Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 1
Wisconsin Graduate Challenges Bible-Verse Ban, School Drops Graduation Slideshow
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 1

Wisconsin Graduate Challenges Bible-Verse Ban, School Drops Graduation Slideshow

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 1

Summary

  • Less than 24 hours before commencement, Arrowhead High School told Sarianne Beronja her Proverbs 3:6 message could not appear beside her photo, and also rejected an alternative note thanking God.
  • Superintendent Conrad Farner said the slideshow was school-sponsored speech, not a public forum, and that district rules limited messages to family thank-yous and future plans under a neutrality policy.
  • WILL says that policy unconstitutionally permits secular personal messages while excluding comparable religious viewpoints, and said it is prepared to sue unless the district changes course.
  • Farner said the district will stop using a graduation slideshow going forward, while Beronja argues past ceremonies included Bible verses and says the challenge is meant to protect future students' expression.

Insights

As courts rethink religious expression, can a 1988 ruling still justify censoring a student's personal graduation message?
If one student's quote cancels a tradition for all, what is the future of personal expression in schools?