Teachers in a Connecticut school district were allowed to let Muslim students use classrooms, during non-class times at lunch, for their “religious express.”
Without complications.
But when Christian students wanted the same accommodation, school officials in the Greater Hartford-area district threatened discipline against the teachers, including unpaid suspensions.
Then Liberty Counsel got involved, delivering to district officials detailed information about the Constitution, students’ rights, and teachers rights.
And suddenly the plans for punishment were abandoned.
Liberty Counsel explained, “Even though this teacher and others had accommodated Muslim students in their religious expression and practice during lunchtime without discipline, district administrators characterized this teacher’s allowing Christian student religious exercise during non-instructional time (outside of an after school ‘club’ forum) as a ‘lack of professional judgment.'”
The legal team pointed out, “At a disciplinary meeting, the district decided to give the teacher a two-day unpaid suspension, a letter of reprimand, and to inform the Christian students they were prohibited from meeting to engage in lunchtime religious activity.”
The problem, Liberty Counsel noted, was that school officials didn’t understand the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution and student religious free exercise rights.
The organization informed the unidentified school district “that students have the First Amendment right to engage in voluntary religious activity on campus during non-instructional time. Moreover, the teacher did not participate in the religious activity, but only allowed the small group of students to use her classroom, issued hall passes for lunchtime transit, and otherwise facilitated student religious exercise with parental permission—similar treatment she rendered to a Muslim student for lunchtime prayer.”
“We are pleased to assist this teacher, who is a member of Christian Educators. Our teacher client will have no discipline for accommodating the religious needs of her students, and the students are able to resume their lunchtime Bible study,” said Liberty Counsel chief Mat Staver.
“Under the First Amendment, public schools cannot prevent students from religious practice during their free time, nor can they discriminate against Christian viewpoints regarding use of school facilities.”
The district was heading, with its agenda, toward violations of the First Amendment Free Speech and Free Exercise Clauses, the Equal Access Act, and the Connecticut Religious Freedom Exercise Act.
The result of the legal team’s intervention is that the district eliminated the discipline from the teacher’s file and will allow the lunchtime activities by the students.
