Officials from the Newton County School District told Fox 5 Atlanta that the quote is from Arthur Miller's play, "The Crucible," and that the drawings are some of several student works of art based on the play. However, mother Crystal Mitchell says her tenth-grade child is upset by the artwork, and that it has no place in public schools.
"If my child can't pray in school and they've taken religion out of school, for this to be plastered on the walls of the public school is a huge concern to me," Mitchell told Fox 5.
In response, Fox 5 reported that a spokeswoman for the school, Sherri Davis-Viniard, said the student who made the artwork "was not reflecting religious preferences."
"Basically, he's just reflecting a quote in the book," Davis-Viniard said.
Still, Mitchell’s complaints seem to be gaining traction. A Facebook page in protest of the drawings, titled “God Is Alive In Newton” has gained over 1,400 likes since being created on August 12.
“The liked numbers are growing. So I guess more people are upset about this then [sic] the school thought. No matter our beliefs, our children should never have to feel uncomfortable in a class,” a post on the site from Aug. 18 reads.
The Facebook page features photos of the school artwork in question. The pictures feature images of nooses, fire and angel wings. Commenters on the page called the images “evil” and “horrible.”
A spokesperson for the school could not be reached by press time.
"The Crucible" is a 1953 play that uses the Salem Witch hunts as an allegory for 1950’s McCarthyism. "The Crucible" is taught in schools around the world, The New York Times reports.
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