Religious Expression in Danger in the 'Land of Enchantment'
by Allie Martin and Jenni Parker
December 11, 2003
(AgapePress) - Christian students at one public high school in New Mexico are accusing officials of trampling on their constitutional rights.Earlier this year, student belonging to a Christian Club at La Cueva High School (LCHS) in Albuquerque wanted to promote their club with posters and flyers that contained Bible verses as well as quotes from popular Christian figures. But school officials prohibited the Christian club from making any overt religious references in their promotional materials.
LCHS officials forbade the posters, claiming they would be a violation of the separation of church and state. And now, because of this action, the school and school district may be facing a federal lawsuit.
The Pacific Justice Institute, a public-interest law firm that specializes in cases like the one involving LCHS's students, sent a letter on behalf of one of the officers of the Christian club to explain to LCHS and to Albuquerque Public Schools their obligation to treat the student club fairly in compliance with the federal Equal Access Act. Since the school was clearly discriminating against the Christian group, the law firm demanded that the restrictions against the club be lifted immediately.
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Brad Dacus |
Brad Dacus, president of the Pacific Justice Institute, says such cases must be vigorously defended. He fears if the school and the school district are successful in suppressing these students' religious freedom, that the club members and other Christian students like them "will have the long-term stigma in their minds for generations to come that there's something so bad or illegal about their faith that they can't share it."The legal expert feels that there is an important principal at stake in the LCHS case. "No citizen of the United States of America should ever be under the premonition that they are not legally entitled to share their faith with a world that needs to hear it," he says.
Dacus adds that the school district can avoid the lawsuit by allowing the students to place the posters containing Bible verses and other Christian references around campus. But if the school does not recognize the students' right to express their views as other secular student groups are allowed to do, he says the case will proceed.
According to Dacus, the school "must be forced, one way or the other, to not treat these Christian students as second-class citizens, as if they have something obscene or offensive about their speech [and] can't express it the same as other students."
He says the matter presents "yet another clear example of how uninformed most public schools, school districts, and their legal counsel are regarding student free speech and religious liberties."
The Pacific Justice Institute's president says school officials have not replied to the letter demanding that the students be allowed to include Bible verses, Christian quotes, and religious images in their club's promotional materials. However, Dacus says he still hopes the letter will move the school and district officials to reverse their actions so that a costly lawsuit at the expense of taxpayers can be avoided.
