Student Sues After Ban On Handing Out Religious Literature

Today's Charlotte Observer reports on a federal lawsuit that has been filed in North Carolina by a ninth-grade student who claims that he was disciplined for passing out flyers in his school during non-class time. After the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network at Dunn, North Carolina's Midway High School sponsored April 26 as a Day of Silence, student Benjamin Arthurs came to school wearing a Day of Truth shirt, and handed out cards presenting a Christian viewpoint on homosexual behavior. The principal had told Arthurs that he could not hand out his literature because he would be pushing his religion on other students. When Arthurs ignored the ban, he was given a one-day suspension. The student is represented by the Alliance Defense Fund. The complaint in Arthurs v. Sampson County Board of Education asks the court to declare the school's policy unconstitutional under the 1st and 14th amendments, and to enjoin further application of the policy.