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Criticism of Waldorf, Steiner and Anthroposophy

PLANS tries to make available all the critical opinions about Waldorf that we can find. The authors are responsible for the contents of the following articles. PLANS does not necessarily agree with or vouch for the veracity of everything posted in this section.

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  • Waldorf in General, Description & Critique
  • Personal Stories of Former Waldorf Parents, Students, Teachers, Administrators
  • Quotations About Waldorf and Anthroposophy by Rudolf Steiner and Others
  • Waldorf Curriculum and Anthroposophy in the Classroom
  • Waldorf Teacher Training
  • Anthroposophy, Steiner's Occultist Sect
  • Anthroposophical Medicine
  • Camphill (residential care for developmentally disabled)
  • Biodynamic Agriculture
  • Goethean Science
  • Racism and the Relationship of Anthroposophy to Nazi Philosophy
  • Church-State issues with Public Waldorf Schools
  • PLANS lawsuit documents
  • Other lawsuits - documents
    • Date Title and Author

    Waldorf in General, Description & Critique
    Current on the web Here's the Answer to the Question: What's Waldorf? A web article by former Waldorf pupil Roger Rawlings. "Here's a stab at such an answer, given mainly in Rudolf Steiner's own words." (external link)
    June 29, 2010 "Waldorf Education" by Michael Ruse. "Without being entirely cynical, so long as a philosophy does not do positive harm (and I am to be frank still not sure about Steiner and early reading) what really counts is that teachers are inspired." Ruse is wrong about Waldorf under the Nazis--they disagreed about it, and the schools lasted six years under the regime. The Chronicle of Higher Education (external link).
    August 1, 2009

    Anthroposophy, Rudolf Steiner, and Waldorf Schools An article in The Skeptic's Dictionary by Robert Todd Carroll, last updated August 1, 2009
    Current on the web Namenstänzer: A blog by German-speaking Waldorf pupils. "Was sind Namenstänzer? Namenstänzer sind Waldorfschüler. Welchem Waldi ist diese Frage nicht schon irgendwann mal untergekommen? 'Kannst du deinen Namen tanzen?' Natürlich, es gibt viele Vorurteile gegenüber Waldorfschülern – aber wohl keines ist so hartnäckig und vor allem so nah an der Wahrheit wie das 'Namentanzen'."
    January 31, 2009 Origin of the Specious: Race, lies, and stereotypes in Rudolf Steiner's anthroposophy by Staff Reporter. Counterknowledge (external link).
    November, 2008 Clues: Piercing the Waldorf Facade by former Waldorf pupil Roger Rawlings. "How can you tell what a Waldorf school is up to? There are Waldorfs and Waldorfs. Very few of the schools will openly acknowledge that they are devoted to occultism. This denial may be true at some of the schools; in other cases, it is surely not true. So how can you tell whether unspoken occult beliefs are present in any particular Waldorf?" (external link)
    July, 2008

    A Pedagogy for Aryans by Peter Bierl. Small classes, no mad scramble for high marks, and a motivated teaching-staff—Waldorf schools have earned a good reputation for their feigned ability to benefit students on an individual level. Still, to this day, these disguised religious schools pursue the idea of the anti-modern.
    September, 2007

