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Lawsuit follows school’s ‘Jesus loves me’ face mask ban

Lawsuit follows school’s ‘Jesus loves me’ face mask ban

Last updated on: November 4, 2020 at 12:07 am by Barry Duke

Lawsuit follows school’s ‘Jesus loves me’ face mask ban 2020-11-04T00:07:07+02:00 Barry Duke

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Image via eBay/Myspeedypros

THE mask pictured above can be be yours for just $16.99 from eBay, but at least one school district in the US has ruled that face coverings that bear political, sexual or religious messages are verboten.

So when Lydia Booth, a third-grade pupil in Mississippi turned up for classes wearing a similar “Jesus Loves Me” creation, she was forced by the principal to remove it.

The matter has now been taken up by the Alliance Defending Freedom, the go-to outfit for “persecuted” Christians. According to this report, the ADF have filed a federal lawsuit against the Simpson County School District.

ADF filed the suit yesterday (Monday). ADF attorney Michael Ross acknowledged the challenges school officials face, but asserted that they still have:

A duty to respect the free expression of students. Officials simply can’t suspend the First Amendment or arbitrarily pick and choose the messages that students can or can’t express.

Other students within the school district have freely worn masks with the logos of local sports teams or even the words ‘Black Lives Matter.’ This student deserves an equal opportunity to peacefully express her beliefs.

Lydia’s mother, Jennifer Booth, reached out to the school multiple times prior to the filing of the lawsuit, seeking a reasonable solution to the issue. The school responded by sending the Booths a copy of its district COVID-19 plan, which included the retroactive changes it had made, including the religious message ban.

Tyson Langhofer, who heads up the ADF’s Center for Academic Freedom, said:

No public school student should be singled out for peacefully sharing her religious beliefs with fellow students.

The lawsuit is seeking a court order preventing the district from enforcing its policy. Until that time, Lydia Booth is choosing to abide by the school’s wishes, having been threatened with suspension for failure to comply.

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