April 2009 Archives

Well, Jay, we didn't agree about holding graduations in churches.  It looks like we won't agree on what students can say or do at graduation, either.

Songs which mention God are usually called "hymns."  Hymns are prayers set to music.  Prayers should not be a part of a public junior high graduation ceremony.  Although the facts you relate in your post about the California case are pretty sparse, it seems completely appropriate for the school to veto inclusion of a "song [that] mentions God" at the event.  (Frankly, I'd prefer never to see tap dancing on general principle, but the First Amendment wouldn't allow a government body to bar such performances all together.)

Barry, I think the one thing we can agree on is that as long as graduation ceremonies take place across the country, there will be questions - concerns - and ongoing debate about what's proper and what it not.

What I don't understand is why some public school officials find it necessary to censor student religious speech - even at graduation.

Even as I write this, we're working with the parent of an 8th grade student in California who auditioned to perform a tap dance number at her graduation ceremony that will take place in a few weeks. The graduation committee was impressed by her dance and invited her to perform at the ceremony, but they told her that she had to change her song selection or use an instrumental version with no words. The reason? The song mentions God.

Barry, as you know, many graduation ceremonies are held in churches around the country every year.  The reason for this is simple and has nothing to do with religion:  the church facility, in many communities, provides the space needed to accommodate students, parents and friends for the graduation gathering.

Unfortunately, with your lawsuit in Wisconsin, you're creating a constitutional showdown that is off base. You cite that your plaintiffs are not comfortable attending the graduation ceremony in a building where they disagree with what you call the church's 'conservative viewpoints' on a host of issues.  Okay.  But this is a graduation ceremony - not a church service.  There will be no preaching.  No evangelizing.  It seems to me that you and your clients don't like the theological teachings of this church.  That's fine.  But, that has absolutely nothing to do with using the facility to host a graduation ceremony. By holding the graduation ceremony at the church facility, the school district is not 'endorsing' any religious viewpoint.

Well, Jay, let's move from the national scene to a local one. Americans United has now filed a precedent-setting lawsuit challenging the use of a church for a public high school graduation ceremony in Wisconsin.

We had asked a number of Wisconsin schools to stop the practice of holding graduations in churches.  One complied, but the Elmbrook School District did not. It wants to go on having its activities in the Elmbrook Church in early June. 

This shouldn't even be a close question. The church has an enormous cross in its sanctuary (not surprising for a church) and plenty of other religious symbols throughout the building (also not surprising).  The church refuses to cover up the icons of the faith, and I certainly understand that as well.  What I don't understand is why the two schools involved, years ago, didn't start looking for another locus for the celebration of graduation day. Motivation should have been increased after church members distributed church literature to attendees in the lobby one year.