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Judge rules high-school graduation in a church is unconstitu

Lewis

Lewis

Member
Judge rules high-school graduation in a church is unconstitutional

Associated Press
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - A federal judge has ruled that two Connecticut public high schools can't hold their graduations inside a church because that would be an unconstitutional endorsement of religion.

U.S. District Court Judge Janet Hall made the ruling yesterday in the case of Enfield High School and Enrico Fermi High School, both in Enfield.

The Enfield school board says that it voted to hold services June 23 and 24 at The First Cathedral in Bloomfield because it had enough space at the right price. But two students sued.

The judge says that Enfield had unconstitutionally entangled itself with religion by agreeing to cover much of the church's religious imagery. She also says that the town coerced the plaintiffs to support religion by forcing them to enter the church for graduation.



http://www.philly.com/dailynews/national/95295904.html#axzz0peyOWcAc
 
If that's not a private religious school such as a Catholic school or anything like that, then I would have to say that's a good call on the judge.
 
Evointrinsic said:
If that's not a private religious school such as a Catholic school or anything like that, then I would have to say that's a good call on the judge.
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yup just like that old cross that those athiest and aclu guys gotta drive by every day, that needed to covered up. honoring that roger baldwin's wishes over the dead veteran tribute who Died in that war that baldwin hated to save the eu from the tyranny that was from germany(wwI) is a good thing.

getta grip, half the time whiny athiests offend me , i dont force them to shut up.
 
Oh I missed this one in March.
Lesbian Teen Sues School Over Prom Drama

JACKSON, Miss.

A lesbian student who wanted to take her girlfriend to her senior prom is asking a federal judge to force her Mississippi school district to reinstate the dance it canceled

The American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi on Thursday filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Oxford on behalf of 18-year-old Constance McMillen, who said she faced some unhappy classmates after the Itawamba County School District said it wouldn't host the April 2 prom.

"Somebody said, 'Thanks for ruining my senior year."' McMillen said of her reluctant return Thursday to Itawamba Agricultural High School in Fulton.

The lawsuit seeks a court order for the school to hold the prom. It also asks that McMillen be allowed to escort her girlfriend, who is a fellow student, and wear a tuxedo, which the school said also violated policy.

The district's decision Wednesday came after the ACLU demanded that officials change a policy banning same-sex prom dates because it said it violated students' rights. The ACLU said the district violated McMillen's free expression rights by not letting her wear a tux.

Related Links
Miss. School Axes Prom After Lesbian Date Request

McMillen said she never expected the district to respond the way it did.

"A lot of people said that was going to happen, but I said, they had already spent too much money on the prom" to cancel it, she said.

McMillen said she didn't want to go back to the high school in Fulton the morning after the decision, but her father told her she needed to face her classmates.

"My daddy told me that I needed to show them that I'm still proud of who I am," McMillen told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "The fact that this will help people later on, that's what's helping me to go on."

The school board statement said it wouldn't host the event "due to the distractions to the educational process caused by recent events" but didn't mention McMillen. District officials didn't return calls seeking comment Thursday.

At least one supporter has offered to help McMillen and her classmates hold an alternate prom.

New Orleans hotel owner Sean Cummings told The Clarion-Ledger of Jackson he was so disappointed with the school board's decision he offered to transport the students in buses to the city and host a free prom at one of his properties.

"New Orleans, we're a joyful culture and a creative culture here and, if the school doesn't change its mind, we'd be delighted to offer them a prom in New Orleans," he told the newspaper. "Concluding your high school experience should be a joyful one. One shouldn't conclude that experience with all their friends on a negative note."

Same-sex prom dates and cross-dressing are new issues for many high schools around the country, said Daryl Presgraves, a spokesman for GLSEN: Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, a Washington-based advocacy group.

"A lot of schools actually react rather than do the research and find out what the rights of these students are," said Presgraves.

McMillen says she hopes her fight will make it easier for gay students at other schools facing discrimination.

"I want other kids to know that's it not right for schools to do that," she said on CBS's "The Early Show."

In 2002, a gay student sued his school district in Toronto to allow him to attend a prom with his boyfriend. A judge later forced the district to allow the couple to attend and stopped the district from canceling the prom.