    Pädagogik der runden Ecken -- Kleine Klassen, kein Notendruck und eine motivierte Lehrerschaft – Waldorfschulen stehen in dem Ruf, Schüler individuell fördern zu können. Doch die verkappten Religionsschulen verfolgen bis heute die Idee der Antimoderne. Von Peter Bierl. (external link) English Summary
    July 28, 2007 Questions about Steiner's classroom by Melinda Rout, The Australian (external link)
    May 15, 2007 Advice for Parents by former Waldorf pupil Roger Rawlings. (external link)
    December 5, 2006 Warm and Woolley? An anthroposophical experiment. By Kristín A. Sandberg and Trond K. O. Kristoffersen.
    Current on the web Denken strengt Verstand an – Pädagogik nach Rudolf Steiner. by Peter Bierl. Kontext: web site of Gerhard Kern. (external link, in German.)
    Current on the web Om Waldorfpedagogiken (in Swedish, external link).
    May, 2004 What's Waldorf? The alternative school's holistic, arts-based philosophy seemed like a perfect fit for my kids. Then I started learning about the eccentric mystical beliefs of its founder. By Meagan Francis, in Salon (external link).
    2003 Why Waldorf Programs are Unsuitable for Public Funding by Dan Dugan, published by Cultic Studies Review, Volume 2, Number 2
    2003 Spotlight on Anthroposophy By Sharon Lombard, published by Cultic Studies Review, Volume 2, Number 2, reproduced by permission
    Nov. 16, 2002 Gnomes and Critics at Waldorf Schools. By Carol Milstone, National Post (Canada).
    December 21, 2001 Question: Who Was Rudolf Steiner? Answer: Who Is Asking? By Steve Walden
    December 21, 2001 The Role of Gnomes In Waldorf Kindergarten By Diana Winters
    June 20, 2001 The Spirit of Waldorf Education written by David Ruenzel, Education Week, June 20, 2001
    (not dated) Waldorf Schools, Anthroposophy, and Rudolf Steiner A concise description, including good list of sources. Cincinnati Skeptics, The Association for Rational Thought
    September 1, 2000 Mein Konflikt mit meiner Anthroposophischen Erziehung A German article by Christoph Keller dated September 1, 2000
    November 13, 1999 Waldorf Education--For Our Times Or Against Them? Transcript of talk by Eugene Schwartz, Director of Teacher Training, Sunbridge College: November 13, 1999. Edited by Michael Kopp.
    October 1999 Letter To Editor by Kathleen Sutphen re Todd Oppenheimer's Atlantic Monthly article "Schooling the Imagination (Atlantic 9/99).
    February 8, 1999 A Parent's List Of Questions And Concerns. By Steve Premo via post to waldorf-critics discussion list.
    November 21, 1998 An Interview With PLANS President. by college student Jeff Horseman.
    November 2, 1998 Critical Waldorf Article For Minnesota Parent Thwarted. By Mary Petrie.
    Fall 1998 "Partial Vision in Alternative Education" by Ron Miller, Renewal: Fall 1998, Vol. 7 No. 2, p. 20.
    April 3, 1990 Survey of San Francisco Waldorf School Parents: Report. by Dan Dugan, April 3, 1990.
    June 4, 1989 Childhood in a Cocoon by Sara Solovitch (San Jose Mercury News): "The children who attend Waldorf schools are sheltered from the outside world's noise and haste. So what happens to them when childhood ends?"
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    Personal Stories of Former Waldorf Parents, Students, Teachers, Administrators
    March 1, 2010

    A victim of teacher bullying at Waldorf by Sarah. "I could have been helped, but instead I was bullied."
    August 27, 2008

    Waldorf har en dold andlig agenda (in Swedish) by Hasse Boström. Alicia - själv tidigare Waldorfelev - tillhör ett internationellt nätverk som granskar antroposofin. Dagen, 1 September 2008 (external link).
    July 6, 2008 A Very Alternative Education by Northernrefugee. One mother's discovery of the good, the bad, and the ugly at one of the world's leading Waldorf schools.
    June 9, 2008 An Open Letter to Highland Hall by Pete Karaiskos. An example of how people who believe they are on a Mission from God can abuse someone who suggests cleaning their own house first.
    March 31, 2008 Selections from the Green Parent Forum. Bullying, rigidity, control-freakery, you name it.
    June 7, 2007 Testimonial of a Former Waldorf Parent. By Anonymous #4.
    February 1, 2007 UNENLIGHTENED: The Inside Story of an Occult Education by Roger Rawlings (external link).
    July 15, 2004 Disillusioned ex-Waldorf parent: posting to the waldorf-critics list by Margaret Sachs.
    March 4, 2004 Testimonial: Sent to the PLANS webmaster.
    December 21, 2001 Anonymous Testimonial From Waldorf Parent. By Anonymous #1.
    December 21, 2001 Anonymous Testimonial From Waldorf Parent. By Anonymous #3.
    December 19, 2001 Parent Testimonial in waldorf-critics Post. By Kathy H.
    April 2, 2000 Anonymous Testimonial From Waldorf Parent. By Anonymous #2.
    January 31, 2000 Thanks PLANS! Email From Sharon Lombard. By Sharon Lombard.
    January 12, 2000 Woman Sees Waldorf Racism On First Visit. By Anonymous.
    September 11, 1999 Waldorf Student Testimonial - Rosie. By Rosie.
    1999 The phlegmatic sits by the window...: Experiences with actual Waldorf teaching. Miss Claudia Pangh, published by Reinhard Karst, 1999.
    December 4, 1998 A Note Of Thanks. By [name withheld by request].
    February 4, 1998 My Education Towards Racism. By Edwin Kreulen.
    October 8, 1997 "We don't need no Steiner education." Pink Floyd leader David Gilmour speaks his mind about his children's Waldorf experience. An article by Cassandra Jardine, Education section, The Daily Telegraph, 10-08-1997, pp 22.
    April 1996 Warten auf die Reinkarnation von Jesus und Steiner in einer Person. MIZ interview with Norbert Biermann, April 1996. In German followed by a rough machine translation.
    Fall 1991 Weird Science At Steiner School. Skeptical Inquirer, Vol. 16 (Fall 1991), page 23. Dan Dugan's personal story.
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    Quotations About Waldorf and Anthroposophy by Rudolf Steiner and Others
    June 1, 2007 What We're Made Of: Steiner on anatomy and physiology, collected and analyzed by Roger Rawlings (external link).
    September 2002 Quotations by Rudolf Steiner and others on the spiritual importance of color and art, compiled by Sharon Lombard.
    January 2001 Wet-on-wet Painting As Talisman, a series of posts to waldorf-critics by Sharon Lombard, January 11, 2001 - January 22, 2001.
    September 1996 The Roots of Racism in Waldorf Schools: Quotations from Rudolf Steiner and other Anthroposophists compiled by Dan Dugan, July 1995, revised September 1996.
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    Waldorf Curriculum and Anthroposophy in the Classroom
    June 1, 2007 What We're Made Of. Steiner on anatomy and physiology, collected and analyzed by Roger Rawlings (external link).
    December 7, 2006 It's About Anthroposophy by Baandje. Posted to the waldorf-critics list, December 7, 2006
    November 8, 2006 & following comments "Woo Math: Steiner and Theosophical Math." Thread on the Good Math, Bad Math blog. (external link)
    April, 2005

