Court Rules Against Bible Distribution in Public School
Wednesday April 23, 2008
About a year ago, the Tangipahoa Parish School District in New Orleans found themselves as the defendants in an establishment clause lawsuit. Well, an opinion has come down from the Louisiana federal district court, and they say the school board was in the wrong for allowing the Gideons to distribute Bibles to fifth-grade public school students.
The suit stems from an incident in which the Gideons visited Loranger Middle School, and positioned themselves outside the principal's office to hand out Bibles. The principal then emailed teachers, letting them know that the Bibles were available for students who wished to come get one. He also stated that getting a Bible wasn't mandatory. When fifth-grade student "Jane Roe's" class was sent down, "Jane" was told by the teacher that students who didn't want a Bible could remain behind with a sixth-grade class. According to the court findings, "Jane alleges that she felt pressured to get a Bible because of potential teasing and name-calling by her peers if she refused." The student then went with the rest of her class, and received a Bible and a blessing from the Gideons. Her father brought the suit after learning his child had been given a Bible while in public school.
The court found that the incident did in fact violate the establishment clause, and that the child was subjected to "unconstitutional element of coercion as she, an impressionable young elementary-age child, experienced pressure to support or participate in religion or its exercise, or otherwise act in a way which establishes religion." In addition, the court found that the school board had failed to explain any sort of secular purpose for allowing the Gideons to be present in the school in the first place, and that letting them hand out Bibles "evidences a preference towards religion, specifically, Christianity."
The suit stems from an incident in which the Gideons visited Loranger Middle School, and positioned themselves outside the principal's office to hand out Bibles. The principal then emailed teachers, letting them know that the Bibles were available for students who wished to come get one. He also stated that getting a Bible wasn't mandatory. When fifth-grade student "Jane Roe's" class was sent down, "Jane" was told by the teacher that students who didn't want a Bible could remain behind with a sixth-grade class. According to the court findings, "Jane alleges that she felt pressured to get a Bible because of potential teasing and name-calling by her peers if she refused." The student then went with the rest of her class, and received a Bible and a blessing from the Gideons. Her father brought the suit after learning his child had been given a Bible while in public school.
The court found that the incident did in fact violate the establishment clause, and that the child was subjected to "unconstitutional element of coercion as she, an impressionable young elementary-age child, experienced pressure to support or participate in religion or its exercise, or otherwise act in a way which establishes religion." In addition, the court found that the school board had failed to explain any sort of secular purpose for allowing the Gideons to be present in the school in the first place, and that letting them hand out Bibles "evidences a preference towards religion, specifically, Christianity."
Comments
WOW..didn’t see that comming. I’m so glad that was the verdict. what do yoy think would have happened if we(as pagans) were to have handed out pamplets about the true meaning of Witchcraft. HOLY GOD, they would never even have made it to court. The poor witch handing them out would have been judged then and there if they would have been allowed to have given them out in the first place. Good for the courts, I say. They are finally stepping up to fair treatment to all. Maybe we will be following the constitution one day. Seperation of church and state and all that jazz..Well, I just hope little Jane wasn’t too tramatized..lol. Therapy can be really costly. Some people can take things way too far with this stuff.we really need to teach our kids to say NO when it matters to them and not just for the propaganda things they see on TV.
Good for Jane. I wonder what pressure those kids have at home to make them treat their classmate that way.
Every year at my high school’s graduation the Gideons would pass out Bibles as the seniors walked in to the gym in their cap and gowns.
Last year when I graduated about 5 people (out of 60) refused to take them, and I hear they aren’t letting them back this year.
This is a good precedent and it shows that the law respects school should be a secular place and kids should have the freedom to do as they wish with regard to faith and not be pressured either way!
The Gideons gave us Bibles in the fifth grade and now twice a year at college they stand outside every building handing out Bibles. Everyone gets one to flash up like a badge so you can just get by them quickly. At the end of the day there are plenty of Bibles just sitting around the school.
I live in Jersey Channel islands and my 12 yera old son went throught the same thing with teh Gidions comeing to the escholl with theri bibles, he aslo felt teh same pressure as teh young girl in teh artical,at lasta victory for wiccnas and pagans,thansk teh Goddesss.