ACLU Sues Santa Rosa School District
Two Pace High School students are suing the Santa Rosa County School District over prayer at graduation and other school events.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Pensacola on behalf of the students, who claim Pace High officials misuse their positions to promote their religious viewpoints. The students’ names are not listed in the lawsuit because they are minors.“Religion is best served when parents, not the public schools, are responsible for directing their children’s religious education,” said Benjamin Stevenson, attorney with the ACLU’s Northwest Region office. Pace High Principal Frank Lay and Superintendent John Rogers, who are named as defendants in the lawsuit, said they could not talk about the complaint. School Board Attorney Paul Green also declined comment on pending litigation.The lawsuit states district and school officials have shown a repeated pattern of promoting and endorsing prayers at graduation ceremonies and other school events, sponsoring religious ceremonies and having school events at churches.Stevenson said they put the district on notice in 2006.“We sent a number of letters and exchanged telephone calls to avoid litigation,” he said. “After the School Board failed to bring the district in line with the Constitution and American values by ending the practice of school officials using their official positions to promote their religion, we had to act.”Among the complaints listed in the suit: - Elementary graduations and middle school Christmas concerts held at churches. - Teachers and staff at Pace High preaching about Judgment Day with the Lord.- Teachers and staff offering Bible readings and biblical interpretations during student meetings.The lawsuit also states the two students are offended by the defendants’ support of prayer at school events — including graduation — because it promotes religious beliefs they do not subscribe to and fails to respect their religious choices and beliefs.The students are referred to as “Minor I. Doe” and “Minor II. Doe” in the lawsuit. Stevenson refused to release any information about the students including their gender, age or religious backgrounds.The Santa Rosa and Escambia districts have policies on moments of silence in school and during school events.“There was a court case where (having a moment of silence) was upheld as constitutional,” said Ronnie Arnold, the Escambia’s district spokesman. “It is also standard practice any prayer has to be voluntary and student-led.”Kyle Angeles, 18, graduated from Pace High in 2008 and said he was not uncomfortable with prayer at graduation. He said everyone has the right to their worship.“I don’t think anyone’s beliefs should be forced upon others,” he said. “But, most school-sponsored events are not mandatory, and students have a choice as to whether or not to attend.”
