

Social Issues – A major faux pas by Dunkerton Community Schools in Dunkerton, Iowa last week has stirred major controversy among parents, teachers, staff, and students alike. Instead of hiring a band to promote good choices and anti-bullying, the superintendent hired a band that was recently added to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s “Hate-Group” list.

The Christian rock band Junkyard Prophet was invited to perform at the school to instill a positive message of ignoring provocative lyrics in music, making good choices, and anti-bullying. The band’s version of “making good choices,” though, included the girls saving themselves for their husbands and then adopting a submissive household role while the boys should strive to obey what one band member calls the Constitution’s “10 Commandments.” This went on for 3 hours with no one stopping it. If any of the students disagreed and tried to disconnect the speakers, or even just walk out, they were shouted at by members of the band and accused of being disrespectful.

Tim Stanton, school superintendent in Dunkerton got the students together again later in the day and urged them to concentrate on the positive aspects of the presentation, few though there were. He also stated that the band’s extreme opinions were, “not in line with the beliefs of the Dunkerton Community Schools.”

Years ago, before Stanton’s tenure, the band had also performed at Dunkerton High with encouraging impressions left among the staff, but apparently their views had changed over time … ya think? “We promote tolerance for one another,” Stanton said.

In any case, Stanton accepted these positive impressions to still be up to date and invited the band back. (The Internet is your friend, dude.) A simple “Google” search of Junkyard Prophet reveals not only their website, but the fact that drummer, Bradlee Dean, is the founder of You Can Run But You Cannot Hide aka You Can Run International, a Christian youth ministry that holds assemblies, in public schools, to coerce the students in adopting their views of anti-gay stances.

And Dean says that GAYS are trying to “go after the kids?”

Because of this outrage, there has been a petition started on forcechange.com urging Dunkerton High School to STOP Inviting homophobic and anti-woman extremists to speak at their schools. Sign the petition here.

Read more here, here, here, here, and here.