UPDATE::Buddhist Student, Religious Liberty Prevail In Louisiana | American Civil Liberties Union

As you may remember, back in January, the atrocious actions of Negreet High School and the Sabine Parish Superintendent Sara Ebarb made headlines for denigrating the Buddhist faith of a young student.

When his parents complained, they were told that “this is the Bible belt,” so they should expect to find the Christian God in the classroom. Ebarb advised them that if they wanted an ungodly classroom, they should transfer C.C. to a school where “there are more Asians.”

Enter the ACLU and the ACLU of Louisiana. As reported on 3/14/2014, ",,,C.C. and his family won. A federal district court entered an order requiring the school district to refrain from unconstitutionally promoting or denigrating religion. The court’s order also mandates in-service training for school staff regarding their obligations under the First Amendment."

The victory has not been without grief for the family, ",,,not everyone has reacted to the lawsuit with the same measured consideration as the school board. While C.C. and his family have received much support from the community (including from some local congregations) and from across the country, they also have been harassed via crank calls to their house and work. And last month, C.C.’s mother Sharon was accosted while doing yard work: Three people wearing KKK-type white hoods drove by her and shouted, “You fucking nigger Asian-loving bitch.”

Two important points to highlight from Judge Elizabeth Foote. First in regards to teacher Rita Roark’s behavior and the school’s decision to defend it, Foote found their actions to be a clear violation of “the Free Exercise and Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.”

Second, to the specific behavior of Roark, Judge Foot wrote “[t]he District and School Board are permanently enjoined from permitting School Officials at any school within the School District to promote their personal religious beliefs to students in class or during or in conjunction with a School Event.” Furthermore, “School Officials shall not denigrate any particular faith, or lack thereof, or single out any student for disfavor or criticism because of his or her particular faith or religious belief, or lack thereof.”

Buddhist Student, Religious Liberty Prevail In Louisiana | American Civil Liberties Union