Webster Parish Passes New Religious Policy Exception

The Webster Parish School Board in Louisiana announced that it plans to adopt a new policy concerning religious expression in public schools.

The Webster Parish School Board in Louisiana announced in April of 2018 that it plans to adopt a new policy concerning religious expression in public schools after a lawsuit was filed claiming the school’s officials promoted religious expression that violated the First Amendment. The policy is focused on preserving and explicating the religious rights of students while also ensuring that Webster Parish school remains within the boundaries of the law.

How Creation of the Religious Policy was Initiated

The nine-page policy was adopted by the Webster Parish School Board in response to litigation initiated by the American Civil Liberties Union in December of 2017. The American Civil Liberties Union initiated legal action against the Webster Parish School system on behalf of Christy Cole, the mother of a student at Lakeside Senior High who had agnostic beliefs. Three additional families with similar issues joined the suit after it was filed.

What Issues are Addressed by the Policy

Some of the various issues addressed by the report include school employees who participate in any type of religious activity with students as well as the way in which students who speak at official events are able to reference religious themes. While the policy does bar school employees from participation in prayers, workers are permitted to wear symbols of their faith. The school has announced that this policy does not infringe in any way on student’s rights created by the Constitution.

Response to the Policy

Comments about the policy have been made by United States representative and former Constitution lawyer, Mike Johnson. While Johnson noted that he has a history of obtaining positive results in a variety of cases, the creation of this policy was the only way to obtain favorable results. The reason why Johnson is hesitant to fight in court is that many issues raised by the policy are well-settled areas of law and that focusing on these issues in litigation would result in litigation of already established areas.

Since its adoption, there is one particular sentence in the parish policies that has received some scrutiny about its restrictive language. This section of the policy states that school officials are prohibited from offering prayers, reciting prayers alongside of students, bowing their heads, or posturing in any way that is likely to be seen as an endorsement of the prayer. Many people who argue in support of the policy find that this statement does not go far enough in prohibiting who is allowed to conduct religious prayer at schools.

Continue Reading the Universal Life Church’s Blog

The Webster Parish School Board has not yet revealed any additional plans about litigation in this issue. While many of the areas involving the separation between school and religion as well as the establishment clause are long settled, each year there are numerous developments concerning this area of law. By continuing to read the Universal Life Church’s blog each month, you can remain up to date in this area.

(image courtesy of Redd Angelo)