Plano, TX- Parents and their children who were victimized by Plano Independent School District’s unconstitutional censorship policy filed a lawsuit today in the Federal District Court.
“This lawsuit includes a large amount of evidence that demonstrates the pervasive religious hostility in Plano ISD,” said Hiram Sasser, director of litigation for Liberty Legal Institute.
Under Plano ISD’s policy, a third grade boy was denied his right to pass out goody bags, including candy canes with religious messages, to friends at their “winter” party, while secular gifts from other students were permitted. Parents were even told they could not hand out such messages to other parents at the party.
A young girl was prohibited by Plano school officials from passing out pencils with Jesus written on it at a class birthday party, while other gifts with secular messages were permitted. In addition, another young girl was forbidden to invite her friends to an Easter event at her church.
Last week, Plano ISD sent a letter home requesting that parents not send their children to school with anything red or green this holiday season. All cups, plates, napkins and icing must be white or the children will be in violation of the policy.
“These government officials have lost all common sense. This Christmas-time and religious censorship is not the law and this discrimination must stop,” said Kelly Shackelford, chief counsel for Liberty Legal Institute. “Our children are the ones suffering from this discrimination. “Our schools are not zones of religious censorship.”
Liberty Legal Institute and The Alliance Defense Fund will represent the clients before the Federal District Court.
“We did everything we could to talk the district into doing the right thing and put an end to these violations and discriminations, but unfortunatly they refused to back down,” Shackelford said. We are confident that the courts will uphold the fundamental law that school officials may not suppress or exclude the speech of citizens simply because their speech is religious or includes religious content.”