Texas school drops religious service after AU complaint.Officials at a public school in Texas have agreed to drop sponsorship of a religious service for graduating seniors after Americans United warned them that the practice is unconstitutional unconstitutional adj. referring to a statute, governmental conduct, court decision or private contract (such as a covenant which purports to limit transfer of real property only to Caucasians) which violate one or more provisions of the U. S. Constitution. . Attorneys with Americans United contacted the Grapevine-Colleyville School District last summer and advised them that the school's involvement in an annual Christian service, called a baccalaureate, was constitutionally problematic. In recent years, some parents in the district had expressed concern about the event. School officials would print information about the baccalaureate on the graduation program, and some school staffers had a hand in organizing it. In May of 2003, for example, the event took place in the gymnasium gymnasium In Germany, a state-maintained secondary school that prepares pupils for higher academic education. This type of nine-year school originated in Strasbourg in 1537. of Colleyville Heritage High School Colleyville Heritage High School is a public secondary school in Colleyville, Texas, United States. The school is a part of the Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District. CHHS is located a few miles west of the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. . It was listed as an event on the official school invitation for the school's graduation ceremonies, and members of the school faculty helped students plan and organize the service. The main speaker at the baccalaureate service A baccalaureate service is an American event which features a speech or series of speeches given to a graduating senior class from a college or high school. The speeches are often, but not necessarily, of a religious nature, almost invariably Christian. was the school's choir teacher. In the future, school officials told AU, the event will be turned over to a private organization. "We want to make sure we're doing what's right," Robin McClure, a spokeswoman for the district, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram The Fort Worth Star-Telegram is a major U.S. daily newspaper serving Fort Worth and the western half of the North Texas area known as the Metroplex. Its area of domination is checked by its main rival, The Dallas Morning News . |
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