A win for religious liberty was reported last week after school officials reversed their decision to ban a student from bringing her Bible to school.
The parents of Gabrielle, a second-grader in Illinois, contacted the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) after their daughter’s Bible was taken away during recess. The young girl likes to read her Bible aloud sometimes while other kids listen.
A teacher recently told Gabrielle, “You just can’t be doing that,” then contacted her parents and advised them that she was forbidden to bring the Bible back.
The parents rebuked the school’s restriction and contacted ACLJ.
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School officials said it would only allow Gabrielle to read her Bible outside during recess, but not inside. The constraint was still unacceptable to the parents and ACLJ.
Interestingly enough, the school verified that no student or parent had complained about Gabrielle’s reading during recess.
ACLJ sent a letter to the school, highlighting specific cases throughout history where students were permitted to express their views on religion unless the school believed the measure could “materially and substantially disrupt the work and discipline of the school.”
In Gabrielle’s case, imposing limits on a second grader’s right to read the Bible on the playground or inside the school was unjustified since it wasn’t causing a disruption.
The school was appreciative for the insight offered by ACLJ and removed all restrictions on Gabrielle’s reading of her Bible.
ACLJ focuses on the preservation and defense of constitutional rights. It is based in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit https://aclj.org.
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