School reverses course, allows 'God' in Yearbook ad
by Mark Ellis
March 16, 2007
BRENTWOOD, CALIFORNIA (ANS) -- School officials at a Southern California public high school backed away from a plan to remove a religious reference from the school yearbook after they faced a challenge by a Christian legal defense organization. Parents in Brentwood, California purchased ad space in Liberty Union High School's yearbook to affirm their son at graduation. The parents submitted an ad that included the phrase "may God bless your life." The yearbook staff at Liberty Union High School apparently thought the mention of "God" might be offensive, so they unilaterally changed "God" to "He" in the parents' ad. Liberty High removed religious references in other ads as well.
Pacific Justice Institute (PJI), a legal defense organization specializing in defending religious freedom, sent a letter to the district superintendent, challenging the censorship of the ads. The letter charged the district with violating First Amendment freedoms guaranteed to those who wish to express their views in public forums. It urged the superintendent to correct the civil rights violations to avoid legal action, and cited numerous examples of case law to buttress their position.
"It's surprising that some school officials seem to think they can censor religious viewpoints out of a privately-sponsored yearbook ad," said Kevin Snider, Chief Counsel of PJI, who wrote to the school district on the parents' behalf. After they received the demand letter, school officials changed their minds.
"They reversed their position and will have to have a partial reprinting to re-insert the word 'God,'" said Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute. "The courts have consistently chided school officials who seek to ban all mention of God from our schools. 'Separation of church and state' simply does not prevent private individuals from expressing their faith, even in the public school context."
Apparently, the school in Brentwood was not unique. "This is not an isolated case," Dacus noted. "We've learned of other school districts with similar policies, but we can't do anything if parents don't let us know."
© 2007 ASSIST News Service, used with permission.
