Posted on 05/12/2024 5:40:25 PM PDT by george76
District actively promoted non-religious groups, including a Pride Club and Green Team...
A school district that just weeks ago had refused students permission to begin an interfaith prayer club – even though a wide range of other special interest organizations like a Pride club and a Green club were approved – abruptly has reversed itself.
"We are very pleased that the Issaquah School District is allowing our clients to start a prayer club at their school this spring," explained Kayla Toney, associate counsel at First Liberty Institute,..
"Schools should always respect the religious beliefs of their students. This is a victory for students of all faiths and a reminder that people of faith have a constitutional right to express their religious beliefs and pray, even in a public school setting."
The fight erupted when two elementary school students proposed an interfaith prayer club at Creekside Elementary in the district in Washington state.
They were denied, even though the district "actively promoted more than a dozen non-religious clubs, including a Pride Club and the Green Team."
When First Liberty and its lawyers intervened, the school reversed its direction.
First Liberty explained, "Creekside Elementary School is in Sammamish, WA, just a short distance from Bremerton High School, where Coach Joe Kennedy was fired for praying on the football field after each game. Coach Kennedy won his right to pray on the field in a 6-3 Supreme Court decision. The Court’s holding in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District made clear that the First Amendment protects the right of students and employees to express their faith in public schools."
...
First Liberty had pointed out that the district's actions looked like "religious discrimination."
(Excerpt) Read more at wnd.com ...
Thanks for posting this george!
Thanks grey_whiskers
They need to do this in Jasper, FL also! The anti-religion group, Freedom From Religion, got a Christian prayer group at the elementary school shut down. The Pride club is still active though. Shame on the school for backing down.
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