ACLU Demands Removal of Cranston School Prayer Display
Monday, September 12, 2011
The Rhode Island affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a brief requesting that a federal judge issue an injunction requiring the city of Cranston to remove a “School Prayer” mural from the auditorium of Cranston High School West.
This isn’t the first time the banner, which is addressed to “Our Heavenly Father,” has been targeted by the group. Last July, the ACLU wrote to school officials demanding the removal of the banner and threatened legal action should the school not comply. In March, the school committee voted 4-3 to keep the banner—largely on “historic” grounds. Unfortunately for the cash-strapped city, the ACLU was not bluffing, and filed a formal lawsuit in April.
Today’s request for an injunction comes on the behalf of Jessica Ahlquist, the lawsuit’s central plaintiff and a current sophomore at Cranston High School West. According to the brief, Ahlquist has been subjected to “personal attacks and intimidation,” ever since first voicing her opposition to the display.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe brief challenges school officials’ claims that the banner is displayed purely for its historical value—pointing to various contradictory comments made by school officials and an even older banner that was removed from nearby Bain Middle School. The brief also contends that a Memorial Day event at Bain—a mandatory assembly featuring a prayer by a catholic priest—reveals the schools district’s underlying “approval and favor of incorporating elements of religious practice in public school programs.”
The brief was filed in anticipation of the October 13th court hearing on the lawsuit.
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