On The Front Lines
School Officials Discriminate Against Religious Puppeteers, Deny Community Credit for Volunteering at Vacation Bible School
GREENBELT, Md.--Attorneys for The Rutherford Institute have filed suit in the U.S. District Court of Maryland on behalf of two public school students who are being denied full credit for their community work because their activities were part of a Vacation Bible School program for children on an Indian reservation. Institute attorneys argue that by enacting a mandatory Student Service Learning program that prohibits students from receiving credit for participating in a community activity if the primary purpose is religious, Montgomery County School officials violated the students' rights to religious freedom, free assembly and equal protection as guaranteed by the First and Fourteenth Amendments.All Montgomery County students are required to complete 60 hours of community service prior to graduation. In addition, students who earn credit for more than 200 hours receive a special award and a special notation on their school transcripts. During July 2001, students Joshua and Anna Gale participated in a Vacation Bible School program for children on the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation as part of their community service efforts. The program included puppet shows, music, crafts and games, as well as Bible lessons. Montgomery County School officials initially denied Joshua, a Walter Johnson High School student, 20 of his 36 credit hours due to the religious content of his activities. After intervention by Institute attorneys in January 2002, Montgomery County Schools informed Joshua he would receive credit for the full 36 hours. However, Montgomery County School officials refused to change their discriminatory program and insisted that they would not approve student credit hours for participating in activities whose primary purpose was religious. Because Montgomery County School officials refuse to change their discriminatory policy, Joshua, who has not yet completed the 60 hours, will not be allowed to participate in any religious community service activities; Anna also may not participate in a religious activity while she works her way toward the goal of achieving 200 credit hours.
"Religious students like Joshua and Anna Gale who choose to serve the community through church work, such as Joshua's entertainment of indigent Native American children, should not be forced into service that doesn't reflect their deeply-held values," stated John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute. "School districts that mandate community service must recognize that the Constitution is wary of government decisions about which private expression is 'valuable' to the community and which isn't."
The Rutherford Institute is an international, nonprofit civil liberties organization committed to defending constitutional and human rights.
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