Now that a federal appeals court has ruled that two Wisconsin high schools violated the U.S. Constitution when they held graduations in a church, a group that threatened to sue the for doing the same thing said local officials "must stop this anti-liberty and repressive practice."
, the president of the North Metro Atlanta Chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said Wednesday that he, along with the leaders of Georgia's two other AU affiliates, "unequivocally renew the call to stop the inappropriate use of religious venues for public school graduations.
"We live in a faith diverse and free nation. No student of a public institution, and of any belief or non-belief, or sexual orientation should be made to feel uncomfortable because of non-relevant beliefs imposed on them during a celebration of their success."
It was 2010 when . At the time, Selman said the group intervened after "a member of the community asked AU for help in stopping this constitutional violation."
The request, and the potential for litigation, sparked a community uproar in Cherokee, which had held commencement exercises at since 2005.
Parents started grassroots organizations such as Cherokee County Parents Against Moving Graduation and Help Us Stop the Harassment of Cherokee County. They rallied the troops on social media. They . They presented a petition of more than 1,500 signatures. And they offered to help the district financially if a lawsuit was filed.
Supporters contended that Cherokee's venue choice had more to do with space than religion. It was about economics, and ensuring that all family members had an opportunity to witness their students reach an academic milestone.
Locally, the district said in 2010, there weren't any sites comparable in size or price to First Baptist Church of Woodstock, which has a seating capacity of 7,500 and a price tag of $2,000 for each graduation.
, on the other hand, costs $40,000 and seats half the number that First Baptist does.
Despite the potential for litigation, the Cherokee Board of Education didn't budge. In January 2011, , and more than 2,000 graduates walked across the First Baptist stage in May 2011. No suit ever materialized, and the debate seemingly faded away.
Selman, AU's North Metro Atlanta president, previously told Patch that the group was waiting on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals' ruling, which came on Monday.
In a 7-3 decision, . In the court's eyes, families were exposed to "an unacceptable amount of religious endorsement and coercion" in the form of the cross, evangelical literature and more.
Selman said Wednesday that "it is our intention and preference" to settle the matter in Cherokee out of court.
"However, that possibility remains as a very last resort to maintain all citizen's right of belief."
Graduations at Church: A Decision
- Open the attached PDF to read the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals' decision, which can also be found here: http://www.ca7.uscourts.gov/tmp/K317FUMW.pdf
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Graduation is being held at a local mosque. Your tax dollars are going to an institution you may or may not believe in. Do you still feel the same way?
Terry - Save the "Your tax dollars are going to an institution you may or may not believe in" worries for the various faith-based initiatives the previous and current Presidential administrations support. We're talking about Cherokee County and it just so happens that a church is the only venue that can accomodate the ceremony. Why go to a smaller, more expensive venue 30+ miles away? To stop the bleating of a small number of hypersensitive attention seekers? No thanks. Quite frankly, I don't care if it's a church, a synagogue, a mosque or a wiccan fairy garden. As long as there's no proselytizing, why does it really matter? Is the sight of a cross really that threatening?
As to your comment that "no one here is complaining", are you 100% sure about that? Are you sure that no student or his family is uncomfortable attending graduation at FBCW. In our county, there is a lot of scorn for anyone that isn't WASP. In the case of FBCW, it is my understanding that the church rents the space at BELOW MARKET RATE, plays a video welcoming those in attendance to come to their services and there are religious symbols throughout. In effect, they're using the graduations to market their church and their beliefs on others. In they charged, FMV rent, didn't play their video and covered the religious items, there would be no issues. Lastly, people need to realize that some in this community impose their religious beliefs on others. For instance, coaches having prayers before a child's ball game without parental consent.
If you're fine with all of the above, you are one open-minded person and I must commend you. If not, you're a hypocrite. My wife and I have our own religious beliefs and aren't likely to change them. That said, not all people attending graduation ceremonies are adults. The video and religious items could reasonably be construed as trying to influence the minor children. And, if I recall correctly, many people in the Republican party don't believe that schools, gov't, and others should be trying to contradict the beliefs of the parents. Again, hypocrisy.
Schools have football stadiums. I graduated outside and survived.
There is no attempt to draw people into the church or its services or force beliefs on anyone. It IS a great venue that seats a huge number of people comfortably, with ample parking, good acoustics, good lighting, provision of Internet video so that my kids grandmother could watch it live from her home in North Carolina. The benefits clearly outweigh any concerns. This is one of those times that "the good of the many outweigh the good of the one". Sorry, but I've had enough kowtowing to people because they feel "uncomfortable" and I will help Cherokee County Schools fight this to the Supreme Court if necessary.
FWIW...your comment about it being no different than driving past a church with a cross or a mosque is wrong. The difference is that to see your child graduate, the school system forces you to attend a place of worship that extols beliefs that are fundamentally different than your own while subjecting you and your children to religious influences. As long as there is no video message from the pastor/church and reasonable attempts are made to lessen the religious influence, I have no issue. On the other hand, if there is a video and no attempt to lessen the religious influence, then yes there is a problem for some people.
I would rather Cherokee County not pay for a venue at all since they are cutting teachers and raising taxes (not this year).
BTW, your non-sense comparison just make me more convinced that the matter has more to do with how much money someone can make suing the county than anyone's religion.
Why don't you let those folks who want to graduate at FBCW stay put and then the families who are offended can have a separate ceremony on school grounds? There will probably be less than a dozen of you so you should easily fit in the gym.
"As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion..." President Jefferson.
Your other argument of "if you have a problem with a location, you pay the difference" also fails for the following reason...Why are we spending money for a location when we have football stadiums? I graduated in the South, in July, outdoors on a hot steamy day. If your child must graduate indoors with air conditioning, then you should pay the cost. I don't have a problem with learning about religions - I know a lot. The issue that I have, and that you forget, is that the state should not impose a religion upon the people. This is what occurs when graduation is held in a church where the minister/church plays a video promoting itself. This isn't about money! It's about respect for differing opinions and freedom OF and FROM religion. Far too often, I'm approached by people who begin to offer their religious beliefs. Coaches unilaterally decide to say prayers, a teacher told a friend's child with a life-threatening health issue "There's one person who can save you and his name is Jesus Christ". Enough with forcing your religion on people. My wife was a Baptist but left the church in part to their belief that men are the spiritual leader of the home, that women are to submit to the husband, and women cannot be ministers. Not exactly everyone is created equal!
As to the church as a venue, the churches should not be paid a cent since they pay no taxes. They should offer their place free of charge as a show of gratitude and community concern. The schools can hire their own janitors to clean up what little mess should there be any. Separating by classes is the most economical way since churches aren't going to show their community spirit (pun intended) by offering their space for free. All graduation ceremonies I've attended were in the stadium or indoor gymnasium (Kennesaw State).