“The government cannot single out Christians, because their religious viewpoint does not coincide with campus orthodoxy.”
UPDATE 6/10/11: School cancels fundraiser entirely rather than accept Bible verses
-- From "Desert Sands Unified School District faces federal lawsuit" by Staff, City News Service, Southwest Riverside News Network 1/25/11
The Desert Sands Unified School District, targeted by a religious freedom group, was facing federal lawsuit today, because it would not include some bricks bearing Bible verses in a sidewalk built as part of a fundraiser.
The Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Alliance Defense Fund sued the school district Jan. 18 on behalf of Lou Ann Hart and Sheryl Caronna, claiming school officials violated their First Amendment rights when they rejected bricks bearing Bible verses.
According to the lawsuit, the district cited the constitutional “separation of church and state” in rejecting the bricks. Neither woman received a refund, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit, Hart v. Tomack, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, which is in San Diego. Gary Tomack is a member of the Desert Sands school board.
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From "School sued over religious bricks" Michelle Mitchell, The Desert Sun 1/25/11
“The so-called separation of church and state … does not justify discrimination against religious speech,” said David Cortman, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund, which filed the suit Thursday on behalf of Lou Ann Hart and Sheryl Caronna.
Officials from Desert Sands Unified School District have not responded to requests for comment.
The denied bricks had messages such as “Tell everyone about God’s power, Psalm 68:34” and “’Trust in the Lord with all your heart & lean not on your own understanding’ Proverbs 3:5 The Caronna Family,” according to the complaint.
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From "District taking money, but censoring Christians?" by Bob Unruh © 2011 WorldNetDaily 1/25/11
[Donors] were allowed to include messages such as:
Be the change that you want to see in the world. GandhiThe lawsuit explains the women were told that there was a complaint from within the school about the "religious verbiage" on their pavers, so they would not be included in the project. Nor was their money refunded.
God bless you babe
Dream big
Make it happen
"Showtime"
Carpe Diem
Believe
A spokeswoman for the school in the Desert Sands Unified School District told WND that it was an outside organization, the parent teacher organization, that was running the fundraiser and the school did not have a responsibility.
The project was launched in February 2010 by the Palm Desert parent teacher organization. It was approved by the principal, board and superintendent.
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