Sunday, July 28, 2013

Praying Mother Banned from School Grounds in N.H.

Lizarda Urena was alarmed and concerned for her two children at Concord (New Hampshire) High School when ammunition was found in the school restroom, so she began to pray aloud outside the school every morning, but when atheists in Wisconsin learned of her actions, their lawyers threatened the school, so the superintendent promptly banished Urena.

For background, read ACLU Bullies Michigan School into Ban on Student Prayer and also read Atheists Threaten to Sue Every School in Mississippi as well as Atheists: Short on Lawyers to Sue ALL Christians

In addition, read Texas Law Tells Schools to Ignore Atheist Threats

-- From "Concord administrators plan to stop mother from praying outside school" by Kathleen Ronayne, Concord Monitor staff 7/24/13

Lizarda Urena, the mother of two students, began praying on the steps outside the high school auditorium every morning after two bullets were found in a school toilet in February. She would spend about 15 minutes reading Bible verses and calling out prayers for the safety of the students. When the Monitor wrote a story about Urena in mid-May, both Principal Gene Connolly and school board President Kass Ardinger said they hadn’t received any complaints about her actions.

But that month a Concord resident contacted the Freedom From Religion Foundation [FFRF] to express concern about Urena’s actions. After requesting information about Concord High policies, the group’s attorney sent a letter to [Superintendent Chris] Rath saying the district should not allow Urena to continue praying at the school. Rath responded July 12, saying the district would tell Urena she could no longer pray on school district property.

Urena plans to continue praying for the students’ safety even if she can’t do so on campus. She will pray at her home or at the gas station across the street from the school, she said. Although she is sad she will be asked to leave, she said she appreciates that Connolly let her pray there for several months.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "New Hampshire School District Bars Mother From Praying On School Steps Following Complaint" by Heather Clark, Christian News Network 7/26/13

For nearly four months, Urena’s practice of praying at the school continued without a complaint, and officials took no issue with her presence.

Last week, the district responded to the FFRF, advising that it will no longer allow Urena to pray on the property.

“To be fair to all the kids in the school, it is probably best for the principal to say that she shouldn’t be speaking out like this and proselytizing on school grounds,” school board President Kassandra Ardinger told reporters. “The best mode of action was to tell her to cool it.”‘

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Concord bans mom from praying at steps of school each morning" by Bill Smith, New Hampshire Union Leader 7/25/13

A lawyer for a group that defends religious speech says if the school district didn't initially object to Urena speaking at the Concord High front door, and later responded to the content of her speech, then it has engaged in illegal viewpoint discrimination.

"Students and community members that are allowed to come on campus and participate in a neutral thing are allowed to express religious viewpoints," said Matthew Sharp, general counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom. "The students know it's the mother and her own speech — something that the First Amendment protects — and that it is not the school mandating this woman to do it."

It is unclear whether the school district will ultimately have to defend the ban in court.

Sharp of the pro-prayer Alliance Defending Freedom says the group hasn't decided whether to take up Urena's cause.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Because of the intimidation tactics of atheist lawyer organizations, state governments across America are educating its citizens on constitutional religious liberty by passing laws in Texas, and Louisiana, and North Carolina, and South Carolina, and Missouri, and Mississippi, and Florida, and Tennessee.

To understand why such laws ensuring religious liberty are necessary, read about myriad attacks on Christians via public schools (see article list at bottom).

The root issue is American Religious Liberty vs. Anti-Christian Totalitarianism