School tries to shut down 'Jesus lunch' in park

[brimic]

I remember a few weeks back where people were claiming that schools would allow Christians to have prayer time or Bible reading inside schools, if Christians wanted to. Here's an example of 'nope' to counter that. Not only is this not on school grounds, but its on the kid's time during their open campus lunch.
http://www.wnd.com/2016/04/jesus-lunches-spark-school-anger-police-attention/
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/04/14/high-school-wants-to-shut-down-off-campus-jesus-lunch.html

Mothers in Middleton have been hosting a Jesus Lunch 16 times per year since 2014 in Fireman’s Park. Students from Middleton High School, who may eat at local dining establishments, often choose a free lunch provided by the mothers. The religious message shared with meals was the catalyst for targeting the gathering, which has grown from a small handful of students to hundreds.

“We are asking you to allow our legal counsels to consider this together because this is certainly a question you contend is a First Amendment right,” Donald Johnson, the superintendent of the Middleton-Cross Plains district, recently said to the mothers after blocking the park entrance with hazard cones. “We contend that this is really an issue of our ability to exercise our lease for the city. We think that cooperation is really the way to go.”

Johnson was then presented with a letter from the group’s lawyer, another from the City of Middleton, and a lease agreement to use the park, the education watchdog EAGnews.org reported last Friday.

“[Officials] coned up the parking lot, waited there and confronted my clients and told them to leave,” Phillip Stamman, an attorney representing the moms, told the website. “[The parents] responded how I recommended. They walked right past them. The superintendent repeatedly tried to confront them. He was the first one. But they just moved on.”

In addition to citing food-safety concerns, school officials sent an email to parents on April 12 saying, “We believe that religious or political events do not have a place in our school or on our campus, except when sponsored by a student group in accordance with our rules, which require prior approval,” Fox News reported.

So its only school approved religeous activities....

[charby]

The school is going to lose. Then the school is going become a closed campus at lunch in retaliation.

[RevDisk]

The school is going to lose. Then the school is going become a closed campus at lunch in retaliation.

Ayep.

Generally a good idea to stay out of religious or political events for general liability reasons.

[brimic]

Ayep.

Generally a good idea to stay out of religious or political events for general liability reasons.

I hate 'what if' arguments, but I'll throw one in...
What if the event were hosted by an LGBT activist group, or maybe a local Imam were leading a lunchtime prayer session? I bet the school wouldn't dare touch it.

[RevDisk]

I hate 'what if' arguments, but I'll throw one in...
What if the event were hosted by an LGBT activist group, or maybe a local Imam were leading a lunchtime prayer session? I bet the school wouldn't dare touch it.

That's why you want to avoid religious or political events for general liability reasons. If you say, "no religious or political events" during the school day or on school property, no one is going to get far if a local Imam or LGBT group wants something contrary to the policy. If you allow X, and Y comes along, you either have to say Yes or get sued or PR nightmare.

That school is run by a moron, and will lose the lawsuit.

[brimic]

That's why you want to avoid religious or political events for general liability reasons. If you say, "no religious or political events" during the school day or on school property, no one is going to get far if a local Imam or LGBT group wants something contrary to the policy. If you allow X, and Y comes along, you either have to say Yes or get sued or PR nightmare.

That school is run by a moron, and will lose the lawsuit.

Makes perfect sense.
The school is run by a moron, however, his attitude and behavior is status quo for that area. The city is in Dane county, which is where the far left shops for activist judges to carry out their lawfare.

[Perd Hapley]

If you say, "no religious or political events" during the school day or on school property, no one is going to get far if a local Imam or LGBT group wants something contrary to the policy. If you allow X, and Y comes along, you either have to say Yes or get sued or PR nightmare.

In my layman's understanding, schools are not allowed to single out or ban groups or activities due to their religious nature. So if the students were allowed to leave campus for a Save the Spotted Owl lunch, or a Harry Potter lunch, the school would have to allow the "Jesus lunch." (I can only assume it features fish and bread. Or perhaps lamb.)

In this instance, it's hard to fathom how the school thinks it has any grounds here. They can go to McDonald's apparently, or eat in the park, I guess, so what leg does the school expect to stand on?

I remember a few weeks back where people were claiming that schools would allow Christians to have prayer time or Bible reading inside schools, if Christians wanted to. Here's an example of 'nope' to counter that.

What I recall is that we were talking about the legal rights of students (as curently defined by the courts), and also pointing out that schools and teachers have been known to violate those rights, and often get away with it. In this case, I doubt they will.


