Beer Baron said:
Ah, I didn't see that. That sounds pretty even-handed to me unless they let other religious slogans slide, but still I think the kid should win. I really don't like when public schools push things like mandated prayers, but I think the kids should be able to do it in a non-disruptive way on their own. I don't see how the mask thing isn't in line with that.
I don't disagree with you. I could see disallowing masks with religious messages if they disrupt the learning experience in anyway. However, I would think that if you disallow one type of religious message you would need to disallow all religious messages.
For example, if this little girl was wearing a "Hail Satan" mask, or a "Allah Ackbar" mask, I believe you would see the same outcome from the school. Just based on my cursory research, it looks like a ruling from the 5th Circuit (
Canady v. Bossier Parish School Board) gives public schools wide leverage on what they allow to be worn in school.
https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/284/canady-v-bossier-parish-school-board-5th-cirIt looks like as long as the school is not singling out a specific religion (in this case, Christianity), it seems unlikely that this family will prevail.
But I fully admit to not being a lawyer nor having an in-depth understanding of this issue.