A judge in Houston granted a temporary restraining order Monday that allows religious-themed Valentine’s Day favors at class parties in the Katy School District.
The order comes in a lawsuit filed by five families who accused the Houston-area district of banning religious expression.
Kelly Shackelford with the Plano-based Liberty Legal Institute says students were being told they couldn’t mention God.
Shackelford says the lawsuit seeks a permanent injunction to stop any discrimination against a student because of religious expression.
“Christian students should not be treated any differently than other students, yet at this elementary school, the principal and certain teachers have created an environment of intimidation and hostility toward Christian students,” said Alliance Defense Fund Senior Legal Counsel Mike Johnson, who is assisting lead attorneys at Liberty Legal Institute.
“These little kids are scared about uttering any reference to their personal faith because they’ve seen what happens to them and their classmates when they do so,” Johnson explained.
“Apparently, there are staff members at this school who do not understand that the Constitution prohibits government officials from showing hostility toward religion.”
The district responded Monday that it was never the intent of schools to limit what messages their students could exchange at Valentine's Day parties.
The district also says it's never been the official policy of Katy ISD to suppress a student's right of freedom of speech or religious expression.
