My colleague Stuart Shepard was in Walmart® last weekend shopping for back-to-school supplies for his son when he encountered some rather provocatively Christian notebooks and folders. One of them read: "God Recycles. He made you out of dust." Another read: "John 3:16. This message is illegal in 53 countries."
Usually when we report on Christian expression in the public schools, it has to do with some official trying to kick religion out of school. But when the country's largest retailer stocks school supplies with openly religious messages like this, we regard it as a pleasant change.
Such messages are perfectly legal and they conform with court rulings that give wide latitude to students who want to express religious views in public schools. Many times teachers have the mistaken impression that anything religious is not allowed in school, and they make on-the-spot decisions that religious items need to go. They are wrong. Some school boards have even adopted official policies that inhibit student-initiated religious expression. But these policies also are inconsistent with what the relevant laws actually say.
That's why Focus on the Family has developed website initiatives for parents and students such as True Tolerance™ and Day of Dialogue™, which equip parents and students with knowledge of their rights and ways to legally express their beliefs in our public schools. These programs have effectively helped families across the country.
May God bless you and your family.
For faith and family,
Tom Minnery Senior Vice President, Government & Public Policy
