School Apologizes After Refusing To Display and Then Destroying Special Needs Student’s Easter-Themed Art Project Because It Contained a Christian Message

After refusing to display and subsequently destroying a special needs student’s Easter-themed art project because it contained a Christian message, a school has now apologized, as the ACLJ assisted the family in resolving the matter.

Last week, the ACLJ was contacted by a parent whose special needs son’s First Amendment rights had been blatantly violated by school administrators. In summary, our client’s son participated in a school-wide artwork project. Every student was given a flamingo with a quotation bubble(s). The students were instructed to color in the flamingo and insert a statement into the quotation bubble(s). Following the completion of the art project, the students’ art was displayed on the school’s walls.

The project took place right before Easter. Accordingly, our client’s son chose to include the following messages in his artwork: “He has risin The reason for Easter” and “He also made you and me.” However, when it came time for his artwork to be displayed, he was told he could not display it with the religious message of Easter. Subsequently, school officials destroyed his artwork and removed the quotation bubble by folding it over and covering it with blue paper so the message could not be seen.

The student’s family immediately reached out to the ACLJ for legal assistance, and we immediately responded and provided the parent with everything he needed to address the matter with school administrators. In this particular case, the parent had already scheduled a meeting with school officials and wanted to have some information in hand to assist him in advocating for his son’s rights. We provided him with that information and were on standby to take legal action in the event school officials continued to defy the law.

Fortunately, in this case, not only was the parent able to resolve the matter, but also the school officials – upon reviewing the ACLJ’s legal memorandum on student rights – agreed to provide additional training to staff and teachers to ensure that another student’s rights are not violated and their speech and religious exercise censored.

As our legal memorandum explains, the Constitution forbids school officials from censoring student speech because of the religious content of that speech. Time and time again, the Supreme Court has made clear that students “do not shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.” Whether a student is in the classroom, the “cafeteria, on the playing field, or on the campus during authorized hours, he [or she] may express his [or her] opinions.” Students may express their religious beliefs and even share religious materials with their peers between classes, during a break, at lunch, and before and after school. Further, teachers cannot punish students and/or censor their religious views and opinions when expressed in the proper context of a school assignment.

Unfortunately, this type of unlawful violation of a student’s First Amendment rights occurs often in the public school setting. More often than not, we are able to quickly resolve these situations for the student.

We have been providing assistance and legal representation, at no cost or charge, to people just like you for decades. If you or your child’s rights are being violated in this area, please contact us at ACLJ.org/HELP.