Consent Order Settles Suit On In-School Posters Announcing Prayer Events

In May, a Tennessee federal district court issued a preliminary injunction barring Wilson County (TN)'s Lakeview Elementary School from enforcing a broadly written school speech policy to suppress religious references on posters made by students and parents to publicize "See You At the Pole" and National Day of Prayer events at the school. (See prior posting.) On Monday, Alliance Defense Fund announced that the lawsuit has been settled with the entry of a Consent Order (full text). The order makes the preliminary injunction permanent and requires that any new policy restricting religious speech on posters must be reasonable, viewpoint neutral and in accordance with federal law. The Wilson County School Board also paid $50,000 of plaintiffs' attorneys fees and paid nominal damages of $1. The settlement come just in time for this year's See You At the Pole event scheduled nationally for Sept. 23.