A student at the University of Oklahoma has come forward after receiving a failing grade for quoting the Bible in her assignment.
Samantha Furnecki was tasked with writing a 650-word essay in her psychology class, focusing on societal perceptions of gender based on expectations. The Oklahoman reported on this incident.
Furnecki quoted the Bible in her essay, arguing that gender roles should not be viewed merely as “stereotypes” and that it’s important for society to recognize the differences between men and women. She stated, “God created men and women and intentionally and purposefully created us to be different from each other,” adding that altering these roles can lead to harm.
She claimed that society is spreading falsehoods by asserting the existence of multiple genders, describing such ideas as “satanic and deeply harmful to America’s youth.”
The article assigned for the class mentioned that children who don’t align with their biological sex often face teasing.
“I don’t want my children to be teased or bullied at school,” she expressed. “But pushing the lie that everyone has their own truth is completely unbiblical.”
Her instructor graded the essay as a zero out of 25, citing a lack of empirical evidence as the reason. The instructor noted that labeling a group of people as “satanic” is particularly offensive, especially to minorities.
However, Furnecki contended that the assignment guidelines didn’t specify the need for empirical evidence. According to her, when she requested a reassessment of her grade, the instructor refused.
She then reached out to several figures, including the governor, the university president Joseph Harross Jr., and the Teacher Freedom Alliance, which is led by former state Superintendent Ryan Walters.
Furnecki mentioned, “In these circumstances, my instructor felt uncomfortable quoting from the Bible. I don’t think you should receive a failing grade based on your opinion.”
She believes that her failing grade resulted from discrimination against her beliefs and has filed a formal complaint with the university.
“To me, this is clearly discrimination against my beliefs and my right to free speech, particularly my religious beliefs,” she said.
The university has stated it is looking into the situation.
“At Oklahoma University, we respect and defend freedom of expression, including freedom of religion, and we’re committed to teaching our students how to think, not what to think,” the university communicated.
The Oklahoman detailed that the assignment’s instructions indicated grading would focus on three questions: “Does the essay make a clear connection to the assigned article? Does it provide a thoughtful response instead of a summary? Is it clearly written?”
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