Censorship Sunk; Freedom Floats for Orlando High School Groups
by Allie Martin
November 6, 2003
(AgapePress) - The threat of a federal lawsuit has prompted officials at a Florida high school to allow a Christian club and a Young Republicans chapter to enter floats in a homecoming parade.Earlier this week, administrators at Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando nixed plans for two homecoming floats. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes wanted to have a float urging students to "Let Jesus rock your night away." And the Young Republicans planned a mobile display celebrating the U.S.-led invasion to liberate Iraq and featuring a statue of Saddam Hussein being torn down. However, the student groups were told by high school officials that their clubs could not enter their floats in the upcoming homecoming parade because someone might be offended by them.
But Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel (lc.org) says the matter has been settled. Phillips officials chose to back down after a federal lawsuit was threatened, so the student clubs and their messages will be allowed in the parade.
According to Staver, no one complained about these messages or even knew of them, other than the students preparing the floats and their principal. "But the principal said 'Well, some Muslim students might be offended by the Young Republicans' message ... and some other non-Christian students might be offended by the Christian messages of FCA.'" The attorney says the principal failed to consider one point.
"The point is, these are student groups," Staver says. He emphasizes that the messages on the floats were messages by the students, not the school, and says the U.S. Constitution strongly protects the rights of both religious and political speech by individuals.
The Liberty Counsel spokesman contends that the school attempted to suppress the student groups' free expression. He points out that the school allowed other student groups to present their floats and their messages without censorship, while discriminating against the messages of the Young Republicans and the FCA.
"Because you have a message of freedom, supporting our troops and our patriotic freedom here in this country," the attorney comments, "or a message of even the most intimate freedom -- personal freedom from sin and bondage -- that's certainly no cause to censor those messages."
Staver says he is encouraged that a small group of students decided to take a stand for their First Amendment rights.