    Poor Academic Standards by MQ. Posted to the waldorf-critics list, April 19, 2005
    January 2001 Wet-on-wet Painting As Talisman, a series of posts to waldorf-critics by Sharon Lombard, January 11, 2001 - January 22, 2001.
    May 2000 Our Brush with Rudolf Steiner by Sharon Lombard. Freethought Today. Madison, WI: May 2000, p. 8.
    July 27, 1997 Nature Table or Altar?: by Dan dugan, July 27, 1997.
    1996 Mathematikunterricht an Freien Waldorfschulen: [221K .pdf file in German] by Susanne Prediger & Heiner Ullrich. Journal für Mathematikdidaktik 17 (1996) 3/4, S. 192-211.
    Spring 1994 Are Rudolf Steiner's Waldorf Schools 'Non-Sectarian'? by Dan Dugan and Judy Daar, Free Inquiry, Spring 1994 (Vol. 14 No. 2
    Winter 1994 Waldorf Schools Teach Odd Science, Odd Evolution by Eugenie C. Scott. National Center for Science Education Reports, Vol. 14, No. 4, Winter 1994, p. 20
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    Waldorf Teacher Training
    October 8, 2008 University of Stockholm dumps Waldorf teacher training program: not up to standards of higher education. By Alicia Hamberg. A survey of the controversy, quoting sources on both sides.
    August 26, 2008

    Stockholm University ends Steiner teacher training. Stockholm University has decided to wind up its Steiner-Waldorf teacher training. Steiner science literature is 'too much myth and too little fact', the university's teacher education committee has ruled. The Local: Sweden's News in English (external link).
    June 19, 2008 University of Stockholm Rejects Waldorf Courses. (in Swedish) The University of Stockholm has decided not to support 11 Waldorf-related courses that had previously been given as parts of the Waldorf teacher training.The Swedish Sceptics' association reports that this decision is part of a greater general effort to ensure and enhance the quality of the teacher training programs. (external link)
    Current CURRICULUM of the Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training
    August 24, 2005 Anti-social and Alienating Behavior. A Waldorf teacher gives some background that helps in understanding the behavior of Waldorf teachers. Posted to the waldorf-critics discussion list by Baandje.
    July 3, 2005 Karma and Reincarnation for Teachers: Caring for Relationships. by Dr. Robin Bacchus, Teachers Preparatory Course Coordinator, Taruna College, New Zealand.
    July/August, 2004 Wundersame Waldorf-Pädagogik oder Atlantis als Bewusstseinszustand by Andreas Lichte (in German) An experience in a Waldorf teacher-training course.

    Rough translation: Wondrous Waldorf Pedagogy or Atlantis as State of Consciousness by Andreas Lichte
    1993-1994 Waldorf Teacher Training Reading List, First Year: Rudolf Steiner College 1993-94.
    1993-1994 Waldorf Teacher Training Requirements, Second Year: Rudolf Steiner College 1993-94.
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    Anthroposophy, Steiner's Occultist Sect
    Current on the web Nachrichten aus der Welt der Anthroposophie (News from the World of Anthroposophy) a critical blog in German.
    July 14, 2008 Steiner and the Warlord by former Waldorf student Roger Rawlings. "As an amazingly gifted clairvoyant, Rudolf Steiner should have foreseen—before the first German boot trod upon Belgian soil in 1914—the dreadful carnage to come as well as its horrific results. Yet he associated himself with the leader of Germany's military, a man who might fairly be described as a war criminal." (external link)
    2007 Anthroposophy, by Dan Dugan. An article in The New Encyclopedia of Unbelief from Prometheus Press.
    September 3, 2006 Anthroposophy 101 by Ronald Koetzsch, posted to the waldorf-critics list 9/3/06, as published in Renewal, Spring/Summer 2006
    July, 2006