U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., said a bill he's introduced in Congress would make it illegal to discriminate against gay and lesbian school students. He said at least 10 states have such laws, and his bill is modeled after those.

"This situation with the prom is a perfect example of why we need to protect students from discrimination. In this case it's a prom. It other cases, it's getting beaten up or killed," Polis said.

The school district had said it hoped a privately sponsored prom could be held.

Southside Baptist Church Pastor Bobby Crenshaw said he's seen the South portrayed as "backwards" on Web sites discussing the issue, "but a lot more people here have biblically based values."

Itawamba County is a rural area of about 23,000 people in north Mississippi near the Alabama state line. It's near Pontotoc County, Miss., where more than a decade ago school officials were sued in federal court over their practice of student-led intercom prayer and Bible classes.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/03/12/lesbian-teen-sues-school-prom-drama/
 
Evointrinsic said:
If that's not a private religious school such as a Catholic school or anything like that, then I would have to say that's a good call on the judge.
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I live in CT, this is on the radio every day! This is also not the first time it has happened here. I am really confused because about 3 months earlier another church had the same problem and the judge ruled that it was OK because its not about religion, its about money and its about size. My graduation is being held at a stadium because my class is HUGE. It costs lots of money to get a area big enough. Luckily, my school is pretty well off.

Enfield, they are kind of poor (at least school wise). I have seen their teams play before and their gear is kind of old. They are also a rather small town, and I am sure that they could fit their class in a church. Guess what? The church is free of charge for them! It is free for them to have a graduation there. If they don't have it there, some of the Enfield board members said, there will be NO graduation.

Evo. is your mind so odd that you would deny people who have stuck through the CT public school system for 12 years their day to shine and graduate? The fact is, Enfield doesn't have that kind of money to rent out the Comcast Theatre (that and my school is renting it already!). The church is just a building for community use, in this case. They have been doing it for years all over CT and some whiny liberal/atheist at the ACLU whats to make a name for himself by suing the town of Enfield (and the other place) and forcing those kids to not have a graduation... that's sick, even for an atheist...
 
Goody goody gum drops! I get attacked for my personal opinion!

Forcing a school to go to a church is actually something I'd be against. That is my opinion, get over it. I'm not saying anything like "YEAH!!!! LETS BURN THE CHURCH DOWN!" or anything like that, my topic wasn't hateful or disrespectful at all. I'm sure at least some of you would feel the same if your children were forced to have their graduation in a Mosque. Especially the people who are highly religious.

I like how the one person people would expect to be disrespectful on a christian forum (a proud atheist) is one of the few that's actually acting politely. Welcome to the realm of tolerance...

And thank you to the people who aren't being completely rude simply because I have a different opinion.

EDIT: Also, good for the lesbian girl who did what she did in that situation. Although i don't necessarily agree with the whole tux thing. Should she be allowed to bring her partner? yes. As for the dress code, that shouldn't have been granted in my opinion.
 
the problem is that upon the lawsuit there wont be a graduation, and all the more reason to homeschool imho if able. or send them to a good bible based private school.
 
I'm attempting to gather some more facts on this. Personally, I feel it's biased to make such a decision solely on the gripes of two students. I'd like to know if there were additional objections.

But... this judge needs to be reminded that she is not seated in her position to interpret law, rather she is there to uphold law. This is big problem nationwide; too many courts are interpreting instead of just doing their job! I just don't see how this:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
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Equates to the decision of this particular judge. The very way in which she biasedly interpreted this should be unconstitutional. :confused Our forefathers made provisions to ensure the basic rights of the individual are not violated, but... the highest level of democracy in this country does not lie in the hands of the individual, it lies with the community! The local community in this case, should they be a majority, must be taken into account, over and above an individual or two.

... and if the community at large agrees with these two individuals, that must be taken into account. This is the only way in which a fair and balanced decision should be achieved.

You really want to hear people moan and cry, keep undermining the rights on a community level and you will lose much more than your measly individual civil liberties. :help One by one, the communities are losing their very souls because of the "individual"

We need to STOP with "I, Me, Mine" mentality... there is no "m" in we!
 
jasoncran said:
lol, but there is a me in team!
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:confused

:study

chair.gif


:biglaugh
 
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