LANCASTER, Ohio – Gorsuch West Elementary School third-grader Brionna Palmer was in tears after she said her substitute teacher forced her to stop reading her Bible to free reading time Wednesday.

“She said, ‘Mommy, the teacher made me put my Bible away.’ And I said, ‘What do you mean she made you put your Bible away?” the girl’s mother, Audra Palmer, told WCMH.

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The 9-year-old told her mother she finished her assignment and took out her Bible to read quietly, as were other students when the substitute noticed the Bible and told her she couldn’t read it in class.

“The teacher came through and she was inspecting everybody’s books, and she said to put your book away and get out a different book,” Audra Palmer said her daughter told her.

“I reassured her it was OK, she had done nothing wrong, that it was right, it was OK for her to read her Bible and that she shouldn’t be ashamed to do so,” she said.

Audra Palmer contacted school officials Wednesday, and went to the school with her husband the next day to talk to the principal. News reports do not detail what came of the conversation, but Lancaster City Schools superintendent Steven Wigton released a statement that essentially called the young girl a liar, WBTW reports.

“At Gorsuch West Elementary on Wednesday, May 4, 2016, a misunderstanding occurred in a third grade classroom. A substitute teacher was reading to the class as a student was reading independently,” the statement read. “The student was asked to put her book away while the lesson was going on. The book happened to be the Bible. The substitute had no problem with the young lady reading the Bible earlier in the day during free reading time.”

The Palmers said their daughter has never encountered issues with reading her Bible from her regular teacher. The incident this week simply gave them an opportunity to reiterate why the family’s faith is so important, they said.

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“We always teach all of our children we are firm believers in the Bible, in our faith, and we are not ashamed of that,” Audra Palmer said.

Parents expressed mixed opinions about the situation on Facebook.

“If she was reading ANY book during a time when the teacher was teaching rather than paying attention, she was in the wrong,” Jen Kehlmeier wrote.

“Sounds like someone is trying to make an issue where there is none,” Kim Odonnell posted. “Perhaps more of the oh they are picking on us Christians again crap.”

“Attention seeking parents,” Scott Marion wrote. “Why take the story to Channel 4? Handle the situation between yourself and the school district. Had it been a Harry Potter book your daughter was told to put away would you take that to the news station too?”

“If it’s during a time where everyone is welcome to read whatever they want, that’s BS,” Shane Mehok added. “If it’s during a time where no one is allowed to read anything but what the teacher is doing, then get over yourself and stop playing the victim.”