    Bibliography on the Applicability of "Occultism" As a Description of Anthroposophy, by Peter Staudenmaier on the waldorf-critics list, July 20, 2006 "Re: the meaning of occultism."
    January, 2006 Dweller on the Threshold On the 80th anniversary of Rudolf Steiner's death, Gary Lachman celebrates the life, work and enduring legacy of one of Western esotericism's most ambitious and unusual thinkers. External link to Fortean Times.
    May, 2004 Anthroposophy, Rudolf Steiner and Waldorf/Steiner Schools: Collected references from the National Library of Australia. An annotated bibliography. (79 KB .pdf)
    January 28, 2001 Anthroposophy: by Fredrik Bendz, July 4, 1997, last update January 28, 2001.
    February 9, 1999 Why Anthroposophy Is Cult-Like by Dan Dugan.
    Spring, 1998 Caring for the Family of Cult Victims by Ian Haworth, Cult Information Centre (UK).
    April 1996 Anthroposophy: Rudolf Steiner's 'Spiritual Science': by Rob Boston, Church and State, April 1996.
    1991 Is Anthroposophy Science? by Sven Ove Hansson, Conceptus: zeitschrift für philosophie, XXV (1991), No. 64, p. 37.
    December, 1982 Five Karmas, or Anthroposophy in Great Britain by Dr. Geoffrey Ahern. An in-depth sociological analysis of the Steiner group and their doctrines (external link).
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    Anthroposophical Medicine
    January 9, 2009 Measles Outbreaks: not just a British tragedy, but a European one as well. By Matthew Hartfield. Counterknowledge (external link).
    March 19, 2008 Measles Epidemic (in German) A large outbreak of measles in Salzburg, Austria has been reported. ...at a Waldorf school in Salzburg. The the local health department is trying to limit the damage by offering information and recommending vaccination for all children at the school who are not yet vaccinated. Apparently, in Nordrhein-Westfalen were the latest large epidemic occurred, out of 2000 infected, one child died and there's evidence of lasting damage due to encephalitis among the survivors (external link).
    February 25, 2007 Steiner's Quackery by former Waldorf student (11 years) Roger Rawlings (external link).
    January 30, 2007 Growing Up Being Made Sick by Anthroposophy by Robert Smith-Hald.
    December 23, 2006 "Mistletoe as a treatment for cancer: Has no proved benefit, and can cause harm." By Edzard Ernst, BMJ 2006:333; 1281-1283. (external link)
    December 23, 2006 "Subcutaneous inflammation mimicking metastatic malingnancy induced by injection of mistletoe extract." By A.I. Finall, S.A. McIntosh, W.D. Thompson, BMJ 2006:333; 1293-1294. (external link)
    December 6, 2006 Anthroposophic Medicine by Robert Todd Carroll. Skeptics Dictionary (external link).
    December 21, 2004 Mistletoe - viable alternative cancer treatment, or just a placebo with dangerous side-effects? Edzard Ernst in The Guardian (external link).
    September 13, 2002 The Deadly Perils of Rejected Knowledge by Thomas R. DeGregori. American Council on Science and Health. (external link)
    September 2002 Bucking The Herd by Arthur Allen: Atlantic Monthly article on a vaccination controversy in Boulder, Colorado (external link).
    1997 Anthroposophical Medicine by William Jarvis, PhD, National Council Against Health Fraud (external link).
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    Camphill
    July 4, 2008 Child Abuse Charges against Berlin Waldorf Facility by Peter Tiede, Tagesspiegel. In English and German.
    Current on the web Musical Biography by Robert Smith-Hald. What life was like for a boy growing up as the child of Camphill staff (external link).
    Current on the web Camphill Training Course in Curative Education and Social Therapy
    October 12, 2004 Paradise Trust: statement of the results of an Inquiry under Section 8 of the Charities Act 1993.
    January, 1992 Wandin Springs Report released by the Australian Department of Human Services in response to a Freedom of Information request.
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    Biodynamic Agriculture
    November 18, 2008

    Voodoo on the Vine by Joe Eskenazi. The origins of the increasingly popular Biodynamic wine are steeped in the occult and bad science. SF Weekly (external link).
    February 25, 2007 Fill Those Cow Horns. Essay by former Waldorf student Roger Rawlings (external link).
    June 9, 2006 "Biodynamics" in The World of Fine Wine: Join the Debate. A continuing blog discussion. (external link)
    February 11, 2006 How to practice Biodynamics...? Blog in The Zinquisition series by "St. Vini." (external link)

    Parody book cover "Biodynamics for Dummies"
    February 3, 2005 Book review: Wine, from sky to earth (Joly). Blog in The Zinquisition series by "St. Vini." (external link)
    August, 2004 James Randi's opinion on "Preparation 500" (external link).
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    Goethean Science
    1922

