CUPERTINO, Calif. - Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund and the Cupertino Union School District filed a settlement agreement today in the lawsuit
Williams v. Vidmar.
"We are pleased that this matter has been resolved to the satisfaction of all parties," said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Kevin Theriot. "The school district is to be commended for agreeing that their policy allows teachers, no matter what their religious beliefs, to use handouts of historical significance that have religious content, like the Declaration of Independence."
ADF attorneys filed the lawsuit in federal court against the district in November of last year on behalf of a teacher at Stevens Creek Elementary School. The lawsuit alleged that school officials prohibited him, as an orthodox Christian, from providing supplemental handouts to students about American history because the historical documents contain some references to God and religion.
The settlement agreement puts in writing district policy that "allows teachers, no matter what their religious beliefs, to use appropriate educational material (including supplemental handouts of historical significance) during instructional time that has religious content" and also allows teachers "to teach students during instructional time about matters involving religion" so long as the content is compliant with district-prescribed curriculum and is not used to influence a student's religious beliefs.
The full text of the settlement agreement can be read at
www.telladf.org/UserDocs/WvVsettlement.pdf.
ADF is America's largest legal alliance defending religious liberty through strategy, training, funding, and litigation.
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