Backed by ADF, first-grade student now permitted to share Christmas song with classmates

adf ^ | December 15, 2006,

[Coleus]

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif - Initially denied the right by school officials to share a Christmas song with his classmates during “show and tell,” a first-grade student has been permitted to participate after an Alliance Defense Fund attorney sent a letter on his behalf to Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Jean Brown.   “The First Amendment guarantees that the free speech rights of all students, including those who are Christian, are entitled to protection.  Those rights do not end at the schoolhouse gate,” said ADF Litigation Counsel Heather Gebelin Hacker.  “Any person familiar with the Constitution would recognize that this student’s presentation could not be viewed as an endorsement of religion by the school.  The school district’s decision to allow our client to participate in ‘show and tell’ ensures that his First Amendment rights will no longer be violated.”

Deven DeBow, a first-grader at Woodlake Avenue Elementary, planned to share a song with his class that he was practicing to perform as part of his church Christmas program.  The song, “The First Leon,” is a children’s song about the shepherds in the Christmas story.  DeBow also wanted to provide flyers about the upcoming performance to interested classmates.  The event occurred last weekend.  Upon learning of DeBow’s plans, his teacher confiscated the flyers, saying he would not be able to sing the song because “not everyone believes in the God you do.”  DeBow’s parents questioned the teacher, who said that allowing DeBow to proceed would constitute “government endorsement of religion.”  Woodlake’s principal backed the teacher and told DeBow’s parents to take their complaint to district officials.

The letter sent to LAUSD officials is available at www.telladf.org/UserDocs/DeBowLetter.pdf.  The school district’s letter regarding its decision to allow DeBow’s presentation may be viewed at www.telladf.org/UserDocs/LAUSDResponse.pdf.  On Monday, in a different lawsuit filed by ADF attorneys, Turton v. Frenchtown Elementary School District Board of Education, a federal court ruled that a Christian song “selected and performed by an individual student…was the private speech of a student and not a message conveyed by the school itself” (www.telladf.org/news/story.aspx?cid=3944).  ADF is a legal alliance defending the right to hear and speak the Truth through strategy, training, funding, and litigation. www.telladf.org    www.saychristmas.org

[wastedyears]

I’m still amazed at how many people get the First Amendment wrong.

It’s freedom OF religion, not freedom FROM religion, stupid.

[Old Sarge]

He’s just a child - a child who wanted to sing to his classmates.

Tell me that is not a JoyCamp, as Orwell called them.

[Grimmy]

free expression of religion is guaranteed before freedom of speech in the First Amendment.

That whole “freedom from religion” that you correctly call out as wrong, is also a direct attack on The Constitution and as such makes all who hold to it blood enemy of those sworn to protect The Constitution.

Someday, we might actually get up off whatever excuse we hide behind and actually honor that oath.

[HKMk23]

Someday, we might actually get up off whatever excuse we hide behind and actually honor that oath.

I hear ya.

But somehow I think that The Guarantor of said unalienable rights just might beat us to the draw.

[Grimmy]

“But somehow I think that The Guarantor of said unalienable rights just might beat us to the draw.”

Oh yeah. That’s a big fer shure.
I’m also fair certain that I’ll be on the receiving end of plenty myself if I don’t mend my ways.

1 John, 2:8-12
1 John, 3:14-16
1 John, 4:19-21

Depending on how the term brother is defined but indulging in such things as “...the definition of is is..” not real good idea.

Stumbling block. Gotta work on it.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Nice, sincere, heartfelt apology from the district, too.

[HKMk23]

“Gotta work on it.”

Don’t we all?

But, hey, Romans 8: “There is, therefore, now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus...”

We couldn’t earn it in the first place, why should we think we can maintain it under our own power??

Nah, it’s all Him, and we have to just do the best we can and rely on His grace for the rest.

[Grimmy]

Amen.