Cheerleaders' Bible Banners Banned...School Board Doesn't Know Students' First Amendment Rights
The students on the cheerleading squad at Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School in Georgia had agreed amongst themselves to hold up Bible-based posters during football games. The School Board received one phone call questioning the posters. In a knee-jerk reaction, the School Board announced that the posters could present a Constitutional challenge and were no longer allowed carried by the cheerleaders at the football field.
However, the caller, Donna Jackson, says she was not objecting or complaining about the posters-just seeking information, wondering if the school could be sued for allowing the cheerleaders to do this (according to a Chattanooga WDEF.com report).
Yet, in the race to "cover their political bottom," the School Board quickly reacted against the cheerleaders' religious free speech. How many times does this need to be said? Students who participate in religious activities willingly, without coercion from school employees, have a perfect First Amendment right to do so.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
The cheerleader case is just one of many in the last two decades or so. Law firms around the country, specializing in First Amendment cases, report getting thousands of cases per year denying references to the Bible on school campuses.
A Hattiesburg, Mississipi sixth grader's creative essay was marked down for being about Christmas and Jesus. The teacher said that name wasn't allowed in school. The school admitted the teacher was wrong and upgraded the paper. The teacher then refused to display any essays, to avoid showing this one.
A Syracuse, New York kindergarten teacher told her class they could draw anything they wanted for a bulletin board display. One student drew a picture including Jesus. The teacher folded the artwork so that Jesus couldn't be seen when placed on the bulletin board.
A valedictorian in Monument, Colorado mentioned Jesus in her graduation speech, and was then denied her diploma until she apologized to the whole school.
In Nashville, Tennessee, students were told to block out references to God from their "See You at the Pole" signs; even though See You at the Pole takes place in the early morning before school hours, and is a once-a-year, nationally known voluntary prayer event.
Not to mention the thousands of cases brought against singing about Jesus and God in school during Christmas presentations (now largely called "holiday" presentations).
Under President Clinton, the U.S. Department of Education released a document called "Religious Expression in Public Schools." Students still have many rights that school personnel are not aware of. If your child faces religious discrimination in school, present the school with this document, or call a law firm that takes Bible discrimination cases (a few are listed below under Sources).
Back to Georgia incident: CBS News in Atlanta reports that the cheerleaders' Bible posters have been assigned to a "designated area" outside the football field's view.
*("...someone else's free speech" - it is assumed that this free speech is not associated with force, threats, coercion or the intent to do so.)
Sources(this writer is not receiving any remuneration or compensation from sources listed below):
-The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/about.aspx?item=about_firstamd.
-USA Today: http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2009/10/cheerleaders-barred-from-holding-up-bible-verses-as-football-games.html?csp=34.
-CBS Atlanta: http://www.cbsatlanta.com/news/21183283/detail.html.
-WDEF Chattanooga: http://www.wdef.com/news/statement_from_the_woman_raised_questions_about_the_ft_oglethorpe_cheerleading_banners/10/2009#.
-Hattiesburg essay case: http://www.lc.org/index.cfm?PID=14100&PRID=759.
-Syracuse poster case (Peck vs Baldwinsville Central School District): http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=15949.
-Nashville See You at the Pole case: http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/news/story.aspx?cid=4847.
-Colorado Valedictorian case: http://www.lc.org/index.cfm?PID=14100&PRID=738.
-The Dept. of Education document, "Religious Expression in Public Schools" - http://www.ed.gov/Speeches/08-1995/religion.html.
-Law firms taking Bible discrimination cases: Liberty Counsel; ACLJ; Alliance Defense Fund; Christian Law Association. (The views in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of organizations mentioned).
Published by Sheryl Young - Featured Contributor in Politics
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47 Comments
Post a CommentStrange how reverse discrimination is supposed to be more "free" :)
Another pulse raising story. And the comment that religious people should be quiet and stay home? Anyone who does so is not a true follower of their faith! Bizarre times.
"Not to mention the thousands of cases brought against singing about Jesus and God in school during Christmas presentations (now largely called "holiday" presentations)."
And yet, it's perfectly OK for teachers to coerce children into singing songs of praise about Barack Obama. Sad, isn't it?
ShawnTe: I can see it now, one banner for Christ and another a disclaimer. LOL
It really amazes me that this day and age, all of sudden children have no rights to freedom of speech, even if the school was not endorsing anything. Anything Christian today is a bad thing and one wonders why this country is the way it is, negative-wise.
Christine asks, What about the fact that they were on public/school grounds? Within my article, it is stated that students have freedom of religious expression on public and school property as long as not coerced by school staff or during classroom time. Anything that says differently is a myth. See the sentence: we are not guranteed freedom from SEEING or HEARING someone's free speech. Re: Heather's comment, Christians should never send out hate mail or angry letters that could be misconstrued as such. It gives all of us a bad name, and leads to the result that Heather reported.
In order to avoid lawsuits, the school then was asked to change its distribution policy so that NO groups could hand out anything!
When i was in high school, our Bible Study started the tradition of handing out candy canes at Christmas with the candy cane story attached. A few years later, after I was off to college, a big controversy broke out when the Bible Study wanted to hand out the candy canes with only a "Merry Christmas" attached to them. The principal was not against it, but somebody on the school board was. Unfortunately, many Christians responded negatively and sent the principal hate mail, even though he had always allowed the students to hang up posters and flyers to Bible Study or prayer events.
What about the fact that they were on public/school grounds?
I am not familiar with the specific cases mentioned in your article, but my first thought was that the schools are trying to avoid the legal costs of fighting these issues in a court.