Tenn. Recess Bible-ban Case Appealed
An appeals court in Tennessee will soon hear a lawsuit filed several years ago on behalf of a fourth-grade student who was barred from reading the Bible at recess.
The boy and his parents initially filed suit in Tennessee in 2005 against the Knox County Board of Education, alleging that the principal of Karns Elementary School ordered a teacher to put a stop to the Bible discussion that was taking place during recess between the then-10-year-old and some other students. The case, now being appealed, was heard at the district court level one year ago.
Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) litigation counsel Jonathan Scruggs tells OneNewsNow that his client has the right to read and discuss the Bible during non-instructional time.
“We’re not asking for special treatment here,” he explains. “We’re simply asking for equal treatment in the same way that other students can read material during recess — that our client should have been allowed to read the Bible and participate in a Bible study during recess.”
Last year, a verdict against the student was handed down by a jury, although Scruggs argues a jury should have never heard the case. The attorney explains that trial before a jury requires there be more than $20 at stake. He says his clients were seeking only one dollar in damages, so the case should have gone to a bench trial before a judge.
“…Because we’re talking here about First Amendment rights [and] legal principles that the judge would be much better to handle than a full jury,” Scruggs adds.
ADF is hoping for a favorable ruling before the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
(Source: OneNewsNow.com)
