We are coming up on graduation season, a time in the lives of young people when their accomplishments are recognized and celebrated. Valedictorians will be delivering speeches and giving thanks to teachers and parents and others who have had an impact on their lives. That is all perfectly fine, but when they thank God or mention Jesus, it’s considered off limits in way too many settings. There are many examples of this from past experiences.
A student in Chicago was asked to deliver a speech as valedictorian of his class. The school administrators advised him that he must remove any mention of God and Jesus or he could not deliver his speech. He was told just minutes before his scheduled speech. “Christ is the only reason I was valedictorian. He is the reason I got that 4.0. If it weren’t for Him, I wouldn’t be up here. I was giving Him the credit for that,” he said.
Valedictorian, Elizabeth Turner, was told by her Michigan principal that she must omit remarks about her Christian faith from a draft of her speech that she submitted for review. A note from the principal indicates that the speech had already been changed. She wrote, “This is better, and you fixed the language, but you are representing the school in the speech, not using the podium as your public forum. We need to be mindful about the inclusion of religious aspects. These are your strong beliefs, but they are not appropriate for a speech in a public-school setting.”
I’m happy to report that the principal backed down the day following receipt of a letter from First Liberty Institute. The Institute warned that the student’s First Amendment Rights were being violated.
Savannah Lefler, the Class Scholar, was chosen to give a speech during her school’s Senior Honors Night. Her speech encouraged her fellow classmates to live a purposeful life, and the purpose of her life is “to live a life devoted to Christ.” Her principal sent an email after reading the draft, “Unfortunately, we are a public educational institution and must legally abide by the First Amendment. Through past Supreme Court cases, rulings have stated that government institutions, including public schools, cannot favor one religion over any others.” In a call, school officials told her that the speech was too “Christianized.”
After another letter from First Liberty explaining the error of their ways, the school reversed course and Savannah had freedom to express her faith.
The Rutherford Institute has intervened on behalf of a Florida student. Lucas Hudson, valedictorian of his class, was ordered by school officials to remove religious references from his commencement address. If he refused, he would be banned from speaking. He wanted to urge his classmates to “use whatever time they have to love others and serve the God who loves us.”
The legal team at Rutherford said, “If America’s schools are to impart principles of freedom and democracy to future generations, they must start by respecting the constitutional rights of their students. While the government may not establish or compel a particular religion, it also may not silence and suppress religious speech merely because others might take offense. People are free to ignore, disagree with, or counter the religious speech of others, but the government cannot censor private religious speech.”
Schools seem to be confused about the Establishment Clause, which is what they refer to when limiting students’ speech rights. Student speeches are private speeches and are not subject to the Establishment Clause.
The Supreme Court has ruled that teachers and students do not lose their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse gate. Student speech is protected even on school property.
Not only are they protected under the First Amendment but schools should certainly be familiar with guidance from the U.S. Department of Education. This should be required reading for all school officials or anyone overseeing any commencement school activities.
The students I mentioned have bravely stood up to school officials and insisted they be allowed to speak of their faith. I hope all students will be aware of their rights and be willing to educate school officials on those rights.
Congratulations to all graduating students.
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Joyce Krawiec serves in the North Carolina Senate. She represents Davie County and Forsyth County, NC. Christian, wife, mother, small business owner, and conservative.