Parents of a second-grade student at
North Hill Elementary School (NHES) in Des Moines, WA, have accused officials
at the school of repeatedly penalizing their daughter for talking with her classmates
about Jesus on the playground— including sending her to the principal’s office
“no less than 10 times since” since the first of the year.
“We were astonished when we were first contacted by a second-grade student’s parents who said their little girl had been sent to the principal’s office at NHES no less than 10 times since January 1st for witnessing to classmates on the playground,” Christina Compagnone, an associate counsel with the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ)— which is representing the family, said in a recent release. “Not only were they scolding her for talking about Jesus to her classmates outside of instruction time, but they were stopping her at the entrance to the school every morning to inspect her backpack and remove any Christian tracts!” Compagnone added.
The girl’s mother reportedly confronted the principal of the school over the removal of the tracts from her daughter’s backpack and was told that her daughter wasn’t allowed to share tracts or crosses at school because the activity is “upsetting parents.” After the parents contacted ACLJ, the organization reached out to the school and explained that the second grader’s witnessing to her classmates on the playground is protected by the 1st Amendment. The principal allegedly responded by doubling down on their decision against the second grader— insisting that “it is school policy that students cannot distribute materials that ‘cause a disruption or interfere with school activities,’” according to ACLJ.
“Christian tracts were being treated as contraband, as if speaking about Jesus were an illicit drug,” Compagnone said. She added that the Highline School District has a Freedom of Expression policy that only prohibits the distribution of written materials that cause a disruption of school activities “in an assembly or classroom setting” and doesn’t apply to the playground.
Under the law, Compagnone added, “Students are free to express their religious views while at school, which includes sharing Bibles, Christian tracts, and crosses.” “The actions of the school officials were particularly egregious in this case because they not only violated this student’s rights, but also publicly humiliated her,” Compagnone further explained. “They will not get away with this. The ACLJ will ensure that this little girl’s religious liberties are respected once and for all. We recently sent a Demand Letter to the school; and if the school does not take immediate corrective action, we are ready to file in court if necessary.”
The NHES case comes at the same time that the Dhillon Law Group filed a 206-page lawsuit against Mater Academy— a public charter school in Hialeah Gardens, FL, for allegedly telling 14-year-old student, Nicolas Ortiz, to stop taking his Bible to school after he was repeatedly attacked and bullied by students and teachers alike for his faith.
“Mr. Ortiz is experiencing something that no American should ever have to experience,” Dhillon Law Group Managing Partner, Harmeet K. Dhillon, said in a statement. “It’s bad enough that the school has done nothing to stop the bullying from his peers, but have gone as far as joining in on targeting Mr. Ortiz for simply practicing his faith. This blatant violation of his first amendment rights is another example of how extreme so many in our education system have become, and why Dhillon Law Group is coming to Mr. Ortiz’s defense.”
Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.
Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army
Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel
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