First Liberty Attorney Jeremy Dys, in an online editorial, says it's time school officials "go back to school to learn" about the right of religious expression by students and teachers. He states many school officials will incorrectly cite the Constitution’s establishment clause which says “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise there.”
“It seems like every year, despite the fact that the Constitution is very clear, that it protects the religious liberty and the free speech rights of our students and after a Supreme Court decision reaffirming that those very rights and federal law protecting religious liberty inside our public schools, school administrators still seem to not get the message."
The phrase “separation of church and state” comes from an 1802 letter by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Association, where he described the First Amendment as building “a wall of separation between church and state.”
Dys says people have heard the falsehood about separation of church and state for so long most people believe it.
"And I think that's been reinforced by certain groups that have an ax to grind against religion. Then I think maybe some of the teachers' unions in this country have all come alongside that and forgotten to update their records when the law has changed."
Dys recommends parents download the Student Protection Kit from First Liberty's website to prepare themselves in the event their rights are violated.
