The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio and a Wisconsin group called Freedom From Religious Foundation have filed a federal lawsuit against Jackson Middle School in Jackson, Ohio.
Both groups want the school to remove a portrait of Jesus Christ from the school.
The groups claim the school is unconstitutionally promoting religion.
They also claim that keeping the portrait entangles the State in religious affairs. Complaints came from three plaintiffs—an anonymous student and parents of two other students that attend the school.
Jackson School Superintendent Phil Howard has also been named in the suit.
Before the lawsuit, Howard had refused to remove the portrait. In 1947, students gave the questionable portrait to the school as a gift. The gift portrait has been displayed in the school for 65 years without incident.
The same argument has been heard in courtrooms across the country. Other schools have been required to remove portraits of Jesus in their schools.
Jackson’s school board has a meeting on February 12 to further discuss the matter.
The Jackson School District posted the following on their website:
“We are shocked and surprised to hear about this lawsuit. FFRF had asked us to do an investigation, which we started almost immediately.
The investigation is almost complete and our attorneys are going to make a report and recommendations at our next board of education meeting on an appropriate course of action. We have not seen nor been served the lawsuit.”
Additional information is available at WLWT Cincinnati News and the ACLU website.
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