Plano, TX- Today, Liberty Legal Institute sent a demand letter to Crowley Independent School District on behalf of Janice Colston, who was denied free speech rights outside Crowley High School last spring.
“Mrs. Colston has a clear and undeniable right according to the First Amendment to stand on a public sidewalk and distribute religious literature,” said Kelly Shackelford, chief counsel for Liberty Legal Institute. “It is outrageous that the school district has singled out this grandmother and barred her from an entire block of a public sidewalk.”
The situation arose when Mrs. Colston was prohibited from passing out religious literature on a public sidewalk near Crowley High School after school hours. Before interacting with anyone, Mrs. Colton was stopped and told to move to the end of the street, therefore preventing contact with students. Mrs. Colston contacted Liberty Legal Institute seeking advise, then made several attempts to resolve this matter with the school district but to no avail.
“Every citizen has a right to speak and share the Gospel on a public sidewalk. This is a precious right,” Shackelford said.
In the demand letter issued today, Mrs. Colston requests that she be allowed to distribute religious literature on the public sidewalk without intervention from school officials.
“The Crowley ISD, despite being warned several times through attempts to resolve this, continues to bow its neck in the face of clear constitutional law and the freedom of speech and religion,” said Tom Brandon, co-counsel for Mrs. Colston. “This demand letter is intended to send a clear message to the school district that it cannot blatantly offend the Constitution without facing legal action.”