    Steiner and Natural Science. One of the most prominent physicists of Steiner's era, Max von Laue, who received the Nobel Prize for physics in 1914, wrote a scathing critique in 1922 of Steiner's misunderstandings of science and particularly of physics. Transition no. 61-62, pp. 160-165. Collingwood, Vic, Australia, 2000. (.pdf) Use back button to return here.
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    Racism and the Relationship of Anthroposophy to Nazi Philosophy
    January 23, 2009

    Steiner & Krishnamurti by Peter Staudenmaier. Posted to the Waldorf Critics discussion list January 23, 2009. "Making sense of Steiner's indignant attitude toward the Krishnamurti affair requires taking seriously Steiner's statements about the racial character of Asians, the future direction of racial evolution, the spiritual significance of skin color, the obsolete and inferior nature of Eastern spiritual traditions, and other factors."
    January 21, 2009

    Steiner's Early Nationalism by Peter Staudenmaier. Posted to the Waldorf Critics discussion list January 21, 2009. "In early 20th century Germany, anthroposophy promised a thoroughgoing spiritual renewal that would bring salvation not only to the German people but to the rest of the world as well. What was necessary to reach this goal, according to Steiner, was a return to Germany's authentic spiritual mission."
    June 8, 2008 Anthroposophists and Antisemitism in Fascist Italy by Peter Staudenmaier. The surprising story of how a co-founder of the Anthroposophical Society in Italy played a leading role in the persecution of Italian Jews.
    current on the web 'Ecology' and the Modernization of Fascism in the German Ultra-right by Janet Biehl (external link). Includes an analysis of the role of Anthroposophists in contemporary Neo-Nazi movements--see the section "Anthroposophy and the World League for the Protection of Life."
    January, 2008 The Art of Avoiding History: a reply that Peter Staudenmaier wrote to Göran Fant's article "The Art of Making White into Black." Both articles were originally published in the Swedish skeptical-humanist magazine Folkvett in 2001. "... this is the one I revised most thoroughly and expanded most extensively; it now includes much more material. Even those who have read it before might find interesting new things in it."
    December, 2007 Anthroposophy and Ecofascism by Peter Staudenmaier. An update of his 2000 article.
    December, 2007 Anthroposophy and its Defenders by Peter Staudenmaier and Peter Zegers. An update of their 2000 article.
    December, 2007 The Janus Face of Anthroposophy by Peter Staudenmaier and Peter Zegers. An update of their 2000 article.
    July 25, 2007 Steiner education in State Schools -- Parent Ray Pereira: "...for example, the class wasn't allowed to use black or brown colours, it was only yellows and reds and certain colours that were allowed to be used. Now this was a little bit of a problem I guess for my kids because they see themselves as being brown, and therefore weren't allowed to colour themselves as brown..." Transcript of ABC (Australia) broadcast (external link).
    Current on the Web Waldorfschulen Anthroposophie, Waldorfschulen und ihre Adepten. By Gilbert Reis. Kontext (.pdf, in German).
    Current on the Web Theosophie und Anthroposophie--Eine philosophische Basis der Neuen Rechten, oder: Der (esoterische) Rassismus aus der besseren Gesellschaft. By Gerhard Kern, Kontext (external link, in German).
    June/July 2005 The Racial Teachings of Rudolf Steiner by Sven Ove Hansson. External link to SkepticReport.com
    October 10, 2004

