"Just because an activist organization in New Orleans trolls the internet in search of something to be offended by does not mean that any constitutional line has been crossed here or that any behavior should be modified."For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:
-- Rep. Mike Johnson
Louisiana Students, School Reject ACLU's Ungodly Demand
Sheriff Defies ACLU: July 4th Prayer in Louisiana
ACLU Sues Louisiana School for Overt Christianity
Mississippi Teacher Prayers for Students Illegal, Atheists Say
Arizona Schools Ban Christian Football Coaches
Atheists Call for Ban of Christians from Schools in Michigan, West Virginia, Oklahoma, California, Florida, Ohio, etc.
California School Bans Books by Christian Authors
Colorado School Bans Jesus Talk During Free Time
Atheists Say Too Many Christians at Ohio School
And read Texas School Supt. Tells Atheists to Go Fly a Kite
-- From "Complaint says school prayer boxes wrongly promote religion" by The Associated Press 9/26/15
Freedom Guard, a legal group led by state Rep. Mike Johnson, R-Bossier City, offered in a Friday letter to defend the school district free of charge.
"The ACLU's claims have no merit, and we will happily defend you and our Bossier Parish Schools free of charge if you simply ignore the ACLU and affirm the constitutional rights at issue," Johnson wrote. "As usual, the ACLU is wrong on both the facts and the law."
He wrote that students have the right to set up prayer request boxes based on their own free-speech rights. Johnson also wrote that Rowland's used of the phrase "God bless" is an "an innocuous reference to our religious heritage" comparable to the mention of God in the Pledge of Allegiance.
"Just because an activist organization in New Orleans trolls the internet in search of something to be offended by does not mean than any constitutional line has been crossed here or that any behavior should be modified," Johnson wrote.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "ACLU questions religious activity at Airline HS" posted at Bossier Press-Tribune 9/24/15
The ACLU of Louisiana has sent an open letter to Bossier Schools Superintendent D.C. Machen concerning “a pattern of religious proselytization” at Airline High School.
[The letter concluded:]
1. Immediately remove all references to prayer from the website of Airline and any other schools in the Bossier Parish school district;
2. Immediately remove the “prayer boxes” and any similar devices at Airline and any other schools in the Bossier Parish school district;
3. Educate all school staff regarding the Constitutional protections of students and staff from religious indoctrination; and
4. Instruct the principal of Airline that neither he nor his staff may include religious references of any kind in school communications.
These policies and procedures must be communicated to all students and their parents or guardians.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Bossier school gets caught up in First Amendment fight" by Troy Washington, KSLA-TV12 (Shreveport, LA) 9/25/15
Coming to the school's defense is Freedom Guard, a public interest law firm that argues that the ACLU's claims are radical and have zero merit. In a 5-page letter, Freedom Guard offers free legal defense to Airline High, saying it will fight this battle for the school.
The nonprofit also says it plans to prove that the allegations being brought against Airline High are false. And Freedom Guard advises the school to keep the prayer boxes and don't change a thing.
The prayer boxes were placed by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a student organization. The project was completely student-led, which the U.S. Constitution allows, said Mike Johnson, CEO of Freedom Guard.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Bossier Schools respond to ACLU" posted at Shreveport Times 9/26/15
. . . Bossier Parish Schools' spokeswoman Sonja Bailes released this statement around 4:30 p.m. Friday:
Superintendent Machen has received a demand from the ACLU, as well as the attached letter from Mike Johnson of Freedom Guard. Both letters have been referred to the Board's legal counsel for review. As a public body, the Bossier Parish School Board is limited to taking official action at duly-convened meetings of the Board. As the subject letter was just received, it has been placed on the agenda of the Board's October 1, 2015 School Board meeting. Further comment will result from any action at that meeting.
In the meantime, please understand that the Bossier Parish School System enjoys an established record of achievement. Such success is due in large part to the fact that, as in this case, the system respects both the law and the religious beliefs of all its students and employees.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Why is there NO outcry from atheists about overt indoctrination of Islam in public schools?
