ADF offers ‘See You at the Pole’ students free legal backing
http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/news/story.aspx?cid=4687 ALLIANCE DEFENSE FUND NEWS RELEASE
ADF offers ‘See You at the Pole’ students free legal backing
ADF attorneys say public school officials
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund say they are ready to defend, free of charge, students who are prevented by public school officials from participating in the “See You at the Pole” event Wednesday. ADF attorneys sent a legal memo to all “See You at the Pole” staff and participants, informing them of the legal rights and precedents that entitle them to inform people about and take part in the student prayer event. “Christian students should not be prevented from peacefully expressing their beliefs outside of class time. They don’t abandon their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse gate,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel David Cortman. “Misinformed public school officials need to understand that the so-called ‘separation of church and state’ cannot be used as a reason to keep students from advertising or participating in ‘See You at the Pole.’” “See You at the Pole” is an annual, student-organized, student-led gathering held at school flagpoles across the U.S., where students pray for their school, friends, teachers, government, and nation (www.syatp.com). In the past, some government school officials have unconstitutionally kept students and staff from sharing about and participating in the event, often erroneously citing the so-called “separation of church and state” in connection with the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause. “The only wall that prevents religious expression is the ACLU’s, not Thomas Jefferson’s,” Cortman added. “Our government and courts have already spoken: Students have a constitutional right to peacefully participate in ‘See You at the Pole’ through prayer and worship activities outside of class time.” According to the ADF legal memo, “If the school allows individual students or student clubs to advertise events through school bulletin boards, school PA systems, general posting of school flyers, or other means, the school cannot forbid the same means of advertising for the SYATP event.” A copy of the ADF legal memo sent to SYATP participants is available at www.telladf.org/UserDocs/SYATPLegalMemo.pdf. ADF is a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations defending the right of people to freely live out their faith. Launched in 1994, ADF employs a unique combination of strategy, training, funding, and litigation to protect and preserve religious liberty, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family.
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