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ACLU sues Santa Rosa County over school prayers
Santa Rosa County school administrators have "persistently and pervasively" promoted their religious beliefs to students, the ACLU alleges in a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday.
The American Civil Liberties Union has sued the school district, county School Superintendent John Rogers and Pace High School principal Frank Lay on behalf of two Pace students and their parents.
Students at Pace "not only face overt compulsion to adopt the religious beliefs of school officials, but also must contend with subtle coercive pressures to conform their religious beliefs to those favored by school officials," the lawsuit claims.
The suit seeks to forbid school officials from "sponsoring, facilitating or promoting" prayer at school functions, including graduation.
It also calls for an end to school sponsored events being held at places of worship and a ban on religious baccalaureate services altogether.
The lawsuit calls for the court to halt "school officials and others" from "unconstitutionally endorsing or coercing religion."
It calls for "nominal damages, attorneys' fees and expenses."
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| I just wonder what all those Bible thumpers will do when, to be fair and allow equal time for all religions, their kids have to sit through the prayers of a Muslim classmate at school. Maybe it would be better to just let everyone pray silently in school without bias toward one religion or another. |
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| Matt - Sep 03, 2008 10:50:24 AM | Remove Comment |
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| We don't! |
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| G - Sep 01, 2008 09:02:19 PM | Remove Comment |
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| This country condemns other countries who pressure its citizens to adopt a particular religion, yet, when it happens here, so many Americans rally around what they normally would reject.
It seems so hypocritical to me. Either we believe in the separation of church and state or we don't. Which is it? |
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| Kym - Aug 28, 2008 12:42:41 AM | Remove Comment |
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| Like no one has ever killed, robbed, looted, raped, or tortured in the name of religion before. Crusades? Inquisition? Any of that ring a bell? Time to climb off that pedestal don't you think? |
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| Yeah Right - Aug 28, 2008 12:00:44 AM | Remove Comment |
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| And we wonder why our young folks are robbing, killing and doing drugs. It must be all those evil prayers. I bet those two students are permantly scarred now that some good things have invaded their life. It's a shame that the ACLU has nothing better to do than this with all the things that are going on in this world. |
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| Roy - Aug 27, 2008 11:32:47 PM | Remove Comment |
