MORRO BAY ENGLISH TEACHER SPARKS CONTROVERSY

Subject of complaint filed for conducting classroom ESP experiments and other exercises in eastern mysticism

MORRO BAY - Parents of a Morro Bay High School student have filed a complaint against an English teacher who admitted conducting classroom ESP experiments and other exercises in eastern mysticism.  No disciplinary action was taken against the teacher, but a school official says he has been told to refrain from similar activities in the future.

Bruce Black, a tenured English teacher, reportedly used class time May 7 to view personal "auras" and use the extra-sensory powers of his "third eye", according to parent Kim Watson.  According to one report, Black told students he was a "huge" believer in the shared ability of people to read each other's aura through their own "third eye."  That is a clear violation of the separation of religion and government, Watson believes.

"He wanted to demonstrate his skill, so he directed [students] to pick a color and concentrate on that color, and that he would be pleased to read or see or sense with this so-called 'third eye' the color they had in their minds," Watson said.  Black walked through the classroom telling individual students which color they had picked, by reading their auras. 

Black defended his actions and refused to make an apology for the apparent lesson on clairvoyance on May 7.

Calling the incident an unconstitutional and inappropriate use of class time, to indoctrinate students, Watson wrote a protest letter to Morro Bay High School Principal P. Zoto, demanding an apology and a retraction from Black.

In the letter, she suggest that school officials would have seriously disciplined any Christian teacher who offered to engage individual students in a moment of personal prophetic prayer, "in a class not otherwise called Explore Christianity 101."  Watson charged that Black, "read each of [the students] minds using some sort of ESP, successfully demonstrating his New Age behavior and beliefs.  All this during school time, on school property, in a class otherwise called Freshman Honors English."

I think there would have been a total hullabaloo had there been Christian propaganda in the school," said Watson.  "Everybody is clear about the separation of church and state, but maybe this isn't so clear, when it comes to the god of the 'third eye.'

Zoto didn't immediately respond to Watson's letter, but then contacted her to set up a meeting after inquiries to the school and the district from the Christian Times.  In an interview following that May 21 meeting, Zoto downplayed Watson's concerns, but wouldn't comment specifically, citing teacher and student privacy.

"The issues perceived by the parents as occult won't happen any more.  Mr. Black is very aware of their feelings."

Zoto, though, stopped short of calling for an apology or discipline.

"Everything associated with this case has been reviewed and I do not see any disciplinary action," he said.

Watson didn't like the way the meeting went.  "Zoto wanted us to capitulate," she said.  "I'll never get that hour and a half back; there was no sense of closure.  They defended each other."

Neither Black nor Zoto would characterize what took place as occult or religious during the meeting, and that also troubles Watson.

"I didn't know it was going to be so remedial," she said.  "Black stood up for his occult beliefs.  To actually deny that it was occult...I thought: 'What?  A million people say it is.  Webster's [dictionary] says it is."

Neither Watson nor school officials deny what took place.  They simply characterize the May 7 demonstrations as nonreligious activities.  Zoto, when asked whether he had theological or legal training on which to base such a judgment, replied, "Only my own common sense."  Watson disagrees, saying even Black considers them spiritual.

"He does believe he has certain abilities," said Watson.  "he did admit he was demonstrating those abilities.  It wasn't a mock example."

At the meeting with Zoto and Watson, Black freely discussed his "powers", even saying he was still an amateur and couldn't yet bend spoons.  Black wasn't available for comments.