Federal Judge Clarifies Santa Rosa Prayer Order
March 23, 2011
A federal judge has clarified his order concerning prayer, religion and schools in Santa Rosa County.
Federal District Court Judge M. Casey Rodgers granted in part a preliminary injunction and granted a request for hearing on remaining claims.
Rodgers clarified that school district employees are allowed to attend religious services such as baccalaureate, even on a school campus.
“This is the only claim involving allegations of school officials threatening discipline for private conduct outside of school or a school event,” Rodgers wrote. “A private religious service is not a school event, even if it takes place in rented school facilities.”
The court prohibited the Santa Rosa County School Board to “from enforcing any school policy that restrains in any way an employee’s participation in, or speech or conduct during, a private religious service, including baccalaureate” pending a full hearing this summer.
Comments
13 Responses to “Federal Judge Clarifies Santa Rosa Prayer Order”
For BarrineauParkDad;
You are correct sir, there is a place for religion. It is in the heart. The church,
like the school is but a building. Parents should instill religious values into
their children during the only time they have 100% control of the input their
children are taught. This being from birth until they start school. Sadly,
many parents pay babysitters to raise their kids during this critical time of
development and their children grow up with values taught by the “hired
hand”. How many parents check religious backgrounds of the people
“raising” their children. Personally, I’m not concerned with the school
teachers religion because parents should have set their children on a
Godly path before they ever start school. If all parents did their moral
responsibility in raising their kids in the way they should, the ACLU
wouldn’t have one chance in a million of prevevting school prayers.
if you read the agreement between the school official and aclu, you al would come away with different answer. but i do agree that school instructors should not pust their tenet on the children.
REGARDING:
“If you want your children churched up, take them to church. If you have to have them churched up at school, send them to a private school which reinforces you beliefs.
If you allow public school teachers to push their beliefs in the school, you have no control over what your children are exposed to.”
Here again we see extremism, the idea that people should be SILENCED outside of certain areas because we might not like what they would say. Telling people they can not practice their beliefs other than in their church, synagogue, mosque, pagoda, coven or brothel is just as dictatorial as insisting everybody MUST practice some given set of religious beliefs.
Obviously if it interferes with the work at hand, it is out of place. You are being paid to teach not proselyte. That needed to be addressed and was. But then they threatened teachers with punishment if they wore school colors to church services outside of the school. Words of students were censored if they mentioned personal beliefs. (assuming the complaint to be correct, and after listening to you, it sounds likely)
The judge said it would take some study but that it was clear some violations of the rights of teachers and other personnel were involved just as it was clear some complaints were NOT violation of their rights and those were dismissed out of hand.
David for moderation and freedom
rather than extremism and tyranny
First of all, I didnt see where Mr Green judged……And I didnt see where her was against the religion. He just stated facts.
Second, something was mentioned about overseas religious people. I doubt religion is the reason they are killing each other, it’s called ignorance. If they truely had religion, they would be wise and quite the childish nonsense they do.
Some people just were not born with a brain and there isnt much you can do to fix stupid. But if in school if I were there and I had to listen about other religions but was tld I had to shut up about mine, I would probably sue also. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander, is what my grandmother always said.
yes I am and already do
Let me skip the needle again on my broken record.
There is a place for religion, the church and the home.
There is also a place for education, the school house and the home.
If you want your children churched up, take them to church. If you have to have them churched up at school, send them to a private school which reinforces you beliefs.
If you allow public school teachers to push their beliefs in the school, you have no control over what your children are exposed to. The first time a public school teacher leads a class in a prayer to Allah, Zeus, Eros, Ganesh, Lucifer, Hades, or Yarikh, the same good christians that want prayer in public schools will be threatening to sue or string up anyone involved with the school system.
If you want state sponsored religion, you can move to the middle east. I hear its working out real well for them. My bad, those are the god fearing people that are killing each other left and right because they can’t decide who’s church is going to run the show.
Aren’t you the David Green from Carver MS!
David Green – When you get into a situation you can’t fix on your own and need God /Jesus, give me a call (I’m in the Atmore phone book) and I’ll lead you to the Saviour! One way or another-in life or in death, you will bow to the Creator of the universe! I hope it’s on this side of the grave!
Dr. Kevin R. Linam
REGARDING:
“D. Green, you always seem to judge others, I guess that could work both ways, that is, unless you are perfect.
Nope, far from it. That’s why I’m so impressed it was so well written.
Besides, who did I judge?
David wondering
D. Green, you always seem to judge others, I guess that could work both ways, that is, unless you are perfect.
REGARDING:
“Just not allowed in a public school”
The judge pointed out they made that error too. The right of students to express religious beliefs can not be flatly forbidden even in schools, nor can teachers be forced to drop their beliefs or to discuss them when asked, nor is it lawful to threaten to fire teachers for their clothing at a religious service outside of the school setting. Either the consent decree is overreaching or those charged with enforcing it were.
The problems came up with people in authority using their positions to push their beliefs on others, followed by using their consent decree to forbid expression of those same beliefs.
Spelling error on page 27 using “form” when the proper word would be “from.” Not bad for such a lengthy document.
David for freedom
The constitution protects the RIGHT of citizens to have their own faith, or lack
therof, and to freely practice it. It lacks the provision that so many call the
“seperation of church and state”. In fact the constitution, in a few simple
words, garantees that ” freedom of religion” may NOT be restricted to or
from a geographical location such as a school, public building, courthouse,
or ones’ home, for that matter.
An ACLU lawyer was asked this question. Before prayer in school was banned
in the early ’60’s, the worst problems in most schools was chewing gum in class, and runnung in the halls. Since that time, we require armed police in the
schools, their are school shootings, sex between students and teachers, and
overall disipline is absent from the classroom. Can the ACLU say that things
are better now than then? The answer, sure things are better now. Students
no longer have their feelings hurt or feel out-of-place as they did before.
What wonderful lodgic. Doesn’t the ACLU know that a person MUST give
their permission to have their feelings hurt or feel “leftout”?
The next step will be for the liberal appointed judges to restrict the practice
of religion in the home. Impossible you may say. Who actually owns your
home? Study the recent court rulings non “eminent domain”. Also, fail to
pay your property taxes and see WHO actually owns and controls your home.
“
Separation of church and state is clear, nothing stopping them from praying quietly to themselves all day if they like. Just not allowed in a public school
here we go again……