Tomah High School in Tomah, Wisconsin – the scene of a showdown between good and evil. The two sides depicted here in art class projects:
One, a road to the cross with a mention of how to get there (John 3:16). The other, a demon. Who wins? Eventually, good overcomes evil, but it took the kind of legal expertise – like only ADF can provide – to get there.
A Tomah High School art teacher displayed the demon drawing in her classroom while removing the cross landscape from display and giving its artist – a straight-A student – a zero for the assignment, a formal reprimand, and two days of detention.
Why? Because the piece had Biblical images, she explained to the upset young artist, and a Scripture reference that violated the schools written policy on art projects:
"Art work that has any violence, blood, sexual connotations, [or] religious beliefs will not be accepted." When the Christian student told her his First Amendment rights were violated, she told him he'd "signed away his First Amendment rights" when he put his signature on the schools policy. The student had not realized what he signed and calmly tore the unconstitutional document in half.
A Decisive Legal VictoryAs it turns out, officials at Tomah are pretty tolerant about a lot of religious expression – various hallways and classrooms feature Buddhist sculptures and pictures of Hindu mythology, sorcerers, the Greek goddess Medusa, not to mention the Grim Reaper, and a collection of demon masks.
Click here to see pictures of those images. Only Christian themes, it seems, are "disturbing" to the teachers and administrators of Tomah.
Which is why ADF filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of this student and his family against the high school and the school district, claiming religious discrimination and a violation of the young mans right to free speech.
The evening before the court hearing, the district decided to settle out of court, allowing the students drawing to be graded, removing all record of disciplinary acts taken against him, and doing away completely with the policy banning religious expression in student art projects.
Tomah school administrators saw first-hand what public schools all over the country are beginning to learn: that ADF represents a legal alliance uniquely equipped to implement a national strategy for combating the radical, decades-long assault on the religious liberties of our children and grandchildren.
A Growing Record of SuccessNo one is better equipped to fight this crucial fight than ADF, a legal alliance with a proven track record of success in the public school arena. By Gods grace we are winning cases. Here are just a few examples:
- Students in a Glendale, Arizona high school can now tell their classmates about their Christian club. Following a court ruling in our favor, ADF attorneys reached a settlement with the school district that ends its prohibition on the clubs fliers and PA announcements. The district agreed to change policies that prohibited the meeting announcements and fliers but allowed them for other student clubs.
- ADF lawyers won a major victory in Naperville, Illinois, where a high school student was ordered to remove a T-shirt shed put on in response to the shirts worn by some of her classmates promoting homosexual behavior on the nationwide "Day of Silence" (a national event designed as propaganda for homosexual behavior). The "offensive" shirt read: "Be Happy, Not Gay." That student graduated before the unanimous federal appellate court ruling came down that her First Amendment rights were violated. However, ADF attorneys were able to secure the rights of another student to wear the T-shirt.
- A Pennsylvania kindergartner chose the Bible when it was his turn to have a parent come in and read a story from his favorite book. His teacher said no, that doing so would promote "a specific religious point of view"… even though other parents were permitted to discuss aspects of their religions. (The teacher encouraged the child's mom to read about witches and Halloween, instead.) ADF attorneys have filed a friend-of-the-court brief on behalf the young Christian student. The case is currently pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
As you can see, the war for the religious freedoms of our children goes on every day, coast to coast. And while its a war the Alliance Defense Fund is winning, by Gods grace, one battle at a time – its also a war that never stops.
Thats why your generosity is so crucial to the outcome of this fight. Join ADF in the battle to protect the rights of Americas youth by
donating online today. Your gift will not only protect students filling desks in classrooms
right now, but will also set a precedent for their children and grandchildren for generations to come.
Get InvolvedHelp students express their faith at school: Donate todayOrder "Knowing Your Rights - A Guide for Christian Students" Forward this important message to a friendRecent Cases Involving Religion in Public Schools
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