Plano, TX- Today, Ms. Janice Colston and Crowley Independent School District have agreed to an amicable solution to a lawsuit filed by Ms. Colston in December.
"Crowley ISD worked diligently to find a solution that would allow Ms. Colston and others to exercise their legal rights, while at the same time guarding the safety of its students," said Janet Wynn, assistant superintendent of Crowley Independent School District.
The lawsuit resulted when Crowley ISD stopped Ms. Colston from distributing materials immediately after the school day, while students were leaving the Crowley High School building and attempting to load buses.
Ms. Colston and Crowley ISD have agreed to a distribution location in front of Crowley High School that will allow Ms. Colston to exercise her free speech rights and ensure that the students of Crowley ISD may safely exit the building and load buses.
Ms. Colston, represented by the Liberty Legal Institute, sent a demand letter to the district and later sued, claiming that she was denied her free speech rights to distribute religious literature on a public sidewalk in front of Crowley High School. Crowley ISD denied all allegations in an answer filed in federal court. Ms. Colston received an undisclosed amount of attorneys' fees in settlement of the matter.
"Mr. Gibson, Crowley ISD superintendent, did a wonderful job bringing both sides together to resolve this case. This is a district that values free speech and religious expression, and it demonstrated that by immediately working toward a resolution soon after the lawsuit was filed," said Hiram Sasser, director of litigation for Liberty Legal Institute.
CLICK HERE to read an article about the case.