    Race and Redemption: Racial and Ethnic Evolution in Rudolf Steiner's Anthroposophy, by Peter Staudenmaier. Presented to the conference of the American Family Foundation, Atlanta, October 15, 2004. This article has been accepted by the University of California journal Nova Religio, and is not currently available from PLANS.
    August 6, 2004 Waldorf in the Nazi era. Response posted to the waldorf-critics discussion list by Peter Staudenmaier, Aug 6, 2004.
    1997 - 2001 Anthroposophie und Antisemitismus: Frequently updated: articles in German from 1997 to the present on the web page of Aktion Kinder des Holocaust.
    August 4, 2000 Intimidation of the Waldorf kind. An article written by Arno Frank that appeared August 4, 2000 in German publication TAZ, translated into English by CISAR.ORG
    July 10, 2000 Report Mainz: July 10th, 2000: an unauthorized translation of the news broadcast shown on German national TV on July 10th, 2000 about racism in Waldorf schools.
    Spring, 1999 Three people reflect on Waldorf Education: Recollections, published in Natural Jewish Parenting, Spring 1999
    Spring, 1999 Rudolf Steiner and the Jews by Dan Dugan, published in Natural Jewish Parenting, Spring 1999
    Spring, 1999 What every Jewish parent should know about The Waldorf Philosophy by Deborah Salazar, published in Natural Jewish Parenting, Spring 1999
    March, 1997 RUDOLF STEINER's ANTHROPOSOPHY, A NAZI CULT? by Peter Nasselstein. A probing analysis from a devotee of Wilhelm Reich. External link to www.w-reich.de.
    1995 - 1997 Antroposofie: [in Dutch] A collection of articles from the Dutch anti-racist paper Kleintje Muurkrant.
    September, 1996 The Roots of Racism in Waldorf Schools: Quotations from Rudolf Steiner and other Anthroposophists compiled by Dan Dugan, July 1995, revised September 1996.
    1996 Waldorf Salad with Aryan Mayonnaise?: A mother challenges 'race' theories in Rudolf Steiner education. By Toos Jeurissen, 1996.
    June, 1996 Racism and Waldorf Education by Ray McDermott and Ida Oberman. Research Bulletin: Vol. 1, No. 2 (June, 1996) p. 3, Waldorf Education Research Institute.
    November, 1995 Eternal Fascism: Fourteen Ways of Looking at a Blackshirt by Umberto Eco. Utne Reader, November-December 1995, pp. 57-59. This article doesn't specifically refer to Anthroposophy, but 11 of Eco's 14 points (excepting 7, 8, and 12) might easily be applied to Anthroposophy. External link to themodernword.com.
    February 4, 1995 Racial Ethnography by Robert Sikkes. Zutphen, Netherlands. De Volkskrant, February 4, 1995.
    1992 The Swedish anthroposophists and the "Negro problem" by Sven Ove Hansson. Folkvett 1992, No. 1.
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    Church-State Issues with Public Waldorf Schools
    July 10, 2009 Fairies at the bottom of the schoolyard. Frank blog with public discussion. "What kind of complete fucking idiot would provide state funding to a network of schools operated by a bunch of woo-peddling occultist fucknuts?" (external link)
    January 27, 2009 Dan Dugan speaks to the San Francisco School Board about an application for a Waldorf-inspired charter school. (external link to video 3:51)
    January, 2008 The delusional world of Rudolf Steiner by Ian Hayward Robinson. Australian Rationalist, Issue 78 (external link). Front Cover
    September 14, 2007 Steiner approach under review By Mary Gearin. One investigation relates to literacy and numeracy standards, and the other comes after some parents complained that the spirituality implicit in the Steiner system was incompatible with secular public education. Transcript of ABC broadcast (external link).
    July 28, 2007 Questions about Steiner's classroom by Milanda Rout, The Australian (external link).
    July 25, 2007 Steiner education in State Schools: Is it Occult? Steiner education in Victorian state Schools may be stretching the secular intent of Victoria's 1872 Education Act. The Act was the first in Australia to make education free, secular and compulsory. Transcript of ABC broadcast (external link).
    July 15, 2007 Talkback: Who was Rudolf Steiner? Why the current controversy over Steiner education programmes in Victorian state schools? Transcript of ABC broadcast (external link).
    Summer, 2006 Steiner Preschools: More Taxpayer-Funded Loopiness. By Raymond Richards. New Zealand Skeptics Newsletter.
    September 22, 2005 Change of PLANS: Waldorf foes will try their luck in another court. (External link: Sacramento News & Review)
    February 3, 2005

