Court filing seeks elimination of penalties for Christian art
By Bob Unruh
A court in Wisconsin has been asked to suspend immediately a policy in the Tomah Area School District that bans Christian symbols in students' artwork, but allows Hindu, Buddhist and satanic representations.
The motion was filed yesterday by the Alliance Defense Fund, which has taken on the case of a student identified by the initials A.P.
The ADF launched a lawsuit on the student's behalf after a teacher refused to give him a grade on a project because his work included "John 3:16" as well as "As sign of love."
Artwork banned because of the inclusion of a biblical reference and the message: "A sign of love"
The school district, however, openly acknowledged and publicized various pieces of art representing Buddhism, and Hinduism as well as several demon faces that appeared satanic.
The school defended its actions:
"Respect for the beliefs of a diverse student population … requires that the district treat all students equitable and fairly regardless of their faith," it said in a website statement.
"To meet our responsibilities, students are required to follow the rules of conduct for their classrooms and the instructions that their ...   more »