News
Staff (Aug 16, 2016)
"We celebrate this victory that acknowledges that students have
constitutional rights to free speech to distribute literature during
non-instructional times." -Mat Staver
(Los
Angeles, CA)—[CBN
News] A California public school district will allow an elementary
student to share Bible verses with his classmates during non-instructional time,
according to Liberty Counsel, the organization representing the student and his
family. (Photo via CBN News)
The situation involves a student, called "C," at Desert Rose Elementary
School in the Palmdale School District.
It gained national attention after the school called the Los Angeles County
Sheriff's Department to reprimand the 7-year-old student for handing out Bible
verses to his classmates.
It was a normal routine for the Zavala family. Christina Zavala would tuck
encouraging notes and Bible verses in packed lunches for her son. According
to Liberty Counsel, "C" shared his notes with other first graders. They soon
requested notes of their own.
Mrs. Zavala sent additional Bible verses for her son's friends and included
short stories.
After one student told the teacher "this is the most beautiful story I've
ever seen," the teacher quickly intervened, according to the Santa Monica
Observer.
The teacher reprimanded "C" for passing out the notes, and then called his
parents to warn them that their actions violated separation of church and
state.
The
teacher also told the Zavalas that notes were banned from lunch distribution.
They were told that the only location where "C" could pass out the notes was by
the school gate after hours. (Photo: Palmdalesd.org)
The family complied with the request, but they were further harassed after 15
students met the family at the gate to receive the Bible verses, Liberty Counsel
said.
Principal Melanie Pagliaro demanded that "C" only hand out the notes on a
public sidewalk, far from the exit, off school property.
The family honored the request. However later that day, a Los Angeles County
Deputy Sheriff went to the Zavalas' home demanding that the note-sharing stop
altogether.
He warned that "someone might be offended."
The Zavala family contacted Liberty Counsel to help protect their child's
constitutional freedom. According to Liberty Counsel, the school district's
legal counsel in a recent letter came to the following conclusions:
"C" may freely discuss his religious beliefs on the Desert Rose
campus during non-instructional time; The Zavalas may distribute written
material to anyone on any designated public forum, including the sidewalk a few
feet away from the Desert Rose School gate; Mr. and Mrs. Zavala may
continue to send a daily note to "C" in his lunchbox; "C" may freely read
and discuss his daily note with his peers during
non-instructional time; "C" may even verbally invite any of his peers to
join him on the sidewalk after school for further discussion on the contents of
the notes.
"We celebrate this victory that acknowledges that students have
constitutional rights to free speech to distribute literature during
non-instructional times," Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel,
said in a statement. "Now this young boy is free to share his Bible verses and
stories with his classmates this year without hassle."
The Palmdale School District issued the following statement on its
website:
"The Palmdale School District acutely respects the religious rights of
all students, parents, administrators and staff. This isolated incident seems to
stem from a misunderstanding of existing rules and procedures designed to
protect students, and not based on an effort to restrict religious
liberties.
"We are eagerly expecting the results of an internal investigation. The
investigation will determine whether and to what extent proper protocol was
followed at Desert Rose Elementary School.
"We will next update this message as soon as we know more
facts." Source: www.breakingchristiannews.com/
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