Jackson OH Jesus location in High School building
During a federal court hearing in Columbus on Tuesday, lawyers for the Jackson Ohio City Schools agreed to remove the picture of Jesus that was at the center of a church & state lawsuit brought by the Freedom of Religion Foundation and the ACLU. The district claims its insurance company wouldn’t cover the costs of the lawsuit. There is no word if the lawsuit will continue but for now the district made the right decision.
Jackson City Schools today agreed to order the removal of a controversial painting of Jesus from a high-school hallway in what was described as a dollar-and-cents decision.
Facing a lawsuit from two unidentified parents and a student who contend the painting is an unconstitutional government endorsement of Christianity, school officials acted in response to an insurance company’s decision.
“Our insurance company denied coverage and we cannot risk taxpayer money at this time,” Phil Howard, schools superintendent, wrote in a statement.
So basically the school was going to risk an insurance payout but once coverage was denied they didn’t want to risk tax payer money? The premiums are paid with tax dollars and the rates might have gone up if they were forced to use insurance to pay so their excuse seems fishy to me.
I heard on the news tonight that the district will be meeting with their lawyers on Wednesday. I doubt they will give up but for now, until the case is resolved, the picture has been removed.
They made the right decision this time.
Tags: 1st amendment, ACLU, appeal to tradition, Christian privilege, church and state, civil rights, Freedom from Religion Foundation, Jackson Ohio, Jesus, Jesus portrait, public schools, religious symbols
