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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
CONTACT: ACLU Will Matthews, ACLU National, (212) 549-2582 or 2666; media@aclu.org Alexandra Bassil, ACLU of Florida, (786) 363-2737; media@aclufl.org |
ACLU Files Lawsuit To Protect Religious Freedom Of Florida High School Students
Santa Rosa County School Officials Misuse Public Positions To Promote Their Religious Viewpoints
PENSACOLA, FL - August 27 - Santa
Rosa County school officials are using their governmental positions to
promote their personal religious beliefs in public schools, according
to a lawsuit filed today on behalf of two Pace High School students by
the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida and the national ACLU.
The lawsuit reveals a repeated
pattern by school officials - including Santa Rosa County School Board
members and Pace High School Principal H. Frank Lay - of promoting and
endorsing prayers at graduation ceremonies and other school events, of
sponsoring religious ceremonies and holding official school events at
churches.
"Parents, not the public schools,
should be responsible for deciding whether their children receive
religious education," said Benjamin Stevenson, staff attorney with the
ACLU of Florida's Northwest Region office. "Religious freedom is eroded
when the government endorses any particular religious viewpoint."
According to the lawsuit, filed in
U.S. District Court for the Northern district of Florida, graduation
ceremonies during the past five years at Central, Jay, Milton, Navarre
and Pace High Schools have included prayers by students - often members
of groups like the Fellowship of Christian Athletes or the Christian
World Order. The graduation ceremonies at Santa Rosa Adult School and
Santa Rosa Learning Academy also have included prayers.
School administrators and teachers
also mix their responsibilities as public officials with their personal
religious beliefs by planning baccalaureates, helping to decide the
place of worship at which they would be held and leading prayers with
students. Additionally, school officials have interjected their own
religious perspectives at elementary school graduations, a middle
school Christmas concert, and high school football and cheerleading
banquets.
The lawsuit also documents how
teachers and staff at Pace High School preach about "judgment day with
the Lord" and offer Bible readings and biblical interpretations during
student meetings. While such activities are constitutionally protected
at private schools and in religious communities, the government should
not be involved in making such decisions.
"The government should not be in the
business of deciding which religions to promote," said Daniel Mach,
Director of Litigation for the ACLU's Program on Freedom of Religion
and Belief. "Individuals, families and religious communities should be
free to make their own decisions about religion."
A copy of the lawsuit can be found online at: www.aclu.org/religion/schools/
Additional information about the ACLU's Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief can be found online at: www.aclu.org/religion/index.
1 Comment so far
Show AllAmendment I
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 First Amendment of our Nation’s Constitution was cited in a judicial decree, prohibiting any school official from giving any indication that they agree with religion in any way. The decree was worded in such a way that even the folding of hands, bowing of the head, kneeling, or anything else that could even be construed as praying is prohibited and would not be tolerated.
This decree not only limits a teacher from preaching, leading prayer or expressing any religious views during class time or school functions (which is a reasonable request), but also prohibits teachers from saying a silent prayer to themselves. This decree prohibits teachers from bowing their heads if a student decides to lead a prayer.
I can say that Pace High School officials have not forced anyone to participate in any religious activity. I attended Pace High School, and while I am religious, my religious differ quite a bit from those of the faculty, and other students. Never once was I forced to participate an any religious activity, nor was I ever made to feel out of place for my beliefs.
The ACLU must to realize that President Obama’s inauguration contained a lengthy prayer. President Obama, regularly mentions God as does our Constitution, money, The Bill of Rights, etc… Even if our Constitution made mention of “separation of Church and State”, which it does not, it would not be hard to see the intention of such a phrase by looking at the conduct and writing of this nation’s Forefathers. It would appear to me that the ACLU is now trying to violate those intensions as well as the First Amendment. Does the ACLU believ that President Obama should be impeached for sharing his religious beliefs?
Where does the Constitution say that if someone works for the government that they may no longer hold or express any religious opinion? How is saying that these employees must remain silent and prohibit them from practicing rights granted to them in our First Amendment, lawful?
I find it ironic that the ACLU will fight tooth and nail to keep people from praying or condoning religion on grounds that the parents should be the ones to decide these things for their own children, but then force a theory, not scientific fact, to be taught in our public science classes (theory of evolution, age of and the creation of the earth). By forcing these beliefs (which again have not been and cannot be proven) is the same as promoting another belief system: religion.