Christian Citizenship - First Amendment Issues
- Jun 26, 2006
Kyle Trudelle, a senior at Napa High School in Napa, California, was asked, along with several other students, to paint “decorative murals of their choice along a hallway outside the art room. But when Kyle, who was well known at school for freely sharing his Bible-based faith, chose to paint a picture of stairs leading to a castle in the sky, his classmates claimed to be offended and asked school administrators to obliterate his mural. They thought his mural looked too much like Heaven, and because Kyle had so strongly told all of his schoolmates that there was only one way to Heaven and that that was through faith in Jesus Christ, Kyle’s fellow students actually circulated a petition against Kyle’s painting because they objected to the religious connotations they saw in the mural.
“Kyle initially agreed to alter his mural to conform to these demands, but after thinking about it further and discussing the matter with his pastor and parents, they decided to call the Christian Law Association (CLA) for counsel instead. Attorneys for CLA immediately recognized the violation of Kyle’s free speech rights and provided him with assistance that included forwarding the federal guidelines on student religious expression in public schools. This communication convinced the Napa High School administrators to ignore the objections of the other students and permit Kyle to complete his mural as it had originally been designed. Kyle’s painting (and witness) were now allowed!”
Kyle Trudelle: A Victory Story for the Faith (Christian Law Association) [Accessed February 8, 2006]
When three students at Russell O. Brackman Middle School attempted to conduct a “See You at the Pole” prayer time on September 21, 2005, a school official approached them, demanding that they stop praying because of concerns about mixing religion and schools. “See You at the Pole” is an annual event that is student organized and led, where “students pray of the school, friends, teachers, government, and nation.”
After receiving a letter from Alliance Defense Fund attorney Jeremy Tedesco explaining the rights of the students, they were allowed to conduct a “do over” event on October 19 which was attended by 50 people instead of three. Attorney Tedesco explained, “Students not only have a constitutional right to participate in ‘See You at the Pole,’ but they also have a right to tell other students about it. So long as students do not disrupt the academic process, school officials cannot interfere with their religious freedom.”
Do-over ‘See You at the Pole’ Event Huge Success After ADF Attorney Writes Letter to School (Alliance Defense Fund), October 24, 2005
A settlement has been reached in a lawsuit filed in 2004 against the Cupertino Union School District of California by one of its teachers. Stephen J. Williams had provided students in his American history classes handouts of historical documents containing religious references—documents including the “Declaration of Independence, the diaries of George Washington and John Adams, the writings of William Penn, and various state constitutions.” The school principal had demanded that Mr. Stephens submit his lesson plans and all supplemental documents for review in advance (see Declaration of Independence Banned from Classroom).
On August 12, 2005, a settlement agreement was filed in federal court by attorneys for the Alliance Defense Fund and Cupertino Union School District. The agreement “puts in writing district policy that ‘allows teachers, no matter what their religious beliefs, to use appropriate educational material (including supplemental handouts of historical significance) during instructional time that has religious content’ and also allows teachers ‘to teach students during instructional time about matters involving religion’ so long as the content is compliant with district-prescribed curriculum and is not used to influence a student’s religious beliefs.”
Settlement: Historical American Documents Can Be Taught in Cupertino Schools (Alliance Defense Fund), August 12, 2005
“The Southern Illinois University School of Law had stripped the campus Christian Legal Society chapter of its registered status, taken away its benefits, and kicked it out of its locker space. The offense committed by the CLS chapter? The group requires that its members and leaders be Christians.”
SIU had claimed that the group’s requirements that its members and leaders be Christians violated the university’s affirmative action policy. A district court denied the society’s request for an injunction and appeal was made to the Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The court ruled that SIU violated the group’s constitutional rights and ordered that they be fully reinstated immediately. Steve Aden, Christian Legal Society chief litigation counsel, said, “It’s a good sign for Christian clubs across the country who face situations like this on university campuses, and we hope that other schools sit up and take notice.”
Jim Brown, So. Illinois Univ. Ordered to Reinstate Christian Campus Group (Agape Press), August 29, 2005
“A Georgia high school student silenced by school officials is now free to wear shirts promoting a pro-life message after the Alliance Defense Fund intervened on his behalf.
“‘Schools should be educating students about the First Amendment, not trampling it,’ said ADF Senior Legal Counsel David Cortman. ‘It should be clear by now that the First Amendment does not contain exemptions against unpopular speech.’
“Brian Ramirez, a student at Maxwell High School of Technology in Lawrenceville, Ga., was told by school authorities Oct. 26 and 27 that his pro-life clothing, which bore messages such as ‘Abortion is Homicide’ and ‘She is a Child not a Choice’ were prohibited. Ramirez had worn the clothing at various times throughout the school year.
“After respectfully refusing to adhere to an assistant principal’s request to remove the clothing, he was served an in-school suspension. Additionally, he was penalized with a ‘0’ grade for each day’s lab missed while in suspension and informed he would remain on suspension each day he continued to wear pro-life messages.
“After Brian’s family contacted ADF, school officials quickly reversed course, allowing Ramirez to wear the shirts without detention, along with clarifying to the media that no school policy was violated. The incident will also be expunged from Ramirez’ record.”
Excerpted from Uncensored: Georgia High School Revokes Pro-life Clothing Ban After ADF Steps In (Alliance Defense Fund), October 28, 2005
Further Learning
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