Contact: Bill Burgess, 202-238-9088, bburgess@americanhumanist.org

(Washington D.C., Oct. 5, 2012)—The Appignani Humanist Legal Center has filed an amicus curiae brief on behalf of the American Humanist Association and the Secular Student Alliance in a case challenging the firing of a teacher for teaching creationism in his public school science classroom.

The Ohio Supreme Court is hearing an appeal of a ruling against the teacher in the case, Freshwater v. Mount Vernon City School District Board of Education.

A copy of the brief can be found here: http://humanistlegalcenter.org/main/legal-center-submits-amicus-brief-supporting-firing-of-teacher-for-promoting-creationism/

“Public school teachers cannot use their governmental position to promote religious views to children entrusted in their care,” said Bill Burgess, attorney and legal coordinator of the American Humanist Association’s legal arm, the Appignani Humanist Legal Center. “This case is nothing more than a sneaky attempt to indoctrinate our students under the guise of free speech.”

The case arose out of the Mt. Vernon City School Board’s decision to fire public school teacher John Freshwater after he repeatedly refused to teach established curriculum and instead promoted creationism in science classes.

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The Appignani Humanist Legal Center is a project of the American Humanist Association that provides legal assistance to defend the constitutional rights of secular Americans by challenging violations of the separation of church and state guaranteed by the Establishment Clause and seeking equal rights for humanists, atheists and other freethinkers.

Special thanks to the Louis J. Appignani Foundation and The Herb Block Foundation for their support of the Appignani Humanist Legal Center.