For Immediate Release
Contact:
Patrick Hudson, Communications Assistant, (202) 238-9088 ex. 105, phudson@americanhumanist.org
Monica Miller, Senior Counsel at the Appignani Humanist Legal Center, 202-238-9088, mmiller@americanhumanist.org
(Quanah, TX, April 17, 2017)— The American Humanist Association (AHA) successfully had two Christian crosses removed that were displayed in an elementary school in Quanah, Texas. In February, the AHA’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center was notified by a concerned parent that her child’s teacher was displaying two prominent Christian crosses in a public school classroom. The AHA promptly sent the school district a letter demanding that the religious iconography be removed, as it violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
In response, the school district confirmed on Friday that the crosses have been removed. The AHA, however, will continue to ensure that all public school classrooms are religiously neutral.
“Supreme Court precedent is clear that public schools cannot endorse religion in the classroom, especially when impressionable young children are involved,” said Monica Miller, senior counsel for the Appignani Humanist Legal Center.
“Classrooms should be a place of learning, not a place for religious indoctrination of young children against the wishes of their parents,” said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association.
The AHA’s initial warning letter can be found here.
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Founded in 1941 and headquartered in Washington, DC, the American Humanist Association (AHA) works to protect the rights of humanists, atheists, and other nontheistic Americans. The AHA advances the ethical and life-affirming philosophy of humanism, which—without beliefs in any gods or other supernatural forces—encourages individuals to live informed and meaningful lives that aspire to the greater good of humanity.
Special thanks to the Louis J. Appignani Foundation and the Herb Block Foundation for their support of the Appignani Humanist Legal Center.