Posted on 06/04/2009 12:52:37 PM PDT by greatdefender
Santa Rosa County, FL - Nearly 400 graduating seniors at Pace High School stood up in protest against the ACLU and recited the Lord’s Prayer during their graduation ceremony on Saturday. Many of the students also painted crosses on their graduation caps to make a statement of faith. This event follows a lawsuit the ACLU filed against the Santa Rosa County School District, claiming some of the teachers and administration endorsed religion. Liberty Counsel represents Pace High School Principal Frank Lay and school teacher Michelle Winkler.
The graduation prayer protest by the students was preceded by a lawsuit filed six months ago by the ACLU. The school district entered into a consent decree, which essentially bans all Santa Rosa County School District employees from engaging in prayer or religious activities. The ACLU alleges that during a dinner event held at Pace High School, Principal Lay asked the athletic director to bless the meal. In another incident, the ACLU alleges that Michelle Winkler’s husband, who is not a school board employee, offered prayer at an awards ceremony. Leading up to the graduation ceremony, the ACLU demanded the school to censor students from offering prayers or saying anything religious. The ACLU then charged Principal Lay and Ms. Winkler with contempt of court.
The students at Pace High School were furious with the ACLU hijacking their free speech rights and decided to take a stand at graduation. As soon as Principal Lay asked everyone to be seated at the ceremony, the graduating class remained standing and recited the Lord’s Prayer. The ACLU has not taken any legal action yet but has stated that something should have been done to stop the prayer.
Mathew D. Staver, Founder of Liberty Counsel and Dean of Liberty University School of Law, commented: “Neither students nor teachers shed their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse gate. The students at Pace High School refused to remain silent and were not about to be bullied by the ACLU. We have decided to represent faculty, staff and students of Pace High School, because the ACLU is clearly violating their First Amendment rights. Schools are not religion-free zones, and any attempt to make them so is unconstitutional.”
A federal Judge should close this school immediately, arrest all of the students and faculty and jail them without bail on contempt charges. Letting them out on bail obviously won’t silence them and they are likely to break the law again. /s
A bunch of high school kids have more backbone and more concern over their rights than any of our “courageous” republican members of congress!!!
Good on ‘em! Need a whole lot more like this if we are to save this great nation.
“I SMELL BACON!!! “
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Yeah, screw the Jews graduating in the class!!!! (/sarc)
God bless those students. They give me reason to believe that there’s still a spark of hope left in this country.
WOW!!!!
I think one of these kids was my nephew!
Good on ya, Chas!!!
You're twisted.
These are the kids who will be fighting on OUR side during the coming civil war...
That’s the way to go. Student led. They can’t do a thing about it.
That’s the way to go. Student led. They can’t do a thing about it.
God Bless these Grads! Question for fellow freepers... How is the ACLU funded and to what degree are my tax dollars supporting these anti-Americans?
Supposedly donations. Seems to me there may have been some public funds along the way but I’m not sure about that, at all.
Thats my County,good job grads.
naaaaaaaaa....not mine. Just kids I’m mighty proud of! I don’t know any of them...
Kudos to the grads!
With what? Firehoses? Truncheons? Pepper spray?
It is the youngsters who will either save or undo the country. It is the youngsters you will bring a revival of a spiritual nature if there is to be one.
God Bless Them.
I’ve become aware that my views are changing toward the young.
I have started to actually see that they are hungry for what is in the Bible. They may not know it but they are hungry.
I now take note of boys and girls wearing crosses on thier necks and those who do are well anchored in who they are and they show respect to others as well as themselves.
I hope this makes sense.
I had a feeling that this was the panhandle. This would have never happened in Palm Beach County.
Like what? How do you get hundreds of students to stop?
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