First Liberty



Dear  John,

No student should EVER have their graduation speech censored just
because it includes religious references.

After all, the freedom to express your religious beliefs is what this
nation was founded upon!

But until today, that's the situation graduating high school
senior Elizabeth Turner found herself in-told by school
officials that she must remove all references to her personal
religious beliefs from her valedictorian speech.

This, of course, is blatantly unconstitutional.

So we put the pressure on. We sent a letter to the school explaining
just that-that Elizabeth's right to express her faith DOES
NOT STOP at the schoolhouse gate.

And thankfully, we just received the victory announcement this
afternoon: The school has REVERSED their decision, and will allow
Elizabeth to present her speech as planned.

"We are grateful to school officials for acting swiftly to
ensure that religious students can freely exercise their right to
express their faith in a graduation speech," said Keisha
Russell, FLI Counsel. "We hope that future graduates will be
free from religious censorship as well."

In response to the good news, Elizabeth Turner said: "I'm
grateful I will be able to share my faith with my classmates, and I
pray that God uses this situation to advance His kingdom."

Unfortunately, the reality is-this won't be the last time
that a student's religious rights are challenged by would-be
authoritarians in our nation's schools.

In fact, just since the news of this case broke, we're already
receiving more calls from other students experiencing similar
religious discrimination. The battle certainly continues.

But know this: Because of your ongoing support, we will continue to
lead the fight for these students-and we will continue winning.

So, thank you again for your faithful support. To borrow
Elizabeth's words, let's continue advancing the kingdom
together!

Gratefully,

Kelly

Kelly Shackelford
President, CEO & Chief Counsel
First Liberty Institute

First Liberty Institute is a nonprofit, charitable organization under
section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It does not endorse or
participate in any campaign activity for or against political
candidates.

First Liberty conducts research and provides analysis on the effects
of policy actions on religious liberty. This publication is intended
to be used for informational, educational and reference purposes only.



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