Humansville
superintendent fired for his faith
By Allen Palmeri
Staff Writer
August 31, 2004
JEFFERSON CITY – Humansville Schools Superintendent Greg Thompson, whose job was terminated Aug. 16 when he chose to acknowledge God as opposed to complying with federal law, said that Proverbs 6:16-19 warning of six things that the Lord hates can be applied to the underpinnings of the public school system.
“We try to teach,” said Thompson, founder of Asleep kNOw More, a ministry devoted to protecting the souls of children. “There’s been such misinformation, there almost has to be an agenda in the educational system. There are so many wonderful teachers who are just not aware of what they are a part of.”
Thompson was let go because he did not go along with an insurance company edict that he keep his Bible off his desk and take down a Ten Commandments plaque on his shelf. The insurance company previously had to pay $45,000 to a plaintiff who sued the school district to remove a Ten Commandments plaque in the high school, and insurance company officials and school board members feared it would happen again. School board members voted 6-1 against Thompson.
Jim Gardner, who works closely with Thompson in the ministry of Asleep kNOw more, said the next superintendent of Humansville Schools will be more inclined to go along with the insurance company’s desire to separate any acknowledgment of God from the actual job itself.