School district sued over evangelistic crusade

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Here's a tricky one...

School district sued over evangelistic crusade

[Headline: "Every year, hundreds of Union County students take a field trip for the soul. Children are excused from class, loaded onto school buses with teachers and sent to a three-day Christian revival"]

Looks like a clear violation of the first amendment, right?

But [Union County officials say the system is neutral when it comes to religious activities, pointing out that the crusade is voluntary, teachers chaperone on their own time and school buses are operated by private contractors. "We do not endorse, promote or prohibit it," said school spokesman Wayne Goforth.]

On the other hand, [some] school children who don't want to attend get harassed by those who do choose to attend (source of the lawsuit).

[Fourteen-year-old India Tracy said she was harassed and attacked by classmates for nearly three years after she declined to attend Baptist Pastor Gary Beeler's annual crusade because of her family's pagan religion.

Her family has filed a federal lawsuit against Union County schools, claiming the crusade, prayers over the loudspeaker, a Christmas nativity play, a Bible handout and other proselytizing activities in the rural school system have become so pervasive they are a threat to safety and religious liberty.]

Apparently this will go to trial. What do you think will happen? Is the school acting within the letter of the law, but failing to support the intent of the law? Or is it being completely neutral, in mere coincidental association with the activities of a portion of its teacher/student population?

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More than 1,300 of Union County, Tennessee's 3,000 students attend a religious revival during school hours with their parents' permission

This quote was under the picture in the article. I think that promoting a religious event, sponsored by the public school district, and during school hours is a travesty, and most probably illegal. The heartache that it caused the one student, and probably others is unconscionable.

I hope that the school district gets their collective asses handed to them!

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I wonder - it said she was transferring to another district. The other one must not attend??

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husker- That is exactly the point. In a private, religious school, outings of that sort are perfectly acceptable and expected. The reason that some parents send their kids to a private, religious school is so that they can receive the sort of religious education that the parents want the kids to have. It is not acceptable in a public school, which is supposed to be religion neutral!

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Phoenix
Do you mean CNN is promoting it? Or just it's just a statement of fact?

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Pretty ugly situation. I don't even thing I like the idea.

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I hope that the school district gets their collective asses handed to them!

Long as it does not account for financial instability in the school district, head can roll, but let's not screw with the revenure supply.

I local situation here almost bankrupt a small rural school district, and but a heavy burden on the taxpayers to provide an education and it wasn't even a religious situation. (sexual yes).

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I think there is a fine line here and my guess is that this school system crossed it. It isn't in any way unusual for schools to allow students to be absent on account of religious events, holidays, etc.. It also isn't unusual for school distrcts to rent out their buses to groups attending religious events or even for teachers to attend such events.

But in this particular case I think a pretty solid argument can be made that by the sheer number of students going to this event and the other activity relating to the event that is allowed to happen on school property during school hours (i.e. announcments over school PA systems, the school circulating permission slips, etc..) amounts to an endorsement of, if not a promotion of, the event by school officials.

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Quote:

Phoenix
Do you mean CNN is promoting it? Or just it's just a statement of fact?

I don't understand what you are attempting to say. Please clarify!

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Phoenix,
I read your comment I thought you are saying CNN is promoting the event?? Or... otherwise?

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This quote was under the picture in the article. I think that promoting a religious event

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Husker- I am still confused. CNN wasn't promoting anything- it was just reporting the story!

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ok - case closed Wink

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To me , it sounds pretty open and shut. Tracy has been assaulted for her beliefs(by these good Christian kids who have no behavior problems)
It must be recognized that , if my math is correct 1700 other kids dont attend the events either. Does this mean that the non-attendees have free-time? or are they hosted in some other kind of school activity. If they are merely dismissed, that could provide an interesting loophole for the Tracy side to exploit in this case, since it appears to be during some part of the school day and there is a clear exclusion in the US Constitution against the " establishment of a state religion" . They (Union County) seems to have taken that first step by including school "Time" as a means to celebrate this event. They cant say one thing and do another.

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farmerman wrote:

To me , it sounds pretty open and shut. Tracy has been assaulted for her beliefs(by these good Christian kids who have no behavior problems)

At this point there are ALLEDGED assults. She says she was assulted. The school says she wasn't...

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It must be recognized that , if my math is correct 1700 other kids dont attend the events either. Does this mean that the non-attendees have free-time? or are they hosted in some other kind of school activity. If they are merely dismissed, that could provide an interesting loophole for the Tracy side to exploit in this case, since it appears to be during some part of the school day and there is a clear exclusion in the US Constitution against the " establishment of a state religion" . They (Union County) seems to have taken that first step by including school "Time" as a means to celebrate this event. They cant say one thing and do another.

If that arguement held then it could also be used against every other school district and government office in the country. They're all shut down for Christmas. Tracy would have a stronger argument if the 1,700 kids that didn't attend the religious event weren't excused and were required to attend classes during those hours. The school board DOES have the authority to set school hours. If the school is closed then whatever happens outside of scheduled hours is fair game.

If some kids are forced to attend classes while others who attend this event aren't then you have different treatment based on religion and the school's tacit endorsement of those religious activities.

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sounds like she has a good case with either outcome. Its a school sanctioned event and one that is not religion neutral. The issue of what the district does with the time is the whole point.
The only reason that the Christmas holiday hasnt yet been challenged is because of its widespread acceptance on most school calendars as a winter holiday. I dont believe that its unchallengeable, its an attractive legal target.
Notice that fewer schools celebrate the Easter Holiday and a few are open on Good Fri with a separate spring vacation in another week (unless EAster week and spring vacation are connected by school calendar)

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A point that seems to be being missed here is that of "children's rights".
Children should be protected by the state from any kind of indoctrination - at all.
If the children were being sent to a Nazi camp, where they learned to hate specific religious groups, and prefer others, to think that they were superior due to their specific national genetic background, to feel that violence was an acceptable way to make their points; then all hell would break loose, and the practice would be terminated immediately, citing any number of statutes.
However, religious institutions are constantly using the original indoctrination of the parents of children to "rubber stamp" their ability to go ahead, and programme the next generation to be unable to think for themselves.
If all organized religions were limited to congregations of persons who have joined their ranks as adults, most would disappear overnight.

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School district sued over evangelistic crusade

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