"Does Jesus bring His taco truck?"

[Scout26]

"Does Jesus bring His taco truck?"

Only Kosher and Halal Tacos... 

If they do attempt to close the campus, there will be a huge backlash....

[Perd Hapley]

“[Officials] coned up the parking lot, waited there and confronted my clients and told them to leave,” Phillip Stamman, an attorney representing the moms, told the website. “[The parents] responded how I recommended. They walked right past them. The superintendent repeatedly tried to confront them. He was the first one. But they just moved on.”
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2016/04/jesus-lunches-spark-school-anger-police-attention/#L2uOJvsilUXjg3B7.99

Good for them.

The school is going to lose. Then the school is going become a closed campus at lunch in retaliation.

Seems likely. Can't have students learning about forgiveness and loving their enemies on their free time.

[wmenorr67]

Take a page from BLM and just block the streets.



Seriously, don't think the school district has a leg to stand on in this fight.

[AJ Dual]

Makes perfect sense.
The school is run by a moron, however, his attitude and behavior is status quo for that area. The city is in Dane county, which is where the far left shops for activist judges to carry out their lawfare.

This.

Knowing full well that they'll probably get some initial wins at the county level, it will take 2-3 years for the students/parents to win on appeal, by which time they'll be long-gone from the school, and the social momentum to start again once it's settled will probably dissipate, delivering a Pyrrhic victory to those directly involved now.

Getting Madison-area judges in Dane County has been SOP for the past several years to at least delay/hinder the laws passed by the GOP majority and Governor Walker. Fortunately, there is a 5-2 conservative majority on the State Supreme Court.

[Firethorn]

This.

Knowing full well that they'll probably get some initial wins at the county level, it will take 2-3 years for the students/parents to win on appeal, by which time they'll be long-gone from the school, and the social momentum to start again once it's settled will probably dissipate, delivering a Pyrrhic victory to those directly involved now.

Think about this for a moment when a parent might have 2-3 kids 3-4 years apart...

In any case, it seems like a slam dunk case.
1.  They've been doing it for a while and they're only cracking down now.
2.  The parents have successfully made it about religion, which raises the bar
3.  Doesn't a fair bit of this amount to parents feeding their own kids and their friends?
4.  This is likely to spread beyond the school. 

Even the more liberal judges will have a hard time justifying finding for a school who's officials are stupid enough to send out an email trying to shut down the picnics citing campus policy when the event is taking place off campus. 

“We believe that religious or political events do not have a place in our school or on our campus, except when sponsored by a student group in accordance with our rules, which require prior approval,” the pair wrote in an email sent to parents on April 12.

Off campus, you numb-nuts

“The policies in question include food handling, visitors to campus, and expectations around student organized events,” the administrators wrote. “We are in no way interested in opposing religious practice in otherwise legal circumstances.”

Odd, nobody's visiting campus for this, and it's not a student organized event.  It's a parent organized one.

“Food of any kind that is served to students must be approved by the school/district to ensure food safety, cleanliness and health,” they wrote. “In addition, many students are subject to food allergies, so additional protocols must be followed to safeguard students with these conditions.”

Hm... my brother hasn't had inspectors around to check up on what he's serving to his kids at home...

[brimic]

Even the more liberal judges will have a hard time justifying finding for a school who's officials are stupid enough to send out an email trying to shut down the picnics citing campus policy when the event is taking place off campus. 

In 99.99% of the rest of America that would be true, not so in Dane county.
There is a reason why we have a 5-2 conservative majority in the WI S.C.- people are way beyond disgusted with activist judges in Dane county. Just about every ruling coming out of Dane county involving constitutionality gets slapped down at the appeals or S.C. level, but it usually takes a year or three. Its that bad.

[KD5NRH]

The one question I keep coming back to is why does the school have a lease agreement for the park and what exactly does it do?  According to the organizers, they have a lease agreement on the pavilions, and the school's doesn't close the park to other users, so wouldn't it now be up to the city to do something about the superintendent trying to block the parents from using the area they leased?  Maybe terminate the school's lease for inappropriate interference with other lessees?

Frankly, I'd look at a two-pronged political assault in the form of getting new people on both the school board and city council.

[HankB]

Back when I was in school, officials knew better than to try and intimidate students who were off campus (other than at an official event like a field trip), let alone parents.

Glad to see they just walked right past the officious officials - that probably caused a near-apoplexic reaction with these tinhorn bureaucrats.