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View items...Local Government and Legislative Prayer--Can They Pray or Not?
Thursday, 23 May 2013 Written by Theresa Lynn SidebothamTwo recent decisions on invocational prayer before local government Board meetings, filed in March of 2013, came out in opposite directions, but give some insight into the legal principles involved in determining whether Boards can properly sponsor a formal prayer before meetings. In Hudson v. Pittsylvania County, the federal district court for the Western District of Virginia issued an injunction against the prayers being offered. In Atheists of Florida v. City of Lakeland, the Eleventh Circuit found no constitutional violation. Different courts on different days, or consistent underlying principles?
Part 7: Open Communication and Impartiality in Investigations
Monday, 13 May 2013 Written by Brent Lindquist, Ph.D.
This is quite helpful Theresa. I think the biggest issue here, is, wait for it, …communication! Part of me still struggles with wondering if it is possible to investigate a complaint by a party, gather information through an investigation through all parties, and end up by determining that the complaining party is more the problem than anyone else. Read More→
You hate to see a case with a caption like God’s Hope Builders, Inc. v. Mount Zion Baptist Church, since it seems unlikely the lawsuit is what God would have hoped for. The Georgia Court of Appeals, on March 28, 2013, remanded this case with orders to the trial court to figure out, if it legitimately could, who the church members actually were.
Part 4: Complaints, Protection, Confidentiality and Trust
Saturday, 13 April 2013 Written by Brent Lindquist, Ph.D.
I can see where if you deal with complaints in a regular process, and document them, it makes for good protection. Two comments, though, one about confidentiality, and one about trust. In a perfect world, people see leadership as benevolent, compassionate, trustworthy (don’t laugh! I am going somewhere with this!). However, the reality is that we each project our own ... Read More→
Part 3: Some Points About Your Policies - Protecting and Reporting
Sunday, 31 March 2013 Written by Theresa Lynn Sidebotham
Let’s talk about policies—the types of policies you should have and how people can report without either personnel or the company running into problems with retaliation. Your conduct and discipline policies should also prohibit retaliation, and a separate whistle-blower policy is a good idea. An important piece in avoiding sticky situations is to have a complaint or grievance procedure. Read More→
Church Employees Arrested/Charged for Failure to Report Sexual Abuse
Tuesday, 06 November 2012 Written by Gregory LoveFive employees at Victory Christian Church in Tulsa, OK were arrested for a two-week delay in notifying authorities of sexual abuse allegations.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/specialprojects/news/crimewatch/article.aspx?subjectid=450&articleid=20120923_11_A1_CUTLIN82262