FLDS Children's Schedule Released
Guidelines Given for the Youth of the Polygamist Sect in Custody
The FLDS has maintained that the children taken from the Yearning for Zion Ranch are being held illegally and against their will. The Captive FLDS Children website has released schedules for the children being held by the Texas Department of Children's Protective Services in response to a request from the agency.
463 children were taken from the Yearning for Zion Ranch, a compound owned by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Leaders of the polygamist sect are facing charges of statutory rape and child abuse.
Captive FLDS Children's Schedules
The schedules released on the FLDS website run from 5:00 in the morning to 7:00 at night with very little free time before 7 given to the children. The majority of the time in the children's schedules is dedicated to the education and religious instruction of the children, as might be expected from an educational system run by a religious organization. Older children must read a sermon from the president of the polygamist sect, Leroy S. Johnson, every morning.
The topics for education seem to be focused more on vocational work and farming than they do on preparing the students for continuing education, as would be the case for the more academically gifted students. Some of the topics are math, science, history, phonics, horticulture, wood shop, sewing, and wood building, although what the children get taught and how rigorous their education schedule is depends on the age group. The suggested schedules for the FLDS children can be downloaded from the Captive FLDS Children website.
No mention of the activities or responsibilities on the part of the fathers of the polygamist sect is mentioned anywhere in the documents, although the wording for the guidelines frequently mentions mothers and caregivers.
The Children's Schedules as an FLDS Public Relations Move
Representatives of the FLDS have launched a campaign to change their public perception. A recent letter to President Bush written by Willie Jessop paints the polygamist sect as being victims of a hoax and terrorist actions carried out by the Texas authorities. The Texas courts dealing with the children and their mothers are trying to expedite the process of finding out if any of the children can be returned safely to their mothers.
The guidelines were released in an effort to improve the public perception of the polygamist sect. Leaders of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints have tried to paint themselves as victims of a terrorist act since the April 2008 raid. This effort includes launching websites with names like captivefldschildren.org, fldstruth.org and truthwillprevail.org. The public relations move has done little to improve the group's perception and often serves to further condemn the actions of the leaders.
Resources:
“Children 0-2 Schedule.” FLDS Publication. May 11, 2008
“Children 2-6 Schedule.” FLDS Publication. May 11, 2008
“Children 1st-3rd Grade Schedule.” FLDS Publication. May 11, 2008
“Children 4th Grade through High School Schedule.” FLDS Publication May 11, 2008
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