AG offers to help defend Texas school's Bible banners

One of the banners featuring a religious message that the Kountze High School cheerleaders created. / Facebook/Support Kountze Kids Faith

AUSTIN, Texas Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has offered to help a Southeast Texas school district and its cheerleaders fight a challenge to putting Bible verses on high school football game banners.

Kountze (KOONTZ) Superintendent Kevin Weldon initially banned the signs after the Freedom From Religion Foundation complained. But a judge ordered that the banners continue to be allowed until a court hearing can be held next month.

In a letter to Weldon, Abbott said he was on solid legal ground by allowing the signs. He said his office was prepared to file a brief on the cheerleaders' behalf if the Freedom From Religion Foundation sued.

The conservative Liberty Institute already is defending the cheerleaders, arguing that banning religious speech on student-made signs is discriminatory.

Most people in Kountze viewed the banners as evidence of the students' admirable moral upbringing - Christianity and the Bible always had been fundamental to this town of 2,100.

• Texas high school cheerleaders barred from using Bible verses on football banners

But someone complained to a foundation that fights for the separation of church and state. After receiving a letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, the superintendent banned the banners, and the town became embroiled in a controversy that has touched other communities nationwide.

Weldon gently explains to every parent who calls that a 2000 U.S. Supreme Court precedent-setting decision requires religion to be kept out of public schools. Some parents support his decision. Others say they will back their children's First Amendment right to hang the banners.

"It is not a personal opinion of mine," Weldon told KVUE-TV. "My personal convictions are that I am a Christian as well. But I'm also a state employee and Kountze ISD representative. And I was advised that that such a practice would be in direct violation of United State Supreme Court decisions."

Weldon himself is torn, but he has to abide by the judge's injunction, and will let the attorneys decide whether to fight the institute. He added to KVUE-TV that while people in the stands and students are allowed to express their religious beliefs, no person officially representing the school as part of a team or school-sponsored event can.

Kountze is 85 miles northeast of Houston.

[JV1970]

Whoever reported these kids should move maybe to the east or west coast! To some place out of the Bible belt where atheists are more accepted and more welcome would be perfect!

They shouldn't expect the town and school district to change their beliefs and traditions that they've had for generations to suit maybe one or two people! In this case the rights of the majority should prevail!

[bbtihannah]

First of all @jtdev1 read A Case for Christ written by Lee Strobel (an atheist) This situation and all the ones similar go way beyond whether Christianity is legit or not. This is about freedom. If there is someone on the team that does not believe as these cheerleaders do then let them work it out among themselves; learning communication, debate, and team building skills. You cannot stop me from believing and acting how I want just as I cannot do that to you as long is it does not harm another person. If we as a country trade our freedom of speech and religion for political correctness what then. We could speculate all day on what that would look like. But lets look at history and all the civilizations that tried that and see how well that worked out. I think that is a good indication that we need to get wise quickly and stop this madness about you can't worship in front of me!

[rightontarget]

I am a Christian and I have no problem with people expressing their religious views individually. My problem is when one group professes to speak for EVERYBODY. What if there might be a jewish person on the team? What if there is a Jewish or otherwise religious but not necessarily Christian member of that student body who might even be athletic and want to participate on the team? What about an athiest? How would those cheerleaders be representing him? Answer: They would not. You can profess your faith all you want individually. (Just look at Tim Tebow of the NFL) BUT you should NOT think you have the right to represent EVERYBODY. A PUBLIC school (as opposed to a private Christian School) does NOT have the right to represent ANY particular religious group. Public school educational and social programs should NOT favor any particular group over another.

[JV1970]

You are wrong because to deny these cheerleaders the right to display their banners is to infringe on their religious rights that are given to them by the Constitution.

You sound as though you probably live in a large city where there are people of all faiths and people with no faith.

I know that I don't speak for every individual in small towns but I live in a small town that's not much bigger than the one in this article. I've lived here all of my life and I can tell you one thing that's for sure. Life in our small towns is MUCH different than in the cities and the people here are different.

The town in this article is small enough that it's likely that there aren't any Jewish people living there or people of any other religion but Christian. This IS after all a very small town in Texas. They are not one of the big cities on the east or west coast.

If that's the case I see no problem at all with the girls putting up their banners. I think this should be voted on by the citizens of the town. I think the citizens of the town should be allowed to decide for themselves whether the children of their town are allowed to profess their faith at school functions or not and not some group called The Freedom From Religion Foundation.

In fact I think the Supreme Court should allow every school district in the country to vote on and decide this issue for themselves because not every school district is the same. It's as I said, in the larger cities I know that there are people of all faiths. That's why I think the Supreme Court should allow the parents and voters in each district to decide what's best for their district.

[roberttxdem]

Klan Kountry. Bible thumping lynch mobbing cousin loving rednecks. It is perfectly ok with me for them to be religeous, but this is a tax payer funded, therefore governmental, school that needs to keep religeon and public business separate.

[JV1970]

These people pay taxes too and so does everyone else in what you call "Klan Kountry"!

They also have rights that are given to them by the Constitution. One of them is their first amendment right to freely exercise their religion. It's given to them in the last clause of the first amendment. That's the part you liberals and atheists want to leave out and forget about!

If the Supreme Court were to take this right away from them they'd have to amend the Constitution again and that something they're not about to do!

[karek40]

To JTDEV1, there is considerable historical proof. In each case where a man was deemed to be a prophet, he gave a short term prophecy which came true later in his life (exactly and validated him being a prophet) then he gave a long term prophecy which was to come true after his death. Some of the long term have come true and believers are awaiting the others (like a collapse of the worlds economic system which is having its birth pangs now). Please read and understand before you make your unfounded comments.

[jtdev1]

That's right, keep them stupid and believing in something with absolutely no proof at all.

Just Believe!!!!!!!!!!!!!