To: California State Superintendent Jack O'Connell, Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger, California State Board of Education, Monterey County
School Board, Monterey Peninsula School Board.
Over the past three years, the International School of Monterey,
California, a public charter school, has had two "doctors of medical
qigong" from the International Institute of Medical Qigong
(www.medicalqigong.org) instruct their student body in "medical" qigong
exercises. This was done without parental consent or notification.
These "doctors" are not licensed by the State of California. In fact,
to become a doctor of medical qigong, one has to learn among other
things how to project energy balls, how to treat Spirit or Demon
Possession, how to use hand seals and incantations to paralyze spirit
entities, Faith Projection and Incantations, and finally how to
understand psychic and sorcery attacks. The basis for these beliefs is
the belief in a universal life force called "chi." This was also taught
to the children.
In fact, one exercise that the children performed had them hold out
their arms to the side and raise them over their heads. At this point,
they were told that they were pulling energy ("Chi") out of the earth
and it was populating their body organs, then as they lowered their
arms they were told that they were returning the excess "Chi" to the
earth.
The school has stopped the practice, but has refused to inform parents
that their children were exposed to these pseudoscientific and occult
beliefs. The school's charter is now up for renewal with both the State
and the County. We the undersigned are requesting that both the State
and the County refuse to renew the school's charter and withhold state
and federal funding until the following steps are taken:
1. The School fully discloses to parents what the children were taught, including
all lesson plans, tapes, and other relevant materials.
2. The school fully discloses all internal documentation about "qigong" and how "medical
qigong" became part of its curriculum.
3. The school presents to all students the scientific view of Qigong and the
non-existence of "Chi."
If these steps are not taken, then we the undersigned are requesting
that the school’s charter and public funding be halted
immediately.
Additionally, we the undersigned are asking that the state adopt a
policy for schools that mirrors the 1998 federal law
(http://www.opm.gov/hrd/lead/policy/eeoc915.asp) that states that
employers cannot force their employees to perform these
“exercises” without written consent from the
employee because these activities could conflict with employees'
religious beliefs or lack thereof. If employees cannot be required to
engage in these, surely children should not be required to engage in
similar practices in school that offend the beliefs of the children and
their parents?
(fields marked with * are required)
Supporting Links and Evidence
Rosedale Inn Advertisement
This advertisement for one the Medical Qigong practitioners states that
he practices "Elementary and Middle School qigong and quiescent mind
instruction at the International School of Monterey"
This sentence has since been removed from the advertisement
Yearbook Advertisement
This advertisement in the ISM school yearbook for the Qigong Institute states that the goal of Qigong in school was to:
1) Reduce stress and increase relaxation, clarity and focus. My question is, "Who mass diagnosed these children with stress and then prescribed as a treatment, Qigong?"
2)Regulate the smooth, harmonious circulation of the body's energy. That would be great except there is no evidence the body's energy (Chi) exists. 3) Increase mind/body integration, intuition, and imagination.
Mind/body integration is an Eastern religious concept with no
scientific basis. Intuition is also not a scientifically valid notion. FILLING UP THE BATTERY? This was taken form a teacher's response to the school board defending the practice of Qigong. Please read.
The Michigan Model?
Similar events to this happened in Michigan. See what their State Senate had to say about it.
Alabama Precedence
Similar events to this also happened in Alabama. The Alabama state school board outlawed these "exercises" in public schools.
The Lemon Test http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/lemontest.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemon_test
This is the test determined by the Supreme Court to determine whether
or not the establishment clause has been violated. If only one of these
is violated then the establishment clause has been breached. Three
years of performing the very central practice of Daoism (Qigong)
without it being a cultural study, sure sounds like excessive
entanglement to me.
Federal Human Subjects Law
Federal Human Subjects Law states that all treatments must be reviewed
and approved by an ethics board before any treatment is given.
Additionally, parental and subject consent must be given prior to
giving children any treatment. Again, the school's position is that
Qigong was used for relieving stress. Where is the evidence Qigong is
effective for relieving stress? Is it better than exercise, relaxing,
etc... I'm sure if the school wanted to, they could have found
something without religious ties to do that. (Assuming, of course, the
children were diagnosed with stress by a medical doctor.) http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/humansubjects/guidance/45cfr46.htm http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/children
The next three links are taken from the school in which the
medical qigong practitioners came from. Again, these "doctors" were
allowed to instruct ISM students in "medical" qigong for three years.
"This type of Daoist training includes the actual use and training of
“forbidden things.”For example, sexual intercourse
is taught using either single cultivation
(“vampiring” the partner’s life-force
energy), or duel cultivation (exchanging energy with a
partner);Intoxication is achieved through the consumption, ingestion or
inhalation of herbs, hallucinogenic drugs, and herbal pills, wines and
tinctures."
"In their most early stages, the knowledge of science and magic are
indistinguishable, and it is diffcult to differentiate between them.
Even Chinese medicine, as an applied science, has an ancient history
submerged in occult magic and Daoist shamanism. There is an old saying
that goes, “the only difference between “occult
magic” and “science” is time.”
http://www.medicalqigong.org/6T.htm
In this class, students learn how to Deal with Psychic Attacks Using
Mantras for Protection Encounters with Ghosts & Spirit Entities
and how to Treat Demon & Spirit oppression & Possession