    Schooled in spirituality: The Waldorf charter schools tend toward the metaphysical in approach, but is that religious teaching? A federal-court judge will decide. (External link: Sacramento News & Review)
    February 4, 2004 Letter from the Anthroposophical Society to the Benicia, CA, School Board: Anthroposophists compare PLANS to jewwatch.com!
    2003 Why Waldorf Programs are Unsuitable for Public Funding by Dan Dugan, Cultic Studies Review, Volume 2, Number 2
    October 28, 2003 Minutes of the Ross Valley School District Board, denying Oak Mountain Waldorf Charter School Petition : October 28, 2003.
    Nov. 16, 2002 Gnomes and Critics at Waldorf Schools. By Carol Milstone, National Post (Canada).
    March 27, 2001 Appeals Court Decision: Altman vs. Bedford Central School District : March 27, 2001.
    February 7, 2001 Findings of the Chico Unified School District Board, denying Blue Oak Waldorf Charter School Petition : February 7, 2001.
    October 30, 2000 Religion or Philosophy? Critics say Waldorf schools' unusual methods make them ineligible for public funding An article appearing October 30, 2000 on the front page of The San Francisco Chronicle.
    October 7, 1999 WCBM "Uninhibited Radio" Transcript of radio program on Waldorf Education and PLANS' lawsuit, October 7, 1999 on WCBM Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A. Host: Les Kinsolving. Guests: Dan Dugan, People for Legal and Nonsectarian Schools (PLANS); Betty Staley, Rudolf Steiner College; David Alsop, Association of Waldorf Schools of North America.
    October 1, 1999 Public Schools Teaching Occult Religion?: Lawsuit challenges tax funding of New Age curriculum by Stephan Archer, WorldNetDaily.com October 1, 1999.
    1999 Reading, Writing, and "Spiritual Science"? by John W. Morehead.
    1997 New Age Education Supported By Public Tax Dollars? Waldorf Charter School Controversy by John W. Morehead
    Winter, 1997 Going Public: Schools weigh the Waldorf alternative: by Nora Mealy, California Schools: Winter 1997
    March 4, 1997 Twin Ridges School - A Deceptive Alternative: by Dr. James M. Morton. The Union, Grass Valley-Nevada City, CA, March 4, 1997.
    June 28, 1996 AWSNA Position Statement: ("Waldorf education is only possible if its practitioners and administrators are free to work out of a clear recognition of and commitment to the development of the spiritual nature of the human being.") June 28, 1996.
    June 25, 1996 Americans United to Novato School Board: Letter from John C. Barker, June 25, 1996.
    April, 1996 Charter for Indoctrination?: Why a San Diego Teacher Gives Tax-Funded Waldorf Charter Schools An 'F' by Rob Boston, Church and State, April 1996.
    July 6, 1995 General Counsel to San Diego School Board: Letter of July 6, 1995, re Tubman Village School
    April 27, 1995 Separation of Guru and State? - Influence of the New Age Movement on Public Education: by Francis J. Beckwith. PREMISE , Vol. II, No. 4 (April 27, 1995) p. 8
    March, 1992
    The Rudolf Steiner Threat to Victorian Education by Ian Robinson. From: The Australian Rationalist, No 30, March 1992. If the Australian authorities had listened to Robinson back in '92, they wouldn't be in the trouble they are with Waldorf today.
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    PLANS Lawsuit Documents
    November 11, 2007 UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT - MEMORANDUM (16KB .pdf file). "The district court erred in excluding the testimony of the witnesses in question. Because PLANS intended to call the witnesses as percipient witnesses, it did not need to comply with the court's deadline for expert witness disclosure. Moreover, the record indicates that PLANS disclosed the witnesses as early as January 2001. Even if the witnesses had not been properly disclosed, there was no prejudice as the School Districts had previously designated the same witnesses as expert witnesses. ...Accordingly, the judgment of the district court is REVERSED, and the case is REMANDED for further proceedings."
    November 3, 2005 254 NOTICE OF APPEAL TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEAL FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT (3.1MB .pdf file)
    September 28, 2005 248 FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW; AND ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR JUDGMENT UNDER FEDERAL RULE OF CIVIL PROCEDURE 52(c) (24K .pdf file)
    September 12, 2005 241.1 Transcript of Trial (52K .pdf file)
    April 20, 2005 229 THIRD AMENDED PRETRIAL CONFERENCE ORDER (872K .pdf file)
    March 25, 2005 227 SUPPLEMENTAL DECLARATION OF MICHELLE L. CANNON IN SUPPORT OF MOTIONS IN LIMINE (28K .pdf file)
    March 25, 2005 225 DEFENDANTS' JOINT REPLY TO PLAINTIFF'S OPPOSITION TO MOTION IN LIMINE NO. THIRTEEN (13) TO EXCLUDE EXPERTS NOT PROPERLY DISCLOSED BY PLAINTIFF (48K .pdf file)
