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ACLU declares victory in case
The Webster Parish School Board and the American Civil Liberties Union have reached the first stage of a settlement in their religious promotion lawsuit, a settlement which includes judgment in favor of the ACLU.
A consent decree signed by all parties was approved Friday by a federal judge. This binding court order prohibits all school officials in the Webster Parish School District from promoting prayer at religious events, organizing religious services such as baccalaureate, hosting school events at religious venues unless absolutely necessary, and promoting personal religious beliefs to students.
“This is a victory for all students at Webster Parish School District, who now have the right to pray – or not to pray – free from interference or coercion from school officials,” said ACLU of Louisiana Staff Attorney Bruce Hamilton. “Christy Cole and her daughter stood up for all students’ religious freedom, and this agreement is a testament to their courage and conviction that students and families, not government bureaucrats, have the right to decide how and whether to pray.”
The ACLU filed the lawsuit on December 18, 2017 on behalf of Christy Cole and her daughter, who attends Lakeside Junior/Senior High School. The lawsuit accused the school district of widespread unconstitutional promotion of Christianity in its schools.
On April 16, 2018, the school board adopted a new religious expression policy in response to the lawsuit, attempting to align its stance on student, faculty and staff religious expression with current law. Revisions and additions were made to the policy, and it was incorporated into the consent decree issued by the court.
A consent decree is a form of settlement that allows both parties to resolve a dispute without admitting liability, helping them avoid prolonged legal battles and fees. A paragraph of the court order issued Friday reads as follows.
“The defendants admit that there is a factual basis to support a finding by the court that incidents have occurred violating the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. However, defendants continue to deny those factual allegations that were originally denied in their answer to plaintiffs’ complaint and […]