School Turns Graduation into Church, Owes Atheists $450 K


You have to wonder what gets into the heads of school boards and school administrators when they program graduation ceremonies that look like and sound like church. In this case it is apparent they attributed the entire program to students. This way they could claim students were merely exercising their right to freedom of speech. The court saw through this.

The school had graduation ceremonies with Christian hymns and Christian prayers read by students. The court agreed students should have the right of free speech but an entire program stressing only Christianity was seen by he judge as manged by Christian faculty and administrators.

The case is being appealed and I can see the amounts paid the atheist's attorney's reduced some. But the message was clear. The schools position must be know to be secular and separate from that of students.

It reminds me of the case in an Ohio school district several years ago. The school district claimed the earth and everything on it took place through something they called "intelligent design" and this theory should be treated as science taught along with evolution.  During the trial atheists presented emails where Christians discussed how to make creationism should like a science while it remained Biblical. Christians were, some say, laughed out of court. Looking at "Intelligent Design" websites today it looks like the phony nonprofits promoting it are out of business.

The internet has made it cheaper to monitor school districts and ferret out those trying to make public school events another day in church. Students and their parents have at the ready secular non profits with lawyers ready for the challenge.


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