digg this
save to del.icio.us
Technorati
Tweet this story
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — School officials ordered “God Bless the USA,” “In God We Trust,” and other phrases referencing God and prayer to be covered up on posters before they could be displayed in the school’s hallways.
The Wilson County Lakeview Elementary School students -- ages 6 to 10 years old -- invited fellow students to "Come and Pray with Us" in the posters. The posters were hand-drawn by students and their families to announce “See You at the Pole,” a voluntary, student-led prayer event held outside of class time.
A school employee told the parent of one student, “You can’t hang up those posters. They have the word ‘God’ on them,” the school’s vice principal and director reinforced the policy, explaining that posters containing religious references, like “In God We Trust,” “God Bless America,” and “come and pray,” are precluded by school board policy and prohibited in the hallways as inappropriate.
The school's limitation on posters was instituted after a federal court in another lawsuit not related, barred Lakeview school administrators and teachers from promoting or taking part in the student "See You At the Pole" event and ordered that any student flyers or posters promoting the event contain a disclaimer indicating the event is not endorsed by the school.
Alliance Defense Fund attorneys filed a lawsuit Tuesday on behalf of parents and students at Lakeview Elementary School in Wilson County. The Complaint in Gold v. Wilson County School Board of Education, alleges that the school's action violates plaintiffs' freedom of speech, the Establishment Clause and the 14th Amendment's due process and equal protection clauses.
“Christian students shouldn’t be censored for expressing their beliefs,” said Nate Kellum, Alliance Defense Fund Senior Counsel. “It’s ridiculous as well as unconstitutional to cover up these references to God and prayer–one of which is the National Motto itself–on posters announcing a student-led activity. School officials appear to be having an allergic reaction to the ACLU’s long-term record of fear, intimidation, and disinformation, despite a previous court ruling at this very school that said students can observe these types of events on school property.”
The American Civil Liberties Union previously sued the school to stop it from recognizing such events, including “See You at the Pole” and the National Day of Prayer. In May 2008, a federal judge refused to grant the ACLU’s request.
Each year, students and parents affiliated with Lakeview Elementary School in Mt. Juliet have placed posters in the hallways of the school informing students of the “See You at the Pole” event. This year, each poster, made on personal time without the use of any school funds or supplies, included the disclaimer: “See You at the Pole is a student-initiated and student-led event and is not endorsed by Lakeview Elementary or Wilson County schools.” Nevertheless, the students and their parents were ordered to cover up references to God and prayer and any Scripture passages on the posters or else they could not be posted.
“The Constitution prohibits government officials from singling out religious speech for censorship, but this is exactly what Lakeview school officials did when they ordered these words to be covered,” Kellum said.
The Wilson County Lakeview Elementary School students -- ages 6 to 10 years old -- invited fellow students to "Come and Pray with Us" in the posters. The posters were hand-drawn by students and their families to announce “See You at the Pole,” a voluntary, student-led prayer event held outside of class time.
A school employee told the parent of one student, “You can’t hang up those posters. They have the word ‘God’ on them,” the school’s vice principal and director reinforced the policy, explaining that posters containing religious references, like “In God We Trust,” “God Bless America,” and “come and pray,” are precluded by school board policy and prohibited in the hallways as inappropriate.The school's limitation on posters was instituted after a federal court in another lawsuit not related, barred Lakeview school administrators and teachers from promoting or taking part in the student "See You At the Pole" event and ordered that any student flyers or posters promoting the event contain a disclaimer indicating the event is not endorsed by the school.
Alliance Defense Fund attorneys filed a lawsuit Tuesday on behalf of parents and students at Lakeview Elementary School in Wilson County. The Complaint in Gold v. Wilson County School Board of Education, alleges that the school's action violates plaintiffs' freedom of speech, the Establishment Clause and the 14th Amendment's due process and equal protection clauses.
“Christian students shouldn’t be censored for expressing their beliefs,” said Nate Kellum, Alliance Defense Fund Senior Counsel. “It’s ridiculous as well as unconstitutional to cover up these references to God and prayer–one of which is the National Motto itself–on posters announcing a student-led activity. School officials appear to be having an allergic reaction to the ACLU’s long-term record of fear, intimidation, and disinformation, despite a previous court ruling at this very school that said students can observe these types of events on school property.”
The American Civil Liberties Union previously sued the school to stop it from recognizing such events, including “See You at the Pole” and the National Day of Prayer. In May 2008, a federal judge refused to grant the ACLU’s request.
Each year, students and parents affiliated with Lakeview Elementary School in Mt. Juliet have placed posters in the hallways of the school informing students of the “See You at the Pole” event. This year, each poster, made on personal time without the use of any school funds or supplies, included the disclaimer: “See You at the Pole is a student-initiated and student-led event and is not endorsed by Lakeview Elementary or Wilson County schools.” Nevertheless, the students and their parents were ordered to cover up references to God and prayer and any Scripture passages on the posters or else they could not be posted.
“The Constitution prohibits government officials from singling out religious speech for censorship, but this is exactly what Lakeview school officials did when they ordered these words to be covered,” Kellum said.
Tags
