ACLU Sues Giles County, Virginia Over Ten Commandments

[PV2WISE2VCU]

ACLU sues Giles County over Ten Commandments display | Augusta Free Press

The ACLU of Virginia today filed suit against the Giles County School Board for posting the Ten Commandments on the wall at Narrows High School in Narrows, Virginia. The lawsuit contends that the display violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

The Ten Commandments is posted on a main hallway at the high school, near the trophy case and on the way to the cafeteria, where it can be seen by students every day. It is surrounded by historical documents relating to American history, such as the Declaration of Independence, the Star-Spangled Banner, and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom.

The lawsuit was filed today on behalf of a Narrows High School student, suing under the name Doe 1, and the student?s parent, suing under the name Doe 2. The plaintiffs do not want to use their real name because they fear retaliation from community members who have displayed scorn and anger toward those who have complained about the Ten Commandments display.

The complaint explains that the Ten Commandments display makes Doe 1 feel like an outsider in his own school, because the school is endorsing religious beliefs to which he does not subscribe. Doe 1′s parent, Doe 2, objects to the display because it usurps the parent?s right to control the religious education of Doe 1.

?The Ten Commandments were clearly placed in Giles County public schools to promote religion, and that violates the First Amendment of the Constitution,? said ACLU of Virginia Executive Director Kent Willis. ?School board members cannot camouflage their religious purpose by hiding the Ten Commandments among other documents.?

For years, Giles County schools posted a framed copy of the Ten Commandments along with the U.S. Constitution, but after complaints from the Freedom From Religion Foundation last fall, the school superintendent ordered them taken down. The school board, however, in a meeting attended by 200 residents urging restoration of the display, voted to overturn the superintendent?s decision. Only after the ACLU and the Freedom From Religion Foundation threatened litigation did the school board reverse itself and order the Ten Commandments taken down again. Then, in June, the school board authorized the posting of the Ten Commandments with historical documents. However, Narrows High School is the only school so far to post the display.

?Schools best respect religious freedom when they allow students to express their religious beliefs, but refrain from expressing religious opinions of their own,? said Willis. ?That is not what has happened here.?

[R13]

Good for them! They have no place in public schools, if it was a private school more power to them, but this is unconstitutional and discriminatory.

[7teen]

I thought the Supreme Court ruled in 2005 that as long as the Commandments were displayed as a historical document that they were allowed to be displayed? Seems there were cases in Kentucky and Texas where Ky had to remove them from a court house because they stood alone and promoted religion while in Texas they were allowed to stay since they were displayed along with other documents. Unless something has changed, it seems precedent suggests that Giles County has done nothing wrong and the should be allowed to stay since they surrounded the commandments with other historical documents.

[VHSLhelper]

split decision
USATODAY.com - Court limits display of Commandments
Giles Co. school system sued over Ten Commandments - Roanoke.com

question... if the argument is "promoting 1 religion", what other religious documents could be included to be more "fair"?

[R13]

"Then, in June, the school board authorized the posting of the Ten Commandments with historical documents. However, Narrows High School is the only school so far to post the display."

These obviously weren't displayed as a "historical document", they were up before and were taken down after complaints, then they must have seen that same ruling and tried to use it as a loophole - that decision wasn't even like this case. They should catch every lawsuit possible for that stunt they pulled, it should have never been up in the first place since it's a blatant endorsement of a religion in a public school. Then to pull that by putting up those other pieces to protect it? That's ridiculous.

The argument isn't "promoting one religion", it's promoting A RELIGION, that's not allowed. Putting some other religious document beside it just makes it twice as bad, now you're endorsing two religions or three or four. Since there's thousands of different religions, many a lot older than Christianity and those without religion - which is more likely considering they make up to a fifth of the US population at least - than NO religious documents can be displayed. The same argument is applied to teaching creationism in school, this is where the Flying Spaghetti Monster and Invisible Pink Unicorn arguments come in.