Parents Can Stop ACLU Lawsuit Against Wilson Co. Schools
Posted on April 12, 2007
Tennessean: Parents allowed to enter legal battle over church-state separation
A federal judge has granted permission to four parents to try to stop a lawsuit filed by the Tennessee chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union claiming that Wilson County schools violated constitutional separation of church and state.
The parents are being represented by the Alliance Defense Fund, a conservative legal group that takes up cases nationwide.The ACLU filed a lawsuit in September alleging that Lakeview Elementary school in Mt. Juliet and the Wilson County school system endorsed and promoted activities on campus that led to constitutional violations.
The suit claimed, for example, that a group of Praying Parents who met at the elementary school passed out fliers in classrooms to let students know they had been prayed for — a step that, according to the ACLU, broke the church and state separation clause.
The ADF officials said in a statement today that they’re committed to defending people’s constitutional right of religious freedom.
The trail date on the merits of the case has been set for Oct. 9, ACLU officials have said.
Very short article, lacking much information, but here is an Oct.2006 piece from Alain’s Newsletter that gives a bit more detail.
Old Hickory, TN –
U.S. Senate candidate Bob Corker today said the Tennessee chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is woefully wrong to have filed what he called a “frivolous liberal lawsuit†against the Wilson County School District alleging a morning prayer endorsed by Lakeview Elementary School officials is a constitutional violation of church-state separation.“When the President declared September 14, 2001 — just two days after the attacks of 9-11 — a National Day of Prayer, no one sued him for crossing some arbitrary line between church and state,†said Corker. “We just bowed our heads and prayed. When a school in Wilson County or anywhere in our country allows children to do the same on the National Day of Prayer, or at a gathering at the flagpole, the courts ought to stay out of the way.”
Corker said he supports the efforts of Mt. Juliet Commissioner Glen Linthicum, who said it was time for the community to take a stand against the ACLU lawsuit recently filed against the Wilson County School District. Linthicum co-sponsored a resolution unanimously approved last Monday night by the Mt. Juliet City Commission that encourages the elementary school and the Wilson School District to fight for their rights to religious expression.
“Like many parents across our state, I pray for my family everyday,†Corker stated. “We should never force anyone to believe a certain faith or pray a certain way,” Corker continued, “but if a school decides to set aside some time to allow children who wish to pray to do so, we ought to support that school and community. That is precisely what it means to protect our freedom of religious expression — and I will fight to do just that in the U.S. Senate if elected.”
It appears that the ACLU has set it’s sights on this school district…The ACLU Targets Christians
ADF’s motion to intervene can be found here.
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3 Responses to “Parents Can Stop ACLU Lawsuit Against Wilson Co. Schools”
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The problem I have here is that if Muslim parents came into the school and talked about their belief in Allah – if children were forced to pray out-loud to Satan, or sing about how glorious Sai Baba was when he was just a baby – then wouldn’t Christians be up in arms?
Of course you would.
So, you can pray all you want – you can believe whatever fantasy you care to concoct in your mind… but public school is not the place to promote it.
Neither is the county courthouse – the post office – neither is a city council meeting – neither is the jail or the firehouse. Those are places where work is going on – and that work is (or should be) void of religion.
While you are an employee, working as a public servant for people from a wide-range of religious and non-religious beliefs you don’t get to promote your personal belief system. It’s that simple.
The ACLU warned the school multiple times that it would file a lawsuit to protect a specific, individual families right – not to have their children exposed to Christian propaganda.
These people have that right.
No one should have to put up with having religion forced upon them. You would not want me to promote my beliefs to your children in a public school – I don’t want you to force your beliefs on my children. See how simple that is?
The school board (made up of religious nutcases) is now wasting taxpayer dollars – which should have been spent on actually educating children – but is now furthering their on ego driven personal religious agenda.
Again, if these people were Muslims or Gays your outrage could not be contained.
It’s a really simple formula;
Believe whatever you want – but when you are at work (as a public servant) you have no right to promote your personal beliefs.
Aren’t you guys the same group that is horrified when gays & lesbians want to be recognized as equal and having the same rights as you?
Don’t you flip out whenever homosexuality is even mentioned on public property?
Yet you’ll force students and others to listen to you pray and listen to your religious beliefs even though they are just offended by your religion as you are by their sexuality or differing religious beliefs.
Real simple litmus test – the golden rule.
The ACLU – and all us liberals – want that simple yet effective rule to be enforced: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
If it’s not okay to promote homosexuality, Islam, Buddha, or the Flying Spagetti Monster – then it should not be okay to promote Jesus.
“The ACLU – and all us liberals – want that simple yet effective rule to be enforced: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
And yet, how often does the ACLU actually step in when a school pushes a pro-homosexual course on a child against the parent’s wishes, or invites a Muslim speaker to the school to talk about his religion? It would be nice to see an example of this equal practice spoken of, but so far I haven’t seen evidence of it anywhere.
Unless the ACLU is working on crushing one religion at a time, their actions show them focused on only Christian groups and activities.