Lawsuit filed after school forbids boy from reading Bible at recess

Knoxville, Tenn., Jun 7, 2005 / 22:00 pm

A Tennessee elementary school is being sued for barring a 10-year-old boy from reading his Bible during recess, reported AgapePress.

Knox County School officials have been served with a federal lawsuit alleging they violated the free-speech rights of fourth-grader Luke Whitson.

Whitson was recently prohibited from reading his Bible with a few friends on the playground at Karns Elementary School in Knoxville after a parent complained about the activity.

The school has argued that recess is not free time, but instructional time, and that Bible reading during recess violates the separation of church and state.

Whitson's attorney, Chuck Pope with the Alliance Defense Fund, argues that recess has long been regarded as non-instructional time, during which students are free to read or discuss a wide range of literature, including the Bible.