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Loading ...Suit filed to block public school graduation at church
05.08.2009 5:14pm EDT
(Washington) A federal lawsuit has been filed to block a Wisconsin public school district from holding graduation ceremonies in the sanctuary of an evangelical church.
The suit was filed by Americans United for Separation of Church and State on behalf of a graduating senior and several families in the district, challenges the Elmbrook School District’s decision to hold graduation ceremonies for Brookfield Central High School and Brookfield East High School at Elmbrook Church.“Public schools should schedule graduation ceremonies at public venues where families of all faiths or none will feel welcome,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. “Some parents and children do not feel comfortable attending commencement in this religious setting. Graduation is too important to leave some families out.”
The graduation ceremonies are scheduled for June 6 and 7.
The plaintiffs, who have chosen to remain anonymous, assert that they are extremely uncomfortable attending graduation at the church, given its religion-permeated environment. The plaintiffs also feel unwelcome at the church because it teaches that non-Christians like the plaintiffs, and even some denominations of Christians, will go to Hell.
Elmbrook is a theologically conservative evangelical Christian church with strong views on contentious religious and political issues. The church says homosexuality is “not an acceptable lifestyle” and is “contrary to God’s will,” attacks atheists as people “who think they are smarter than God” and condemns TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey for promoting “a spirituality that is at fundamental odds with the historic biblical faith.”
The church displays a large cross in its sanctuary, and the facility includes other religious iconography as well. Church officials have refused to cover the cross. On at least one occasion, members of the church passed out religious literature to graduation attendees in the lobby, the suit said.
“Graduating seniors should not be forced to choose between entering a religious environment of a faith to which they do not subscribe and missing their own graduation,” said AU Senior Litigation Counsel Alex J. Luchenitser.
” Graduation should be a joyous occasion for students and their family members, and it should not be ruined by such religious coercion.”
The lawsuit seeks a preliminary injunction barring the school district from holding its graduation ceremonies at Elmbrook Church or any other house of worship.
In its complaint, Americans United notes that there are other facilities available for graduation ceremonies and that virtually all of them are non-religious in nature.
The school DOES have a gymnasium and that is where they should hold it. I live in the next town of which both communities are a part of the larger Milwaukee metropolitan area. I have to agree with some of you that someone who is able to the make the decisions within the Brookfield school district is a religious zealot and should be fired immediately for this blatant violation of the separation of church and state.
It does NOT matter whether every student, teacher, and resident of the city of Brookfield all wanted it at the church. The law does NOT allow it. Period. There is NO way around it.
Sometimes, I really wish that we would turn this democracy into a theological state for just one year. If we actually used all the “laws” of the Bible, we’d have slavery, children would be stoned to death for disrepecting their parents, people would be stoned to death for co-mingling of the sexes, daughters would be sold off, etc. Religious zealots just can’t leave each person to believe and worship their religion by themselves. They have to force their own beliefs and practices onto everyone else. It’s shameful to see this happen.
I hope the Federal courts rule in favor of the students and parents or else we are going to see more religious zealots forcing tax paying dollars to pay for religous venues througout the entire state.
This school never really got around to teaching the separation of church and state.
On a more constructive note, how about having the graduation ceremony at the school? Most schools have an auditorium or gymnasium / multi-purpose room where such large assemblies can be held. Or they have the ceremony outdoors on a football field or in the garden of the school.
Who at the school came up with this bright idea? Did the administration take a vote of the students to see what they wanted? It’s seems like another case of a religion trying to shove it’s beliefs down the throats of the people, and when the people rebel, the church claims victim status.
My crystal ball is showing me that some school officials will be increasing the number of initial jobless claims very soon.
WOW, for once I hope the church wins lol
If they wanted a graduation ceremony at a church they should have sent their kids to a religious school. This has no damn place in the public system!
“Graduation is too important to leave some families out.”- Rev. Barry W. Lynn
Are you kidding!?! Most teens today could care less about some lame ceremony that ALL FOR THE MOMS and no one else. This just seems like another Jesse Jackson like media opportunist. I bet if the ceremony was to be held at a Mosque and someone tried to use the argument that there should be a separation of church and state they would be accused of being close minded and Anti-American. If you don’t want to go there for a ceremony, don’t go. The 98% of the student population that could care less about the venue are stuck without a choice thanks to some lawsuit happy moron. Why not hold the graduation ceremony at a gay bar, that’s what they want to happen anyway.
It’s obvious that this is happening because some religious zealots are running the high school and want their church to benefit from renting out the church instead of an appropriate venue. I sure hope that this suit prevails.
Like with the shrubs faith based programs the people that are forced to get help through them always say that religion is forced upon them in some way. This is bullshit!
This is really a common sense thing that even a 10 year old could figure out that this is not a suitable environment for everyone and causes needless resentment on the part of those who want no part of a religious environment for anything at all. What about the feelings of those who don’t believe in any faith or who are of a totally different faith for whom entering a church seems very inappropriate.
Did ask for comment from the school?
I can’t believe a school could get away with forcing students into any church or worship type places. If that be the case then, I would encourage the entire senior population to not show up for graduation, as a protest and as a lesson for the school’s administrators.
Everyone should feel comfortable at their graduation. Everyone’s family members should feel comfortable at their graduation. Graduation is a function of a state governmental entity. Graduation should NOT be held in church which expresses hatred toward the gay members of the graduating class and it most certainly should not be held in a church which does not believe in “Saint Oprah”.
Come on now, if you get your operating funds from the state, then you are not a church and should not hold your graduation ceremonies in a church. It is not rocket science. State entity-stay away from church. Church entity-stay away from state entity.
Wow. Religious groups must be desperate if the only way they can proselytize is a trapped audience of high-school graduates.
Good lord, why is a public school holding its graduation in a church? Is there no common sense in that school district? Daffs.
I hope the lawsuit prevails. There is supposed to be a separation of church and state in this country.