Caution: Lawsuits Ahead
Supporters of a new law in Texas argue that it will protect the right of students to express their religious views in public schools. But Kathy Miller, president of the Texas Freedom Network, says the law should have come with a warning: “Following this law will probably get you sued.”
She writes in the Dallas Morning News that schools enforcing the law will be at risk of federal lawsuits for potentially violating the religious freedom of students and their families.
The law, she says, mandates that schools turn public events, such as morning announcements and football games, into “limited public forums.” Student speakers are then permitted to use those events to promote their own religious beliefs.
If a speaker uses a school event to evangelize, the school will not be a neutral actor. It will be forcing all students to participate in a function that promotes religious views they and their families may not share…. You can almost see the attorneys lining up.
