Solomon's wisdom restored: Censorship of proverb in grad speech reversed
ADF letter prompts SC school officials to rethink ban on ‘religious quote’ in student-of-the-year’s speech
Friday, Jun 8, 2012
ADF attorney sound bites: Jeremy Tedesco #1 | Jeremy Tedesco #2
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A South Carolina school will allow its student of the year to include a Bible verse in her graduation speech Saturday after first telling her she could not. The school reversed course after the Alliance Defense Fund sent a letter to South Carolina Public Charter School District and Provost Academy officials regarding the unconstitutionality of prohibiting Mariah Kirby from including a verse from the Book of Proverbs in her speech.
The verse, Proverbs 13:4, reads, “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.” Officials originally told Kirby she could not “use a religious quote because we are a public school.”
“Public schools should encourage, not shut down, the free exchange of ideas, and that includes individual student expression contained in a graduation speech,” said ADF Legal Counsel Jeremy Tedesco. “School officials have wisely decided to allow Mariah to include the proverb, and we hope other schools will follow their example in acting quickly to respect the constitutionally protected rights of their students.”
“Removing the voice of faith from schools sends a message to all students that religion is something to be ashamed of,” Tedesco added. “The First Amendment forbids schools from singling out and excluding religious speech and speakers in this way.”
The ADF letter to district and school officials explained, “School officials did not place any content limitations on Mariah’s speech. Rather, when she asked what the speech should be about, they told her ‘anything….’ Mariah’s speech addresses a topic that is commonly addressed at graduation ceremonies: having the courage and drive to chase your dreams. Mariah’s speech expresses her religious perspective on this topic through her quotation of Proverbs 13:4. Censoring this religious reference from Mariah’s speech violates her First Amendment rights.”
Because Provost Academy recently named Kirby “Student of the Year,” and because she is the first graduate from the school who started there as a freshman, school officials asked Kirby, along with the school’s valedictorian and salutatorian, to compose a short speech to deliver at the school’s graduation ceremony on Saturday. The academy, an online public charter school, has even used Kirby for promotional purposes in the past.
ADF delivered its letter to district and school officials on Monday after school officials told Kirby by e-mail she could not use the proverb. The same day, the executive director of the academy replied to the letter, writing, “Upon further review of the matter, the school has determined that Mariah will be permitted to deliver her speech as written.”
The verse, Proverbs 13:4, reads, “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.” Officials originally told Kirby she could not “use a religious quote because we are a public school.”
“Public schools should encourage, not shut down, the free exchange of ideas, and that includes individual student expression contained in a graduation speech,” said ADF Legal Counsel Jeremy Tedesco. “School officials have wisely decided to allow Mariah to include the proverb, and we hope other schools will follow their example in acting quickly to respect the constitutionally protected rights of their students.”
“Removing the voice of faith from schools sends a message to all students that religion is something to be ashamed of,” Tedesco added. “The First Amendment forbids schools from singling out and excluding religious speech and speakers in this way.”
The ADF letter to district and school officials explained, “School officials did not place any content limitations on Mariah’s speech. Rather, when she asked what the speech should be about, they told her ‘anything….’ Mariah’s speech addresses a topic that is commonly addressed at graduation ceremonies: having the courage and drive to chase your dreams. Mariah’s speech expresses her religious perspective on this topic through her quotation of Proverbs 13:4. Censoring this religious reference from Mariah’s speech violates her First Amendment rights.”
Because Provost Academy recently named Kirby “Student of the Year,” and because she is the first graduate from the school who started there as a freshman, school officials asked Kirby, along with the school’s valedictorian and salutatorian, to compose a short speech to deliver at the school’s graduation ceremony on Saturday. The academy, an online public charter school, has even used Kirby for promotional purposes in the past.
ADF delivered its letter to district and school officials on Monday after school officials told Kirby by e-mail she could not use the proverb. The same day, the executive director of the academy replied to the letter, writing, “Upon further review of the matter, the school has determined that Mariah will be permitted to deliver her speech as written.”
- Pronunciation guide: Tedesco (Tuh-DESS’-ko)
ADF is a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations defending the right of people to freely live out their faith. Launched in 1994, ADF employs a unique combination of strategy, training, funding, and litigation to protect and preserve religious liberty, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family.
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