New Mexico Creative Writing Teacher Resigns after Student's Story about Jesus Distributing Marijuana Offends Classmate

A New Mexico creative writing teacher says she felt pressured to resign from her position after a student wrote a story about Jesus distributing marijuana to sick people, which offended another student. 

Katrina Guarascio gave her Cleveland High School class an assignment to update a well-known fairy tale or legend to fit modern-day society. 

When a student penned a story about Jesus giving marijuana to sick people instead of loaves and fishes to a crowd, a religious student in the class was offended. Her parents filed a complaint with the school and Guarascio says she felt pressured to resign. 

The school maintains that the teacher was not forced out of her position and resigned by choice. 

Guarascio said that the story did not offend her and she encourages her student to write for themselves not for others. 

“If they have something to say, say it. Not everyone’s going to agree with you, but that doesn’t make your point invalid or worthless. Tell your story,” she said. 

Publication date: December 10, 2014