    March 25, 2005 224 DEFENDANT'S JOINT REPLY TO PLAINTIFF'S OPPOSITION TO MOTION IN LIMINE NO. TWELVE (12) TO EXCLUDE EXHIBITS NOT PREVIOUSLY DISCLOSED OR PRODUCED (40K .pdf file)
    March 25, 2005 223 DEFENDANTS' JOINT REPLY TO PLAINTIFF'S OPPOSITION TO MOTION IN LIMINE NO. ELEVEN (11) TO EXCLUDE TESTIMONY BY WITNESSES NOT PREVIOUSLY DISCLOSED (28K .pdf file)
    March 18, 2005 221 OPPOSITION TO DEFENDANTS' JOINT MOTION IN LIMINE NO. THIRTEEN (13) TO EXCLUDE "EXPERTS" (20K .pdf file)
    March 18, 2005 220 OPPOSITION TO DEFENDANTS' JOINT MOTION IN LIMINE NO. TWELVE (12) TO EXCLUDE DOCUMENTS (32K .pdf file)
    March 18, 2005 219 OPPOSITION TO DEFENDANTS' JOINT MOTION IN LIMINE NO. ELEVEN (11) TO EXCLUDE WITNESSES (36K .pdf file)
    March 16, 2005 218 AMENDED PRETRIAL CONFERENCE ORDER (100K .pdf file)
    March 14, 2005 217 OBJECTIONS BY DEFENDANT SACRAMENTO CITY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT TO PORTIONS OF THE PRETRIAL CONFERENCE ORDER FILED FEBRUARY 18, 2005 (512K .pdf file)
    March 14, 2005 216 DEFENDANT TWIN RIDGES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT'S OBJECTIONS TO PRETRIAL CONFERENCE ORDER (52K .pdf file)
    March 11, 2005 211 DECLARATION OF MICHELLE L. CANNON IN SUPPORT OF MOTIONS IN LIMINE (32K .pdf file)
    March 11, 2005 210 MOTION IN LIMINE NO. THIRTEEN: DEFENDANTS' JOINT MOTION IN LIMINE TO EXCLUDE EXPERTS NOT PROPERLY DISCLOSED BY PLAINTIFF (48K .pdf file)
    March 11, 2005 209 MOTION IN LIMINE NO. TWELVE: DEFENDANTS' JOINT MOTION IN LIMINE TO EXCLUDE EXHIBITS NOT PREVIOUSLY DISCLOSED OR PRODUCED (52K .pdf file)
    March 11, 2005 208 MOTION IN LIMINE NO. ELEVEN: DEFENDANTS' JOINT MOTION IN LIMINE TO EXCLUDE TESTIMONY BY WITNESSES NOT PREVIOUSLY DISCLOSED (52K .pdf file)
    March 11, 2005 207 DEFENDANTS' JOINT NOTICE OF MOTIONS IN LIMINE (24K .pdf file)
    February 18, 2005 206 PRETRIAL CONFERENCE ORDER (684K .pdf file)
    February 11, 2005 204 PLAINTIFF’S SEPARATE STATEMENT OF DISPUTED MATERIAL FACTS IN PREPARATION FOR PRETRIAL CONFERENCE (18K .pdf file)
    February 11, 2005 203 JOINT FINAL PRETRIAL CONFERENCE STATEMENT (110K .pdf file)
    January 28, 2005 202 NOTICE OF MOTIONS IN LIMINE AFFECTED BY PLAINTIFF’S MOST RECENT WITNESS AND EXHIBIT LISTS (20K .pdf file)
    January 14, 2005 196 DEFENDANTS' FINAL PRETRIAL STATEMENT (810K .pdf file)
    January 14, 2005 198 JOINT FINAL PRETRIAL CONFERENCE STATEMENT (85K .pdf file)
    July 15, 2004 187 AMICUS CURIAE BRIEF OF THE ANTHROPOSOPHICAL SOCIETY IN AMERICA IN SUPPORT OF DEFENDANTS (144K .pdf file)
    June 25, 2004 161 MEMORANDUM OF POINTS AND AUTHORITIES IN SUPPORT OF A MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT, OR, IN THE ALTERNATIVE, SUMMARY ADJUDICATION (116K .pdf file)
    June 25, 2004 162 PLAINTIFF'S SEPARATE STATEMENT OF UNDISPUTED MATERIAL FACTS IN SUPPORT OF MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT, OR, IN THE ALTERNATIVE, SUMMARY ADJUDICATION (116K .pdf file)
    May 28, 2004 163 DECLARATION OF JONATHAN P. HUBER IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFF'S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT, OR, IN THE ALTERNATIVE, SUMMARY ADJUDICATION. (44K .pdf file)
    February 10, 2003 109 OPINION from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, affirming the standing of PLANS and reinstating PLANS' federal lawsuit (44K .pdf file)
    May 23, 2001 100 Full text of PLANS' lawsuit dismissal by The Honorable Frank C. Damrell May 23, 2001 (2.8 MB .pdf file)
    October 24, 1999 49 Memorandum and Order: Decision of Judge Damrell 10/24/99 rejecting the school districts' request for summary judgment in PLANS' Establishment Clause lawsuit (2.2 MB .pdf file).
    February 10, 1998 1 COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF: PLANS, Inc., Plaintiffs v. SACRAMENTO CITY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, TWIN RIDGES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT, DOES 1 - 100, Defendants
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    Other Lawsuits - Documents
    August 26, 2004
    March 6, 2002
    SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT AND JURY TRIAL DEMAND - RACIAL AND RETALIATORY DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT: Charmaine Paulson, Plaintiff, -vs- Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA) and Rudolf Steiner School of New York, Defendants. (2.6 MB .pdf file)
    August 1, 2000
    COMPLAINT FOR STATUTORY VIOLATIONS OF ADA, INTENTIONAL AND NEGLIGENT INFLICTION OF EMOTIONAL DISTRESS, CAL BUS & PROF CODE NEGLIGENCE, STATUTORY NEGLIGENCE OF CAL ED CODE: Blake and Betty Westman, Plaintiffs, -vs- Twin Ridges Elementary School District, Ken Ratekin, and DOES 1 - 50 inclusive, Defendants (2.4 MB .pdf file)

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