A California elementary school principal given disciplinary action for appearing in a promotional for a teachers prayer breakfast is suing, claiming he did “absolutely nothing wrong,” lawyers said.
-- From "Principal sues Goleta district over prayer video" by The Associated Press 10/12/2010
An attorney from the Alliance Defense Fund filed the lawsuit in federal court on behalf of Craig Richter, a principal at Foothill School in the Goleta Union School District [Santa Barbara].
The suit seeks an injunction preventing the district from firing him, and attorney's fees.
It says the district prevented Richter and teachers from taking part in the event for practical reasons because they would miss school time, but gave no indication that it objected on grounds of promoting religion.
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From "Calif. Principal Disciplined for Endorsing Prayer Breakfast" by Stephanie Samuel, Christian Post Correspondent 10/16/10
Craig Richter, principal of FootHill School and a Christian, appeared in a short video promoting the Santa Barbara Community Prayer Breakfast, which was organized to honor educators. A member of his school district, Goleta Union, viewed the video on Youtube and the district later deemed that Richter had violated the separation of church and state, threatened to end his contract and placed him on a disciplinary performance plan.
In the 30-second video, Richter spoke mostly about the teaching profession. He thanked breakfast attendees saying, “For educators to be acknowledged and prayed for is both an encouragement and a great honor. Your support of the community prayer breakfast is appreciated.”
[Richter's attorney, William] Rehwald contended that Richter’s advertising the prayer breakfast was done as a private citizen speaking on an issue of public concern and the district violated his constitutional right to freedom to speech.
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