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| For Immediate Release | |
| Aug 26, 1999 | Contact: Press Office 202-646-5172 |
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Mississippi School Board Reverses its Ban on the "Star of David" Government Schools Taught A Lesson on Religious Liberty (Washington, August 26) Judicial Watch, Inc., the Washington, D.C.-based public interest law firm that fights government corruption, today commended the Harrison County School District in Mississippi's reversal of its prohibition of the Star of David. The school board had prevented Ryan Green, a 15 year old Jewish student, from wearing a Star of David pin given him by his grandmother. The board attempted to justify its actions by stating that the Star of David was a "gang symbol." "We are pleased that the school board has capitulated so quickly," stated Judicial Watch General Counsel Larry Klayman. "But this should not be the end. Ryan was denied his fundamental constitutional right to the free exercise of religion. Those responsible should be properly educated so that this does not happen again. It's time for teachers and government-school bureaucrats to go "back to school" and learn why the United States of America was founded in the first place: so that no petty government official can dictate religious orthodoxy to a free people," Klayman continued. Judicial Watch joined the American Civil Liberties Union and the Christian Coalition in support of the case. Judicial Watch spoke out against the board's prohibition in the media, and had threatened to file legal papers on behalf of Ryan, with the court's permission. |
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