Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Contempt of Court or Contempt For God?

UPDATE IV: An interesting development in the matter, a teacher threatened to sue the Santa Rosa County School Board for violation of his First Amendment rights after "he and other teachers were prohibited [by the School Board] from participating in the private baccalaureate services that were scheduled to occur on Sunday evening, May 31, 2009, and would be terminated if they chose to do so." Read the Santa Rosa Press Gazette, ADF represents Jay Teacher in discrimination case.

It doesn't seem to me that it is a discrimination case as much as a First Amendment case.

And BTW, the School Board decided that the teacher was right and that the Board could not prohibit "district employee from attending or participating in the baccalaureate, or any other religious service or event, while on their own time and in their personal capacities."


UPDATE III: Everyone is trying to spin this story, even Pastor Poppins, AKA Carl Gallups, on WEBY last week. Now read WorldNetDaily, Graduating students defy ACLU.

The article is misleading. The ACLU never tried to prevent students from praying. The lawsuit was aimed only at stopping school officials from leading the students in religious activity.


UPDATE II: Who is wrong here, the school board in its interpretation of the consent decree, or the Principal who is defying his boss? Read the consent decree below and then at the Pensacola News Journal, Pace principal: We won't back down.

Doesn't sound to me like the Principal is setting a good example for the students. But he is getting close to retirement, so maybe he just wants to be the next Roy Moore.


UPDATE: Read the Pensacola New Journal, Superintendent Wyrosdick has a very big problem.

First the lawsuit and settlement.

Then the protest.

Now defiance.

Is it contempt of court, or contempt for God? Read original and follow-up posts (with links to court documents), and then these documents, and decide:

The consent decree and order:

Consent Decree and Order

The ACLU motion for contempt:

Motion for Order to Show Cause Why the Court Should Not Find Contempt

And exhibit:

Motion for Order Ot Show Cause Why the Court Should Not Find Contempt, Exhibit 86-02

The School Board's response:

SRCSB Response to Motion for Order to Show Cause Why the Court Should Not Find Contempt

And exhibit:

SRCSB Response to Motion for Order to Show Cause Why the Court Should Not Find Contempt, Exhibit

What do you think?