A 10-year-old elementary school student filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against district officials for barring students from reading and discussing the Bible during recess.

Luke Whitson and his parents, represented by the Alliance Defense Fund, claim Principal Cathy Summa at Karns Elementary School in the Knox County district in Tennessee violated constitutional rights by stopping a playground Bible study.

The lawsuit alleges: "Principal Summa abruptly interrupted certain fourth-grade students while they were in the midst of a Bible discussion during recess, demanded that they stop their activity at once, put their Bibles away and from that point forward, cease from bringing their Bibles to school."

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court, asks for an injunction against the school system to prevent employees from "banning or threatening to ban religious expression in the form of Bible reading and discussion during recess time."

Summa insists she did not ban Bibles from school and the Knox County district, through a statement by Superintendent Charles Lindsey, said the principal objected to Bible study at recess, which school officials do not consider "free time."

Lindsey emphasized students can have Bible study groups "outside the classroom environment."

But ADF attorneys, who say school officials have given only an "evasive" response through the media, contend recess is "non-instructional time regardless of how the school system tries to characterize it after the fact."

"The Constitution says 'yes' to Bible reading and discussion outside of class time," said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Nate Kellum.

Whitson's parents, according to ADF, were unable to resolve the matter with the principal and contacted district officials via legal counsel.

The district failed to respond, ADF claims, leaving the Whitsons with no choice but to file suit.

ADF says officials also didn't answer the central question in their news release.

"Simply, that question is: May a couple of students get together and talk about the Bible on the playground at recess? The district sidesteps this core issue," Kellum said.

Summa and other school and district officials have stated in media interviews that students may only read and discuss the Bible before or after school.

"This is not a constitutionally sound policy," Kellum contended. "Recess has long been regarded as non-instructional time, and students may read or discuss a wide range of literature -- including the Bible -- during such periods."

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