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Washington State School Searches Child's Backpack, Confiscates Bible"Three separate incidents. Three separate violations. The same student. The same district." -ACLJ Statement
The American Center for Law and Justice says the dispute involving Highline Public Schools began in 2022, when J.H. was a second grader at North Hill Elementary School. School officials repeatedly searched the girl's backpack and confiscated her Bible and Gospel tracts because she had been talking about her Christian faith with classmates, according to the ACLJ. The legal organization says the district ultimately acknowledged the conduct was wrong and promised in writing that J.H. would be allowed to exercise her faith. "It is abundantly clear that school officials must be able to affirmatively establish that they have a substantial reason to interfere with a student's First Amendment rights, and stating 'because it is upsetting parents' as the reason certainly does not meet this constitutional threshold," ACLJ said in a statement. But the controversy did not end there. Now a sixth grader at Sylvester Middle School, J.H. was allegedly pulled from class earlier this year after distributing Gospel tracts during lunch. The lawsuit alleges a vice principal told the child that students could share "opinions" at school, but not religious beliefs. Then came a mandatory May 29 "Inclusion Assembly." The ACLJ says J.H. became visibly upset when the presentation addressed subjects that conflicted with her Christian beliefs. She quietly asked to leave and explained why. A teacher allegedly responded, "They aren't forcing their belief on you, but they are informing you about this." When the girl again objected, she was allegedly told, "You have no choice," and sent back into the gym, where the ACLJ says she sat crying. The ACLJ filed suit July 8 in federal court on behalf of J.H. and her father, Jonathan H. Local news outlet The Highline Journal reported that Highline Chief Communications Officer Tove Tupper initially said the district had not yet received the lawsuit and would review it once served. The allegations have not been proven in court. The district's own published student-rights policy states that students "possess the constitutional right to the free exercise of religion" and should not be pressured to choose between participating in school activities and their religious beliefs. The ACLJ argues the incidents demonstrate a continuing pattern of religious discrimination. "Three separate incidents. Three separate violations. The same student. The same district," the organization said. Back in 2022 a school district spokesperson told CBN News that sometimes the district must restrict student expression.
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