Dec 16, 2004 / 22:00 pm
Parents and students have filed a federal lawsuit against a public school district in Plano, Tex., after it informed its schools of a ban on candy canes with religious messages, pencils with the name “Jesus” on them, and red- and green-colored decorations at holiday parties, reported AgapePress. The matter has also sparked an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice.
"These government officials have lost all common sense. Our schools are not zones of religious censorship," said Kelly Shackelford of the Liberty Legal Institute.
The institute filed the lawsuit against the Plano Independent School District on behalf of the parents Dec 15. Shackelford said school officials have violated the constitutional rights of students and their parents.
The attorney said he does not expect school officials to support or endorse religion, "but they can't ban students and parents from celebrating the holidays and expressing themselves in accordance with their beliefs."