A Connecticut School District's showdown with the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Separation of Church and State has come to end -- at least for a year.We had a similar situation in Orange County a few years ago. The Saddleback Valley Unified School District used to put on a music night featuring all of the district's bands in one location and that location for years was Saddleback Church, the only facility around here that could accomodate the bands from four high schools, four junior highs, and a bunch of elementary schools...all in one place...plus parents and family members. It was a fun event until some moron parent complained and demanded the church remove the cross before the concert. The church had been providing the facility for free to the district, but refused the request and the concert had to be jammed into a high school gym where the acoustics were terrible and there wasn't possibly room for everybody. It was completely needless and someone, somewhere, needs to learn how to say "no" to unreasonable requests and then fight it out if necessary.
With the clock ticking, the Enfield School Board voted 5-4 Thursday night not to appeal a preliminary injunction by U.S. District Judge Janet Hall, who ruled Monday that it was unconstitutional for the district's two high schools to hold their commencement ceremonies at a church.
The vote means the schools will hold their 2010 graduation ceremonies on school grounds.
"We're quite pleased about the vote," said Alex Luchenitser, senior litigation counsel for Americans United for Separation of Church and State. "The board did the right thing to help the students in the community put this behind them. It allows the schools and the principals to finalize graduation instead having plans up in the air. We want to assure every student can enjoy the graduation without it becoming very divisive.”
But his opponent in the case was far from pleased with the school board's vote.
"I was shocked. I was stunned," said Vincent McCarthy, the attorney with the American Center for Law and Justice. "I thought the decision was pro forma. We had a good chance."
School Board Chairman Greg Stokes was also surprised. Up until the start of Thursday night's meeting, he'd gotten assurances from five board members that they would vote for the appeal.
"The plan was to vote to appeal then work on the backup plan just in case," Stokes said. "I don't know what happened."
Jordan Sekulow, an attorney with the Center for Law and Justice, had felt all along that the case was winnable and that Judge Hall did not consider two similar cases that ruled in favor of the school districts. "This kind of case can go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court where it impacts every school district, and that's why it's important," Sekulow said.
Enfield was one of five school districts in Connecticut that planned to hold commencement ceremonies for its high schools at First Cathedral, a megachurch in Bloomfield with state-of-the-art facilities, plenty of legroom and ample parking.
School Board president Greg Stokes says, "When they (the school board) narrowed it down, we came to conclusion as a board that First Cathedral was the right place for the right price.... one-stop shopping."
Stokes said the Enfield football field was off limits because the newly installed Astroturf required a protective covering. (Failure to protect the turf would nullify its warranty.) The small gym would allow only two tickets per students, and there's no air conditioning -- a cause for concern in late June. But now that the board has decided not to appeal, the gym will be the likely site.
We have a nation of too many leaders who are afraid of a little conflict.
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2 comments:
Why must every good idea be stretched to the point of the ridiculous? It made sense that a public school teacher not be allowed to instill her own religeous beliefs on students or that a school not 'promote' one religeon over others, but not using a church building for a secular event is lidicrous - its just a building!
When my synagogue was first established, two different churches graciously allowed us to conduct services in their buildings, for which we were very grateful.
We are in the mess we are in today because most leaders would just roll over and let the lefties have their way. It is no one's problem but our own. We need leader's with a backbone and the support of the majority in a community. I'm tired of becoming a doormat for those who demand their own rights but don't want me to have my rights.
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