Christian Cross Banned
26th October 1999
School's ban on cross necklaces is
Christian-bashing, say Libertarians
WASHINGTON, DC -- A threat by an Alabama school to discipline
an 11-year-old girl for wearing a cross necklace shows why you can't
trust government schools to protect religious freedom, the Libertarian
Party said today.
"Students go to school to learn -- but what kind of lesson do
they learn when the government says that wearing a cross is a crime?"
asked Steve Dasbach, the party's national director. "It seems the
lesson of the day in Alabama is Religious Intolerance 101."
Earlier this month, attorneys for Kandice Smith, a sixth-grader
at Curry Middle School in Walker County, Alabama, filed a lawsuit in
federal court to overturn what they called an "unconstitutional" dress
code.
In August, the school banned cross necklaces as part of its new
dress code -- claiming they are "gang symbols." School officials
threatened to discipline Smith if she didn't hide the cross under her
clothes.
But Smith's attorneys argue the policy "violates the free
speech and free exercise rights [of Smith] by denying her the ability
to express her faith through the visible wearing of the necklace." The
lawsuit also charges that the school "demonstrates a hostility toward
religion."
Dasbach said Libertarians agree -- but have a better solution.
"Any dress code that bans a popular Christian symbol is clearly
unconstitutional, and we're confident the court will agree. But
changing this particular school's dress code isn't the answer," he
said.
"After all, if Kandice Smith wins, the problem will be solved
at Curry Middle School. But it doesn't change the fact that thousands
of government school districts all across the country have the power to
implement a similar anti-Christian ban tomorrow.
"And it doesn't change the fact that government schools
routinely teach values and beliefs that many Christians find
abhorrent -- while forcing them to pay taxes to subsidize those
schools. That's why this lawsuit won't solve the real problem."
So what will?
"Most Christians support a separation of church and state
because they understand that government should not come between
people's relationship with their God," said Dasbach. "What Libertarians
understand is that we need a separation of school and state for the
same reason: To protect children like Kandice Smith from the kind of
religious intolerance she is experiencing at a government school."
That's why the underlying problem will only be solved when
America starts moving toward a system where children are educated in
free-market, religious, or voluntary community schools -- not
tax-funded government schools, he said.
"In a free-market system -- where people aren't forced to
subsidize costly, failing government schools -- parents would be able
to send their children to schools that teach their values, and respect
their beliefs," said Dasbach. "In a free-market system, Kandice Smith's
parents wouldn't be forced to send her to a school that makes wearing a
cross a crime."
The idea of moving away from government-run schools and towards
private alternatives can be somewhat unsettling for many Christians,
Dasbach acknowledged.
"But remember this: Jesus Christ was sentenced to death by his
government," he said. "So, do you want to blindly trust our government
to educate your children properly -- especially after what it's done to
Kandice Smith?"