WV School Board Agrees Not To Replace Stolen Jesus Painting

In a surprising development, the Harrison County, West Virginia School Board on Thursday unanimously voted to end its opposition to a pending lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the display of a painting of Jesus that used to hang in Bridgeport High School. As reported in a prior posting, after the suit was filed, an unknown intruder stole the painting from the school. Now, according to today's Charleston Gazette, after being advised by its attorneys that the high profile case is now moot, the board voted to ask the plaintiffs to drop their lawsuit. In return, the board agreed that "if the reproduction is retrieved, [it] will not put the reproduction back up as it was previously situated." The ACLU and Americans United that filed the lawsuit say they will agreed to dismiss this portion of it so long as the School Board agrees not to put up another display that unconstitutionally endorses religion. However there may still be another shoe to drop. The student sector of the Christian Alliance at Bridgeport High School plans to present the school with a something to replace the painting-- but it will not reveal until this afternoon what that will be.